NATCHEZ — The birthplace of Mississippi will celebrate the state’s bicentennial with free barbecue, live music, history tours, games and more.

On Sept. 15, Historic Jefferson College will kick-off a two-day celebration at its second annual Reveille!

The event will include the unveiling of a state historical marker at the site of the Methodist Church, where delegates signed Mississippi’s first constitution.

“Delegates to Mississippi’s first constitutional convention met here in the summer of 1817 to draft the constitution that Mississippi was established upon,” Historic Jefferson College Director Robin Person said. “We can only turn 200 once, so it’s important that we observe that event in a memorable way.”

Beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 15, free plates of pulled pork or brisket from the Pig Out Inn will be served to the first 150 people. There will be a cash bar. From 6 to 8 p.m., the Cane Grinders, featuring multi-instrumentalists Buddy and Faith McClure, will play old time music.

Between the band’s sets, members of the Chickasaw Nation Dance Troupe, dressed in traditional leather leggings, ribbon shirts and brightly colored belts and sashes, will perform traditional stomp dances. The troupe was formed in 1992 in Ada, Okla., to share the ancient arts of shell shaking, dancing and singing with people from around the world.

Festivities resume at 10 a.m. Saturday with a reveille — a bugle call to wake soldiers for duty — and a flag raising.

From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., games such as croquet, bean bag toss and a giant checker board will be set up for families to play. Living historians will portray Prince Ibrahima, Andrew Jackson and other figures from the past.

At 10 a.m., Mississippi Department of Archives and History site administrator Clay Williams will lead a walking tour to where Assembly Hall, the tavern in which the first Mississippi Legislature met, and the Methodist Church where delegates signed Mississippi’s first constitution, once stood.

A new state historical marker interpreting the Methodist Church site will be unveiled.

At 11 a.m., Person will guide a group through Jefferson College’s East Wing and West Wing. Participants will see the original classrooms and laboratory, armory, living spaces and offices — as some special surprises in the attics. Space is limited, and those wishing to take the tour must register in advance. Call 601-442-2901 for more information or to register.

At 12:30 p.m. on the first floor of the West Wing, Historic Natchez Foundation director Mimi Miller will give a presentation on architecture in the town of Washington, which served as the second capitol of the Mississippi Territory from 1802 to 1817.

At 1:30 p.m., Miller will then lead a bus tour of Washington. Participants will see inside rarely opened historic homes and finish with a reception at the Sweet Auburn. Houses along the tour include the Selma, Meadvilla and Ingleside — most of which had close ties to Jefferson College — as well as the Washington Methodist Church. Tour tickets are $25 and may be purchased in advance by contacting the Historic Natchez Foundation at 601-442-2500, or on the day of the tour.

Reveille! is sponsored by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History in partnership with the Historic Natchez Foundation and Order of the First Families of Mississippi.

The college is located in Washington, four miles northeast of Natchez on U.S. 61. The address is 16 Old North St., Natchez, MS 39120.

For more information, call 601-442-2901 or email info@historicjeffersoncollege.com.