It gained great notoriety on display in the Johnson Public Library until the curator, Mrs. Frances Westervelt, found it to be a rag-stuffed fake.
For decades this item was on display in the State Capitol Building, becoming a much-loved attraction and source of local pride.
In 1969, Gentry Yeatman, a medical student with an interest in archeology, asked the museum for human remains to study for evidence of disease.
The fake mummy has now become more famous than ever and transformed into a prized possession linked deeply to the folk history of Mississippi.
It was quite common for people to provide false provenance to archaeologists to increase their value and significance because it looked better, so we should be very careful about such statements.