Natchez....on the Mississippi River

Longwood

We crossed the Mississippi and arrived in Natchez, one of our nation's centers of wealth in the 1850s.  Almost a quarter of the population back then, were actually Yankees who had come to make their fortune.  And they did! Growing cotton and using the plantation system of the enslaved, mansion building become the showplace for these new rich.  This society came crashing down, with the Union win at Vicksburg.  With confederate money being worthless, most of these homes went into foreclosures and were purchased at "fire sale" prices.

Stanton Hall

The town of Natchez with the DAR, the garden clubs, and other civic organizations, began restoring these mansions and rebuilding the historical past as a showplace.  Today over 30 mansions are available on tour, including a number that still retain over 90% of their original furnishings.  Longwood, the largest at 30,000 square feet was never completed, as the Civil War started, but the exterior was finished, while the family lived in the "basement" (10,000 sq ft) waiting for the war to end.  We also toured Rosalie, Stanton Hall, Magnolia Hall, Dunleith, and Melrose; plus William Johnson's house, a freed slave who became the barber of Natchez.

Our base of operation for these days was Natchez State Park, 11 miles north of the town along the Natchez Parkway.  Our driving into town in BIW proved Morey's driving skills as he drove through narrow tree lined streets, and gravel & dirt roads visiting the homes.  A special birthday dinner for Ruthie was celebrated at Dunleith Castle, with BIW parked on the grass just short of a drainage ditch.

Ruthie biking the Trace...Spring is here!

We've now started our drive up the 444 mile long Natchez Parkway.  Took a break today with a bike ride and a stop at Mt. Locust, where Mr. Fergeson established an Inn along the Trace to service the 10,000 annual tired and hungry walkers.  This included the Mississippi boatmen who piloted barges down the river, but then had to walk back North for the next trip.

Morey and the Mississippi Riverman