JACKSON, MS – The State of Mississippi’s Department of Archives and History (DAH) released a statement on Monday that the State will be officially declaring an end to it’s Pre-Civil War reenactment of 155 years, the longest such reenactment in recorded history.

DAH Head Beth Sunderland said in the statement, “While it grieves the State to formally cease operations of this rich historical tradition, true Mississippians know it will continue eternally in their hearts and in their children’s hearts.”

The official end date is set for January 20, 2021, for reasons not explicitly stated by the DAH. “This was a completely arbitrary deadline selected by the DAH for no reason whatsoever, but it had to happen some time, so we just picked that date,” Sunderland revealed in a press conference this afternoon in front of the Capital building. After being probed why, then, the reenactment was being cancelled at all she responded, “Unforseen circumstances revealed themselves to us over the course of November that suggested to us it would be unwise to continue the reenactment in public.” She additionally wanted to make it clear that the State will continue to operate as though nothing happened, and did not allude to whether or not the State will acknowledge events between now and the beginning of the Civil War in any future reenactments.

This story will continue to be updated as it develops.