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FORKS OF THE ROAD Site of the South's second largest slave market in the 19th century. Enslaved people were also once sold on city streets and at the landing at Natchez Under the Hill. Natchez slaves were freed in July, 1863, when Union troops occupied the city. The Forks of the Road market then became a refuge for hundreds of emancipated people. |
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RHYTHM CLUB FIRE This tablet was erected in memory of those who lost their lives in the Rhythm Club Fire, April 23, 1940 |
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THE CITY UNDER THE HILL |
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FT ROSALIE (Ft Panmured) Occupied 1716- circa 1800 by successive French, British, Spanish, and American garrisons during struggle for control of the Mississippi River Valley. Nucleus of early settlements in the Natchez District. |
WAR MEMORIAL PARK
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Entrance located at the corner of Main Street & Rankin |
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This cannon was taken from the defenses at Santiago De Cuba, 1898 |
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In Memory of John Joseph Lambert Patriot, Soldier, Citizen, Christian. July 3, 1843 - December 23, 1935 A native of Adams County, Mississippi. He enlisted in Company I, Sixteenth Mississippi Regiment of Infantry of the Confederate Army at sixteen years of age. Captured at the Battle of Gettysburg and imprisoned eight months. Was in the siege of Petersburg and was one of the few who survived the slaughter at Fort Gregg. He returned to Natchez in 1865 where he lived until his death. In his relations with his fellow man, he was kind, generous, and helpful. Faithful to state, home, and church. In his distinguished service to his state he combined the best virtues of the citizen, the valor of the soldier, and the piety of the Christian. His name is cherished in the hearts of the people of Adams County. |
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To the memory of Daniel Elliott
Born 19th December 1782 |
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Landscaping and U S flag donated by
Mr & Mrs T Waring Bennett, SR To honor USAF Major Thomas Waring Bennett, Jr. Shot down 12/22/72 Missing in action over Hanoi, Vietnam |
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This tree has been planted in loving
memory of Caroline Shields Brown October 20, 1975 - January 19, 1998 By the City of Natchez Employees |
THE GRAND VILLAGE OF THE NATCHEZ
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RECONSTRUCTED NATCHEZ HOUSE AND GRANARY The Natchez Indians lived in permanent houses of mud and pole construction with thatched grass roofs. The granary held surplus corn. The structure to the left of the granary provided shade and served as a driving platform. |
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ABANDONED MOUND A 1730 French military map refers to this mound as an "abandoned old temple." It was originally about fourteen feet high and was built in at least three stages. Erosion by the creek may have caused its abandonment. |
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ST CATHERINE CREEK IN 1700 In 1700, St Catherine Creek flowed closer to the Grand Village mounds than it does today. |
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ST CATHERINE CREEK In the early 1700's, French colonists established a plantation called the "St Catherine Concession" on this creek about two miles upstream from the Grand Village. The name was applied to the creek during the French colonial period in the Natchez area. |
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Creek supplied water for drinking and bathing. Gravel and clay deposits
provided materials for tool-making and pottery. The stream was also used
for transportation in small, wooden dugout canoes.
