Natchez Trace Parkway

In keeping with our roads less travelled theme, or at least, choosing the roads in our atlas that display little green dots next to them, signifying a scenic route, we decided to drive the Natchez Trace Parkway.

It begins in Natchez, just over the Mississippi border and concludes 444 miles north, in Nashville Tennessee. It was relatively quiet and exceptionally green.

We saw these fences often and they were so clever! Rough timber planks alternatively stacked in a zig zag without any fixings.

The Natchez Parkway follows “the most significant highway of the Old Southwest,” to quote our mile by mile information brochure. It was a major pathway for the Natchez, Chickasaw and Choctaw Indians who were present in this region for 10,000 years. Once settlers began journeying westward, from the late 1700s it received so much traffic, by foot, wagon and horse, including being a major US mail route, that it’s now a defined, deep rut through the forests. Although we had a bitumen road to drive on that follows the Trace fairly closely. In fact, in some locations it is several feet deep, like a channel, but now covered in grasses and moss.

The Parkway is replete with history and abounds with flora and fauna. Not only was it a thoroughfare for the local Native tribes, but from the late 1700s, it was a major thoroughfare for traders (called Kaintucks) who floated crops, livestock and other wares down the Mississippi River on rafts, then, because the current was too strong to return via the river, sold the timber, and walked or rode horses home. It was a major route for General Andrew Jackson’s armies during the 1812 war, civil war battles occurred throughout the region and thousands of slaves were marched along its length from the early 1800s to the large slave market in Natchez. As the traffic became more pronounced, entrepreneurial settlers also built inns (or stands) to cater to travelers.

We began our journey in Natchez, a lovely town, steeped in history. Our early morning walk took us along the Mississippi River, through the historic “Under-the-Hill” area along the Mississippi River and around the town.

Some of the buildings still lining the “Under-the-Hill” road.

In the 1800s this region was the seedy underbelly of Natchez. The main Natchez town sits upon a hill above this area which borders the river. Described in 1820 as “the most licentious spot on the Mississippi River,” this was where any river boats landed and from 1811, where the steamboats docked. Taverns, gambling establishments and brothels lined the riverside to service the river folk and it was also the location of a slave market.

Today, a number of the buildings house small shops, and the outlook across the river to the Natchez-Vidalia Bridge, the tallest on the Mississippi River, is very scenic.

We saw these beautiful paddle steamers at a number of towns on the river. They are the ‘cruise ships’ of the river and offer multi-day voyages for tourists.

Natchez town atop the hill was established in 1716 as a French fort, beginning several decades of conflict with the traditional Natchez inhabitants, who, in 1729 succeeded in killing 229 men, women and children, the largest death toll by a native attack in Mississippi history. In retaliation, the French returned with a vengeance, decimating the Natchez through death, enslavement or exile. After the defeat of the American Revolutionary War, the Treaty of Paris in 1783 accorded that Great Britain forego Natchez to United States rule, and in 1797, the American flag was raised at the highest point of the town, claiming Natchez for America.

Our walk around the town took us past St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Basilica, built between 1842 and 1859 and as one of the few churches we’ve noticed with open doors, we took a peek inside.

It was the most magnificent church, with stunning stained glass windows lining each side and beautifully molded and painted ceilings and frescos.

Continuing our walk around the town, we passed a number of antebellum mansions. As the area became home to more settlers and trade and transportation on the river increased, it became a hub of economic enterprise and a bustling trading port. Statistics from 1829 and 1830 recorded 383 steamboats, 10 keelboats, and 868 flatboats or Kaintuck rafts had docked at the port and there were 2,789 residents.

Rosalie, named after the original town fort, was one of the early mansions built in Natchez and completed in 1823 by wealthy cotton plantation owner Peter Little. While he and his wife Eliza did not have their own children, they founded the Natchez Children’s Home and remained together for 45 years, until her death from yellow fever in 1853. He died 3 years later but without an heir and also no will, the property was auctioned and bought by Andrew Wilson who was also childless. He adopted a daughter, Fannie McMurtry, however, who married and lived at Rosalie with their 6 children.

In 1838, and falling on hard times, two of Fannie’s daughters, Annie and Rebecca sold Rosalie to the Mississippi State Society, Daughters of the American Revolution, but continued to reside at the manor, hosting guided tours until in 1858, at 101 years old and the last of the original descendants of Rosalie, Annie passed away. Today, Rosalie, like most of the grand antebellum mansions, hosts guided tours and is a wedding and accommodation venue.

Auburn, completed almost a decade before Rosalie, in 1812, was the first antebellum mansion built in Natchez. Constructed for Lyman Harding, Mississippi’s first Attorney General. Its architect was hired “to design the most magnificent building in the Territory.” Its most significant feature was the free-standing, 360 degree staircase, one of a mere handful in the USA. Auburn’s information states that it is owned by “every resident in Natchez” and “”one of the most significant homes in the nation.” Upon Harding’s death in 1820, it was purchased by Stephen Duncan, a wealthy plantationer and he added the two outer wings during the 1830s, a billiard hall and several outbuildings. It was bequeathed by his family, along with 203 acres, to the city in 1911. It offers guided tours, is a function venue and the grounds are a now public park available for free use.

