This afternoon, the Vicksburg National Military Park will rededicate the Mississippi State Monument 110 years after it was officially dedicated. The ceremony at 2:30 p.m. today follows an extensive restoration project funded by the State of Mississippi and championed by the Friends of Vicksburg National Military Park and Campaign.

The $75,000 project included masonry repairs, testing of the monument’s lightning suppression system and thorough cleaning, and was completed by the National Park Service’s Historic Preservation Training Center,

The event is free to the public and will feature ceremonial firings of a Civil War-era 12lb Napoleon cannon. Those attending should budget 15 minutes to drive from the park visitor center to the monument, located along Confederate Avenue within the military park

The Mississippi State Monument was dedicated on Nov. 12, 1909, and honors the sacrifice of Mississippi’s 32 infantry units, 17 artillery units, and 37 cavalry units which served in the Confederate Armies during the 1863 Vicksburg Campaign of the Civil War. The monument was designed by R.H. Hunt of Chattanooga, Tenn. and constructed at a cost of $32,000.

The ceremony will feature Jim Woodrick, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer, State Sen. Briggs Hopson III and William Justice, Superintendent of Vicksburg National Military Park.