The Great Flood Project website maps and archives the efforts of communities, organizations, and individuals participating in the Great Flood centennial so that others across the country can learn about the comprehensive and unique ways the Great Flood of 1927 is being remembered. Please find and complete the Community Interest Form (at the bottom of this page) to let us know how you or your region plan to commemorate the centennial so we may promote your events and community.
Host or Plan Programming/Events
We encourage communities, organizations, and individuals to plan programming or an event that best reflects their resources, goals, and creativity. This programming can vary in size and scale. These ideas are not meant to be comprehensive; perhaps your community has an idea for sharing this history that is not listed here. Feel free to contact us if you would like to discuss your idea(s). Finally, when planning programming and events, consider collaborating across different organizations and institutions in your area to support, complement, connect to, and coordinate efforts.
Arts and Music
Musical Tribute: Collaborate with local symphonies or musicians to perform period songs or new compositions inspired by the Flood of 1927.
Musical Jam Session: Organize a jam session for local musicians to create original pieces reflecting the flood's impact
Archival Exploration
Archival Research: Dive into local library archives to uncover and share how the Flood of 1927 affected your community.
Curated Exhibition: Arrange an exhibition at a gallery or museum featuring archival photos and themed artworks related to the Flood of 1927.
Educational Programming
Host lectures/panels/documentary screenings that delve into the historical, social, and cultural dimensions of the Flood of 1927.
Teach/assign projects in the classroom related to the flood.
Host a book club (refer to the Resources tab on the project's website for recommendations).
Community Storytelling
Community Contributions: Encourage community members to collect and submit family photos, articles, and personal narratives about the Flood of 1927.
Oral Histories: Partner with libraries, archives, or historians to gather personal stories from families who experienced the Flood of 1927.
Memorialization & Tourism
Commemorative Marker: Take the lead in coordinating a local marker to honor the Flood of 1927.
Tourism Collaboration: Work with state or regional tourism offices to identify and promote historical sites associated with the Flood of 1927.
Potential Funding Opportunities
Louisiana
Louisiana Division of the Arts – Louisiana Project Grants: Louisiana Project Grants support community-based arts projects in every region across the state, with awards ranging from $2,500 to $7,500. Learn more about eligibility and guidelines and access the application. The Great Flood Project and the Louisiana Division of the Arts recently hosted a conversation about the Great Flood Centennial and Louisiana Project Grants. Access the slides here.
Mississippi
Invest in a Historical Marker
Finally, your community can invest in a historical marker that will share facts and stories about the 1927 flood in your area. Historical markers are being placed throughout the Mississippi River Valley and beyond, creating a trail that speaks to the widespread impacts of the Great Flood and connects the communities that were historically impacted by the disaster, preserving this history on the physical landscape. Each historical marker features a QR code that directs visitors to the Great Flood website, where they will find additional information about the marker and the community’s history as it relates to the 1927 flood. The website also features an interactive map that displays and connects communities who have installed historical markers.
We encourage you to work with city officials, your local historical society, and local historians to identify sites of significance in your community and then provide the research that will help to tell your stories about the flood’s impact there. The historical marker can be placed on a particular site and can point to multiple stories that extend beyond that site. The Great Flood Project will assist in supplementing, editing, and fact-checking research.
The cost for fabrication and installation of the marker is $10,000, exclusive of the concrete foundation. We encourage communities to fundraise for the marker or seek sponsorship through community businesses or corporations. Communities might also consult with their respective National Heritage Area or other heritage or tourism organizations. Please reach out if you would like to brainstorm ideas about fundraising and sponsorship. Note that communities will be responsible for maintaining and sustaining the historical marker.
Share Your Family/Community’s History and Stories
The Great Flood Project is building an archive that is robust and collaborative in nature, serving as a landing page where existing archives and individuals can share primary sources and historical artifacts related to the Great Flood that help to document and preserve this important history. Perhaps you have stories, oral histories, photos, or documents from your family’s personal collection. Please consider sharing them with the project.
Institutional archives with existing exhibits and/or collections, please reach out to 1927flood@lthp.org if you are interested in being featured in the website archive.
Community Interest Form
The Great Flood Project is a centennial program examining the history of the 1927 Mississippi River Flood and its impact on the Delta region and the rest of the country. The project engages local communities and partners to share their stories through historical markers, programs, events, and other educational outreach. We hope that this project will be developed from, by, and through community. The Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation will document, map, and share what communities are doing to commemorate the 1927 flood. There are various ways that you can become involved in the centennial. Please indicate your interest on the form below.
Thank you for your help in telling the story of The Great Flood.