When the Natchez Indians knew the creek, it flowed into the Mississippi River almost 10 miles south of its present outlet. In the late 1800's, landowners downstream from the Grand Village excavated a new channel to divert the creek away from their plantations and into the Mississippi River just south of Natchez. This drastic change in the stream's rate of descent to the level of the Mississippi River quickly led to the serious erosion problem upstream from the new channel. The creek's accelerated flow caused it to cut deeply into its bed... subsequently caving along its banks widened its channel. Today, St Catherine Creek continues to erode its bed during periods of heavy rainfall |
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NATCHEZ INDIAN HOUSE SITE Archaeological evidence shows that a large structure occupied this spot after 1700. It is a possible site for the house of the Tattooed Serpent, who was the War Chief and younger brother of the Great Sun. In 1725, French colonists witnessed the Tattooed Serpent's funeral at the Grand Village. |
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FRENCH SIEGE TRENCH Archaeology in this area uncovered remains of the siege trench dug by French soldiers in February 1730. The French were attacking the Natchez in retaliation for the tribe's November 1729 rebellion against the French colony. a French military map shows the trench, which allowed the soldiers to approach the Indians' defensive positions approximately 500 yards to the south. |
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NATCHEZ INDIAN HOUSE SITE Prior to 1700, five buildings had been erected in succession on this spot. These houses were probably occupied by members of the tribal nobility. |
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HISTORIC PLAZA The open area between the Temple Mound and the Great Sun's Mound was used for religious and social ceremonies. This plaza was first described by Iberville in 1700 as being "about 250 paces wide and 300 long." |
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TEMPLE MOUND The temple building, which was the religious core of most southeastern mound-building chiefdoms, was usually set upon a mound. A sacred fire was maintained inside the temple building along with sacred objects and the bones of past chiefs. This mound was first described by Iberville in 1700. Like the Great Sun's Mound, this mound was built in four stages. |
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GREAT SUN'S MOUND The hereditary chief of the Natchez tribe was called the "Great Sun." His house stood on this mound during the period of French colonization at Natchez. An archaeological excavation in 1962 revealed that the mound was built in at least four stages. Houses, possibly belonging to former chiefs, occupied each construction stage and the pre-mound surface. |
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ROAD TO FORT ROSALIE In the early 1700's a road began here and connected the Grand Village with the French colonial settlement located near what is now downtown Natchez. |
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CEREMONIAL CENTER Archaeological and historical evidence indicates that the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians was not really a "village." It was the main ceremonial mound center for the Natchez Indians during the early period of French exploration and colonization of the Natchez area (1682 - 1730). The term "Grand Village" is a translation of the name given to the site during the French colonial period. |
| The only people who lived at the
ceremonial center were the Great Sun, who was the Natchez chief, and a few
tribal officials. Most of the Natchez people lived away from the mound
centers on family farms. The members of the tribe gathered periodically at
the Grand Village for religious and social ceremonies.
Emerald Mound, near the Natchez Trace Parkway about 15 miles northeast of the Grand Village, probably served as the tribe's main ceremonial center during the 16th and 17th centuries. During this period, the Grand Village mound center functioned as an adjacent to Emerald. However, Emerald Mound was mysteriously abandoned prior to European contact with the Natchez Indians and the Grand Village became the tribe's main ceremonial center. |
DOWN TOWN NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI as seen, March 2001
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| South side of State Street between Union and Ranklin |
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| North side of Main Street between Commerce and Union |
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Water fountain beside bank building at the corner of Commerce & Main |
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| South side of Main Street between Commerce and Pearl |
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| North side of Main Street between Pearl and Commerce |
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| South side of Main Street between Pearl and Wall |
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| North side of Main Street between Wall and Pearl |
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| North side of Franklin Street between Pearl and Commerce |
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| North side of Franklin Street between Commerce and Union |
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North side of Franklin Street between Union and Commerce |
