Charles H. Templeton, Sr. Music Museum
On the fourth floor of Mitchell Memorial Library, the museum showcases instruments, recordings, and sheet music collected over four decades by Starkville businessman Charles H. Templeton, Sr. He donated the collection to Mississippi State University in 1987.
Keeping Tempo at the Templeton
Watch the museum’s video series.
The museum’s mission
The museum uses its collection to tell the story of the business of music and how it shaped American culture from the late nineteenth into the early twentieth century. Music historian David A. Jasen highlighted its Victor Talking Machine holdings and the way the sheet music documents changing popular tastes.
Charles Templeton Ragtime Jazz Festival
The museum and MSU Libraries sponsor the annual festival. Concerts, seminars, and museum tours introduce listeners to ragtime and support research into the music.