Dunbar Rowland (August 25, 1864 − November 1, 1937) was an American attorney, archivist, and historian who served as the first director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History from 1902 until his death in 1937.

[2] His grandfather, Creed Taylor Rowland (c.1802–c.1866), had moved from Virginia to Lowndes County, Mississippi, using enslaved African Americans as a collateral for loans that allowed him to buy up large tracts of land.

[4] In the early years of his tenure, he concentrated on collecting Confederate records to preserve and commemorate the sacrifice of Mississippi soldiers during the American Civil War.

During the 1920s, he organized the first archeological survey in Mississippi to collect Native American relics and perform excavations of mounds in the state to locate artifacts for preservation in the archives.

[7] In addition to the establishment of private and public archives during his tenure at MDAH, he was able to initiate the creation of a museum and a library, plus assemble literary and artistic collections that were representative of Mississippi history and culture.