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North side of Franklin Street between Union and Rankin |
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South side of Franklin Street between Rankin and Union |
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North side of Franklin Street between Rankin and Martin Luther King |
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South side of Franklin Street between Martin Luther King and Rankin |
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East side of Commerce Street between Franklin and Main |
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| West side of Commerce Street between Main and Franklin |
HISTORIC HOMES IN NATCHEZ
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AUBURN (Circa 1812) A National Historic Landmark |
AUNT CLARA'S COTTAGE (Circa 1873) |
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AUNT FRANNIE'S HOUSE (Circa
1859) |
BAHIN HOUSE (Circa 1835) Listed on the National Register |
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| THE BAILEY HOUSE (Circa 1897) |
BELVIDERE (Circa 1838) Listed on the National Register |
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BONTURA (Circa 1851) Shelled by Union Gunboat Essex. Visited by Mark Twain & Stephen Foster. |
BRANDON HOUSE (Circa 1890) |
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THE BURN (Circa 1834) Listed on the National Register |
CHATAWA COTTAGE (Circa 1900) |
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| CHEROKEE (Circa 1794 - 1810) | COLE HOUSE (Circa 1875) |
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| THE COTTAGE (Circa 1852) | COYLE HOUSE (Circa 1793 - 1794) |
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| D'EVEREUX (Circa 1840) |
DORSEY HOUSE (Circa 1835) Listed on the National Register |
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| DR DUBS TOWN HOUSE (Circa 1852 - 54) | DR'S IN |
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DUNLEITH (Circa 1856) Listed on the National Register |
ELGIN HOUSE |
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THE HOUSE ON ELLICOTT HILL (Circa 1798) National Historic Landmark |
GLEN AUBURN (Circa 1875) |
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| GOVERNOR HOLMES HOUSE (Circa 1794) | GREENLEA |
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GRIFFITH - McCOMAS HOUSE (Circa 1793) Listed on the National Register |
GUEST HOUSE INN
(Circa 1840) told 2'05 now Natchez Historic Inn |
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HOLLY HEDGES (Circa 1796 - 1832) Restored 1949 |
HOPE FARM (Circa 1775) Built by Spanish Governor Don Carlos de Grande Pre |
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| JOHN DICKS HOUSE (Circa 1888) |
KINGS TAVERN
(BLEDSOE HOUSE) |
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| LANSDOWNE (Circa 1853) |
LINDEN (Circa 1800) Listed on the National Register |
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| LINTON HOUSE (Circa 1810 - 35) | MAGNOLIA HALL (Circa 1858) |
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MELROSE - NATCHEZ NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK |
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MELLEN HOUSE (Circa
1796 - 1831) Listed on the National Register |
MISTLETOE (Circa 1807) Listed on the National Register |
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MONMOUTH PLANTATION (Circa 1818) Listed on the National Register |
MYRTLE BANK (Circa 1835) Listed on the National Register |
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| MYRTLE CORNER (Circa 1897) |
MYRTLE TERRACE (Circa 1844) Listed on the National Register |
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OAKLAND (Circa 1835) Listed on the National Register |
ROSALIE |
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| STANTON HALL |
STANTON HALL STABLES (Circa
1839) Now O'Malley Laboratores |
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| THE TERRELL HOUSE (Circa 1828) |
TEXADA (Circa 1792) TAVERN OF DON MANUEL GARCIA Listed on the National Register. First Brick house in Mississippi Territory. Oldest Capitol Building in State of Mississippi |
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| TWIN OAKS |
VAN COURT TOWN HOUSE (Circa 1835) Listed on the National Register |
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| WHITE WINGS (Circa 1833 - 1854) |
WILKINS TOWN HOUSE (Circa 1835) National Historic Landmark |
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WILLIAM HARRIS HOUSE (Circa 1835) National Historic Landmark |
WILLIAM JOHNSON HOUSE |
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WINCHESTER HOUSE (Circa 1837) Listed on the National Register |
ADAMS COUNTY COURT HOUSE
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| NATCHEZ CITY AUDITORIUM | CHOCTAW |
JEFFERSON COLLEGE
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JEFFERSON MILITARY COLLEGE North 200 yards. Founded 1802. Mississippi's oldest school. Received the first charter to be conferred for any purpose by legislature of Mississippi Territory. |
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DR JOHN W MONETTE Scientist... historian (1803 - 51). Lived 1/4 mile S E Research on yellow fever brought first quarantine in Old S W at Natchez, 1844. Author of scholarly book on the discovery and settlement of Mississippi Valley. |
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WASHINGTON Territorial capital 1802 - 17. Statehood constitutional convention held here in 1817. Legislature met here until, 1820. During its great days, it was known as the "Versailles" of the Territory. |
