October 2-3, 2026
The 2025 Carrollton Pilgrimage and Pioneer Day Festival was a great success. In 2026 we will again be touring churches to learn about their history, their architecture, and their music. Join us at 2 pm both days at the Carrollton Baptist Church to start our tour. Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for school age students.
Plans are being made for the Mississippi Library Commission to be present to record and play veterans stories as part of their America 250 project.
On Saturday, September 26, Dr. Timothy Smith, author of James Z. George: Mississippi’s Great Commoner, will be at Cotesworth to talk about Senator George’s impact in Washington, DC. The program begins at 2 pm and includes a tour of the house. Admission is free as part of our America 250 grant.
Also, check out A Taste of Soup and Art Exhibit page. The date is February 6. 2026!
Tours
This year we will be featuring guided tours of 3 churches – the Carrollton Baptist Church, the Bear Marsh MB Church, and Carrollton Methodist Church. Tours will be held on Friday, October 3, at 10 am and repeated at 2 pm. On Saturday, the single tour will be held at 2 pm. Tours are $25 for adults and $10 for students. At each church a history of the church will be presented by a church member. The architecture of the church will be discussed by Jennifer Baughn from the MS Department of Archives and History. A selection of music will be presented at each church by Dr. Thomas Rowell, the Coordinator of Graduate Studies in Music, Coordinator of Vocal Studies at the University of South Alabama in Mobile.
Masonic Lodge
Cotesworth
Merrill Museum
J. J. Gee & Sons Mercantile
Carrollton Town Hall – Pilgrimage Headquarters
Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for students up to 18.
Walking Tour of Carrollton
Carrollton is a remarkably complete and well-preserved example of a prosperous, small, rural county seat and trading center. Retaining much of its turn of the century appearance, the Town possesses one of the most significant and unaltered assemblages of pre-twentieth century architecture in central Mississippi.
Our Walking Tour app gives you the history of 26 sites within walking distance of the Courthouse Square. Hear Walt Grayson, Mississippi’s favorite tour guide, share information about Carrollton as you follow the directions in the app to each of these sites.
Use our Walking Tour app any time of the year, even from the comfort of your own home! It is free to download from The App Store or Google Play. Just search for Walking Tour of Carrollton. Then come see us in person.
Other Attractions
Mississippi John Hurt Site, 1973 CR 109, Carrollton, MS
Check out the Mississippi John Hurt Exhibit in the Merrill Museum.
Finding the Mississippi John Hurt Sites
Special Thanks to Our Sponsors!
Any event like our Pilgrimage and Pioneer Day Festival requires sponsors to make the event bigger and better for everyone. Thank these sponsors for their support. If you would like to be a sponsor, call 1-66-392-4810.
- Carroll County Board of Supervisors
- Entergy
- Frankie Box Charitable Trust
- Kirk Top Dog Motor Sports
- Mississippi Arts Commission
- Mississippi John Hurt Foundation
- Mississippi Development Association
- The Carroll County Conservative
- Waste Management
Visit
COTESWORTH – HOME OF SENATOR J. Z. GEORGE
LOCATION OF THE FOOTE PLANTATION IN THE HELP
Tickets will be available at the Headquarters or at the Cotesworth.
Tickets are $10.00. Free Lesson Plans are available for teachers upon request.
PIONEER DAY FESTIVAL
Saturday | 9am – 3 pm
Information at Pilgrimage Headquarters
- EDUCATION EXHIBITS
- TRADITIONAL ARTS AND CRAFTS
- FOOD VENDORS
- LIVE MUSIC
Vendor ApplicationVendor Application
Complete the form and mail with your check for the appropriate fee to:
Carroll Society for the Preservation of Antiquities
Attention: Cathy Whitfield
PO Box 541
Carrollton, MS 38917-0541
or call
Phone: (662) 392-6194
Breakfast (and Lunch) with the Masons!
Carrollton Lodge No. 36 was chartered in 1838 and is one of the oldest lodges still active in the State of Mississippi. The current lodge building was constructed in 1899 and is the second oldest lodge hall in Mississippi in continuous use as a lodge hall.
The Lodge will again serve a pancake breakfast early Saturday morning to the public at a cost of $5 per person. The Lodge will be open for visitors after 9 am.
A historical marker from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History was dedicated by the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Mississippi last year during the Pilgrimage/Pioneer Day Festival. Many prominent citizens of Carrollton and Carroll County were members of the lodge including U. S. Senator Hernando D. Money, Admiral John S. McCain, Sr., and State Auditor William D. Neal. Three members of the lodge have served as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Mississippi over the years and they were William Cothran (1858), William D. Neal (1948) and Albert Dwain Dunn (2005)
The Lodge will be open for tours during the Pilgrimage and Pioneer Day Festival.
Music on The Square
Join us in front of the Courthouse as local artists perform for your enjoyment.
Music Emcee – Dewitt Cobbins
- 9:00 am Music by Kathy Herbert and Brenda Kay Griffin
- 9:45 am – Presentation of the Colors by the Boy Scout Troop #4039
- Welcome To Carrollton
- Followed by Music with Terry Herbert and Under The Gun
- The Cobbins Brothers
Bring your own chairs, and even a tent if you want some shade!
Admission is free but donations are encouraged and greatly appreciated.
Visit the Merrill Museum and see the Carroll County Musicians exhibit featuring the interactive exhibits about Mississippi John Hurt and Mack Allen Smith & The Flames.
Click Here to
Visit Carrollton On Mississippi Roads
with Walt Grayson
THE HEADQUARTERS WILL BE IN THE TOWN HALL/WATER DEPARTMENT
ACROSS THE STREET FROM OUR HISTORIC COURTHOUSE ON FRIDAY.
ON SATURDAY, THE ANTIQUITIES BOOTH WILL SERVE AS THE HEADQUARTERS.
CARROLL SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION OF ANTIQUITIES
CSPA – P.O. Box 541
Carrollton, MS 38917-0541
or
Phone:
(662) 392-6194
(662)392-4810
For More Information contact us by email
CarrolltonMsTours@gmail.com or Phone: (662 392- 4810)
Parking will be available on Washington Street or in front of the Courthouse.
To Learn More About Carroll County, Mississippi
or Carrollton, Mississippi
Please visit the
Carroll County Development Association website!