WHEREAS, the Department of Archives and History applauds the initiative and
contributions of individuals and organizations committed to the preservation and interpretation of Mississippi history; and

WHEREAS, the community of Warm Springs in Copiah County, which once boasted a church, a school, and a small number of residences, has now been lost; and

WHEREAS, the Warm Springs Cemetery, a site of considerable importance to the African-American community and to the state of Mississippi, is all that remains of the town; and

WHEREAS, in July 2001 the Warm Springs Cemetery was designated a historically significant abandoned cemetery by the Board of Trustees of the Department of Archives and History; and

WHEREAS, noted 1920s bluesman Tommy Johnson is buried in the Warm Springs
Cemetery, as is midwife Sallie T. Robinson, who lived for some ninety-eight years; and

WHEREAS, Marcia Weaver, one of Mississippi's most dedicated preservationists, has initiated a project to restore the Warm Springs Cemetery; and

WHEREAS, Vera Johnson Collins, niece of Tommy Johnson, spent many hours on the phone and traveling from her Toledo, Ohio, home researching information about the cemetery and the individuals buried there; and

WHEREAS, the Copiah County Board of Supervisors has lent its enthusiastic support to the cemetery restoration project; and

WHEREAS, Mt. Zion Memorial Fund has funded a memorial marker for the grave of Tommy Johnson; and

WHEREAS, through the efforts of these interested citizens and civic leaders, an important historic cemetery is being restored and will now be maintained;