Dummy Mummy Freed from Her Tomb Once Again

An infamous, undead legend is back on display for a limited time at the Two Mississippi Museums. The Dummy Mummy, enclosed in her cloth-lined, black wooden coffin, will haunt the halls of the Museums this Halloween season.

In 1923, MDAH acquired a collection of thousands of artifacts from James Sessions Butler. Included in those artifacts were Native American tools, pottery, and a mummy believed to be an Egyptian princess.

After being displayed at the Mississippi State Capitol through the 1950s, the Dummy Mummy was relegated to a storage room when the Old Capitol was restored and opened as the state history museum in 1961.

In 1969, medical student Gentry Yeatman was granted the opportunity to x-ray the mummy. Yeatman’s x-rays presented peculiar findings: Mississippi’s Egyptian princess was not royalty. In fact, she was made of papier-mâché, old newspapers, and as former MDAH Director Charlotte Capers reported, “a heart full of nails.”

All the same, Dummy Mummy has become a legend and local delight. The phony "Egyptian mummy princess" has thrilled generations of Mississippi children.

While the papier-mâché princess spends most of her time in storage, her time in the spotlight still spooks visitors of all ages. Her shriveled skin, shut eyes, and agape mouth seem on the verge of coming to life.

This year, the Dummy Mummy will be on display at the Two Mississippi Museums through the end of October, returning to her tomb in storage on November 1.

To learn more about the Dummy Mummy, visit MDAH’s collections page or read “The Dummy Mummy."

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