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ANDREW JACKSON AT WASHINGTON Here, on April 22, 1815, over 200 citizens of the Old Natchez District entertained General Andrew Jackson on his return from the victory over the British at the Battle of New Orleans, January 8, 1815. |
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Done in convention at the town of Washington the 15th day of August in the year of our Lord 1817 and in the forty second year of the independence of the United States of America. David Holmes, President of the convention and delegate from the county of Adams. |
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NATCHEZ INSTITUTE
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NATCHEZ INSTITUTE In grateful commiseration of the generosity and far seeing wisdom by Alvarez Fisk who by his donation to the City of Natchez in the year 1815 of the ground where on this building stands and by this ?????????? contributions or the purpose of establishing a free public school for the education forever of the white children of said city. "Natchez Institute" a school which has afforded gratuitous education and training to thousands of youth of the city of Natchez this tablet is here placed on the walls of their new institute by the graduated pupils and patrons of the old Natchez Institute A D 1901. |
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PEOPLE OF NATCHEZ
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ANDREW MARSCHALK Site of the printery of "father of Mississippi journalism." Printed first book in state, 1799. became first public printer and in 1802 founded famed newspaper, "Mississippi Herald." |
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RICHARD N WRIGHT Noted African-American author of "Native Son" and "Black Boy" was born in 1908 near Natchez, where he spent his early childhood. His lifelong quest for freedom led him to Paris, France where he died in 1980 |
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BERNARDO DE GALVEZ Don Bernardo de Galvez, Spanish Governor of Louisiana, 1776-1783, in a brilliant campaign, with the aid of regular troops, militia, volunteers, and a few Americans, captured Baton Rouge from the British on September 21, 1779. Terms included the surrender of Fort Panmure in Natchez, which was occupied by Spanish troops on October 5, 1779. The signing of the Treaty of San Lorenzo on October 27, 1795 ended Spanish control of Natchez. |
CHURCHES OF NATCHEZ
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| BRIGHT STAR BAPTIST CHURCH | ZION CHAPEL AME CHURCH | FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH |
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Congregation organized in 1817. The Sanctuary was built in 1828-1829 and enlarged in 1851. The Romanesque Revival rear addition was built in 1900 in honor of Joseph Stratton, Pastor, 1843-1903. The church and its companion manse on South Rankin street are two of the finest Federal style buildings in Mississippi. |
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THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH |
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This was the first Methodist congregation in Natchez, formed in the early 1800's, and the first building was constructed in 1807. The first Sunday School south of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was organized here in 1829. |
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| Tobias Gibson came from Charleston, South Carolina 1799
and founded Methodist Societies in the Natchez country. 78 pastors have
served from 1799 to 1986. This site
purchased 1856. Earliest Methodist station in the
southwest, this slab erected 1936. THE PARSONAGE |
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JEFFERSON STREET METHODIST CHURCH |
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Oldest Presbyterian Church in South West. Organized February 25, 1807 as Salem Church. Here, March 6, 1816, Mississippi Presbytery was formed. Name changed in 1827 to Pine Ridge Church. Listed on National Register. |
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PINE RIDGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH |
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In 1837 Natchez was designated the See of the Roman Catholic Church in Mississippi. In 1842 Bishop J M Chanche began construction of this structure, the only church built as a cathedral in Mississippi. |
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ST MARY'S CATHEDRAL |
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Organized March 26, 1822. The first convention of the diocese of Mississippi met here in May 1826. The first Bishop of Mississippi the Right Reverend William Mercher Greed, DD, was rector of this church 1851 - 1852. Presented in memory of Maria W Shields by her friend S D T. |
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TRINITY CHURCH (Episcopal) |
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Acquired 1868 by Zion Chapel whose minister Hiram R Revels became the first black U S Senator and first president of Alcorn State University. Originally built 1858 as the Second Presbyterian Church. |
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ZION CHAPEL A M E CHURCH |
FLOWERS FROM NATCHEZ
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SIGNS OF THE TIMES IN NATCHEZ
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