By John Howell Sr.

The Panola Pan Gens Museum, Inc. has received its charter through the Mississippi Secretary of State as a non-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation, Calvin Land announced this week.

Land has been a member of the Panola County Genealogical and Historical Society (Pan Gens) committee to organize a county museum located in Batesville. The non-profit corporate status will allow the museum to accept donations, seek grants and acquire land, Land said.

“We’re hoping to reach out for donations and, at the proper time, artifacts of all kinds,” Land said.

Land, Pan Gens members and others have long sought to establish a museum in Batesville. Working on the project with Land are Mary Lou Mitchell, Robert Rawson, Billy Downs, Conner Vick, Jimmy McClure, Gary Thompson and Ted Smith, among others, he said.

The museum project will be discussed at the next Pan Gens meeting, Thursday, Feb. 25, at the Batesville library meeting room starting at 7 p.m.

“We’d like to seek input from everybody; anybody can be involved,” Land added.