Vicksburg city leaders hope preserving their past will bring dollars to coffers in the near future.
Sunday a grand opening was held for the Old Depot Museum in downtown Vicksburg.
Dozens took part in the long awaited event.
Visitors saw the world's largest collection of ship models, riverboat models and navy vessels which are housed at the museum.
The former Yazoo and Mississippi River Valley Railroad Depot was unveiled after renovations.
The six year $1.6 million dollar project was made possible by a Mississippi Department of Transportation grant.
"We have an exhibit of tow boats and river boat models. We have a miniature layout of the Vicksburg Battle Field...We have U.S. Naval Vessels named for people and places in Mississippi. There are over a hundred of them and we have 50 of them represented. We hope it will draw some people in. We hope it will become a star attraction for Vicksburg," said Old Depot Museum Director Lamar Roberts.
The museum opens Monday through Saturday also features original paintings depicting historic events of the region.
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