Oren Dunn City Museum

Our mission is...“To collect, preserve, and exhibit the diverse history and heritage of Tupelo, Lee County, and Northeast Mississippi; and to engage and educate in an enriching and entertaining manner.”

It is our vision..."To promote an understanding of our shared and distinctive parts, to enrich our individual lives, to inspire a stronger sense of community, and to promote civic pride.”

Oren F. Dunn, museum founder, approached Tupelo’s Board of Aldermen to request a location be designated for a city history museum. In exchange for a whopping $1 yearly salary, Mr. Dunn scoured northeast Mississippi for collection items to tell the rich story of Tupelo, Lee County & northeast Mississippi. The City of Tupelo converted Forest Lake Farms Jersey Dairy birthing barn into quite a museum, thus the Tupelo City Museum was born in 1984.

Upon Mr. Dunn’s death in 1995, the museum’s name was changed to the Oren Dunn City Museum. Today the museum interprets an eclectic collection: fossils, the Chickasaw Nation, the 1870 incorporation of Tupelo, the Natchez Trace, the 1936 Tupelo Tornado, Hospital on the Hill, an outside village, antique farm equipment, plus much, much more.

Oren Dunn City Museum interprets and exhibits the history of Tupelo and Lee County in educational and entertaining ways.