NATCHEZ — At 6 p.m. Thursday, at the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians, William “Brother” Rogers will present “A Fascinating Romp through Mississippi History as Told by Historical Markers.”

In May 2014, Rogers photographed a historical marker on the Mississippi University for Women campus, and he has been at it ever since. Now, more than 1,300 markers later, Rogers has visited all of the state’s 82 counties—multiple times! His website, http://www.mississippimarkers.com/, showcases the photographs and is constantly updated.

Mississippi has several marker programs, and Rogers has captured images from each of them. Since 1949 the state historical marker program has placed more than 900 signs interpreting buildings, battlefields, cemeteries, temples, forts, abandoned towns, and other sites across Mississippi. The Mississippi Blues Trail began in 2006 to tell the stories of bluesmen and women and how the places they lived and the times in which they existed influenced their music.

In 2010 the state established the Country Music Trail to honor the contributions and influences of the genre’s giants—from Jimmie Rodgers and Tammy Wynette to Charley Pride and Faith Hill. The Mississippi Freedom Trail was created in 2011. The Mississippi Mound Trail debuted in 2016 and highlights Indian mounds and earthworks on public and private land running parallel to the Mississippi River.

Rogers is the director of the programs and communication division at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.  Prior to his arrival at MDAH, he served as the associate director of the John C. Stennis Center for Public Service in Starkville. He holds a master’s degree in public affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. Rogers is the 2016-17 president of the Mississippi Historical Society and serves on the governing boards of both the Mississippi Heritage Trust and the Mississippi Humanities Council.

This program is free and open to the public.