where the spirits of legends and the fires of today's creative souls converge.

The authentic sounds. The genuine raiment and regalia. The fly-on-the-wall stories. Marty Stuart, the ambassador and archetypal crusader of country music, has amassed all of this in one significant place. Not just for the preservation, but for the continuance of the music born in the fertile soil of the American South.

When it opens

A Center Dedicated to The Preservation and Furtherance of Traditional Country Music

Marty Stuart’s Congress of Country Music (MSCCM) in Philadelphia, Mississippi, will celebrate the rich cultural heritage of country music through live musical performance and educational programming. This tribute to the culture and rural ethics of America will be presented in a world-class country music museum and performing arts center. Thanks to a lifelong passion for protecting and preserving country music’s legacy, Stuart has assembled a collection that spans over 20,000 pieces to tell a rich, emotional, and personal story of the lives of our common heritage. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will loan additional artifacts from its own permanent collection for display, as well as provide preservation, education and administrative consultation and support to the Congress.

The $30 million project will create a 50,000-plus-square-foot campus featuring the historic and recently renovated Ellis Theater, a newly constructed museum, classrooms, a community hall, meeting and event space, and a rooftop performance venue. MSCCM will embrace the roots of country music in its educational curriculum and programming. Changing displays will include internationally traveled artifacts and memorabilia, photography, outsider/folk art, and Native American crafts. These art forms represent country music’s history and foreshadow its future. Musical programming will feature both legendary stars and the emerging artists of tomorrow.

Thank you for your interest in Marty Stuart’s Congress of Country Music. We hope to welcome you soon to our center to enjoy one of the finest collections in country music and to embrace the history of country music.

COUNTRY MUSIC TREASURES

The Congress of Country Music Warehouse Overview

20,000+ Artifacts and A Million stories AWAIT

THE COLLECTION

Guitars whose strings were danced upon by fingers of legends. Rhinestone-encrusted regalia that adorned country music royalty. Commonplace items made uncommon by those who used them. Each authentic. Each one-of-a-kind. Each with a story to tell. These are some of the timeless pieces you’ll see at Marty Stuart’s Congress of Country Music. Johnny Cash’s first black performance suit. The boots worn by Patsy Cline the day she boarded that ill-fated plane. Marty Stuart’s first guitar. The handwritten lyrics to Hank Williams’ songs. A living history of country music. With over 20,000 invaluable items, Marty Stuart’s collection is the most notable collection of country music artifacts in the world. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will loan additional artifacts from its own permanent collection for display, as well as provide preservation, education and administrative consultation and support to the Congress.

A SAMPLE of ARTIFACTS