Dunleith Historic Inn was built in 1856, with 22 rooms, a separate lodge and dairy barn. It is the sole remaining Mississippi antebellum manor comprising complete, encircling Greek Revival columns. The original property, situated on a plantation was completed in the 1790s for Job Routh but was destroyed by a fire in 1855. His daughter Mary and her husband General Charles G. Dahlgren built the current manor. it was subsequently sold to Alfred Vidal Davis who renamed it Dunleith.

The original horse stables, still remaining from 1790 are now a fine dining restaurant with an “English pub” in the carriage house. The manor is also a bed & breakfast and wedding and event venue.

Stanton Hall was built circa 1857 by Frederick Stanton, a cotton broker, and its design copied his ancestral home in Ireland. He died of yellow fever a mere nine months after its completion. Its upkeep was a strain on his heirs so from 1890 it operated as a College for Young Ladies. It was acquired by the Pilgrimage Garden Club in 1940, who operate it as a museum and event venue. Its blurb alleges it is “one of the most opulent antebellum mansions to survive in the southeastern United States.”

A couple of fun facts about Stanton Hall, it was the blueprint for Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion, and its interior was filmed in the mini series North and South.

During our wanderings of Natchez we happened upon a brochure entitled, “Natchez, the Historic City Cemetery…the stories are as unique as the town itself.” Intrigued, that meant another walk around a cemetery.

Armed with our brochure, listing 26 separate graves to visit and having downloaded the QR code information on them, we headed up to the cemetery. It is situated high above the Mississippi River on undulating, parklike grounds with beautiful trees providing shade. Consequently, there is no need for raised crypts because there’s little likelihood of flooding

The stories we learned about some of the residents were fascinating. Here are just a few:

John Lee was buried in Catholic Hill and was known as the Chinese gambler. He resided in Natchez from 1925 and was buried in 1962. His clever inscription means “good fortune” and the dice, a seven and a one and the cards a spade and a royal flush are because he died on the 11th day of the 7th month.

A sadder and more bizarre grave belongs to Florence Irene Ford who died aged 10, in 1871. When alive, she was petrified of storms so whenever one occurred, she rushed to her mother. It’s reported that her mother was so grief stricken when she died that her casket was fashioned with a glass window at her head. The grave was dug down to provide an area so her mother could “comfort Florence during storms.” To provide shelter for her mother, two hinged, metal doors were installed. During the 1950s a wall was erected at the bottom of the stairs to cover the window and prevent vandalism.

Clarence “Bud” Scott was a famous African American musician during the early 1900s. He led one of the most popular dance bands of the era, even playing at Carnegie Hall in 1912. When at home in Natchez he frequently serenaded locals from the balcony of the Natchez Confectionary store.

Rufus E. Case was a plantation owner who instructed his heirs that upon his death he be buried sitting in his favourite rocking chair, facing Louisiana. He died in 1858 aged only 34 but his wishes were granted, hence the terraced tomb.

Finally, the grave of Thomas Paul Leathers (1816-1896) is far less colourful than the man himself. However, Captain Leathers began a career guiding and building steamboats on the Mississippi from 1836. Seven were named Natchez. He was a very accomplished pilot, completing 401 journeys between New Orleans and Vicksburg without an accident, quite the feat during this era. He was also a staunch Confederate, refusing to bow to the Union, and flying the “stars and bars” flag on all of his steamboats for many years after the civil war.

In 1870 he competed in what the information told us was “to become the most legendary steamboat race in history.” He was pitted against another noted steamboat pilot, Captain Cannon in his vessel, the Robert E. Lee. Touted as the most modern and luxurious vessel of the times, Cannon won in a record breaking 3 days, 18 hours, beating Captain Leathers by 6 hours and 36 minutes.

Even Leathers death at age 80 in New Orleans was bizarre. He succumbed to fatal injuries after a hit and run with a bicycle.

When we parked at the cemetery we noticed a large, inoperative oil rig At least, that’s what we assumed. When we returned it was pumping into a large holding tank and smelling distinctly of oil. I guess if liquid gold is discovered, it doesn’t matter that it’s in a cemetery.

Our final stop in Natchez was to visit “the Fork of the Road.” Yes, it was actually called this but there’s no pun intended. It was in fact, the location of one of the largest slave auction sites in the south and where many of the slaves that traipsed along the Natchez Parkway, were headed. There’s little left now, but a lovely green, grassed area that is at a fork of the road, so the history is told on several information boards.

They’re certainly worth reading to give a perspective of slave life. After having toured the antebellum plantations we chose, we were left with the feeling that life actually wasn’t that bad, if you were a slave, provided you worked hard and did what you were told. It could certainly have been much worse.

After reading through this information, we left Natchez with its beautiful church and manor houses, a legacy to these slaves, in a more somber mood.

Immediately beyond Natchez we joined the Parkway proper and, determined to follow the milepost guide, take time to visit all the historical sites. All 107 of them! Well, actually a few less, because picnic areas and layovers were listed and once we’d seen the actual furrowed, worn Trace among the trees and foliage a few times, we ignored those stops too. Suffice to say, the 440 miles was going to take a while if we were to fully immerse ourselves in the history.

Our first stop was Mount Locust Historic House. This recently restored cabin was undergoing further restoration work, so access to the building was closed, however, we were able to walk around the site and view the other buildings and grave site.

Built in 1784, it’s one of the oldest buildings still standing in the region. It began as a farm but due to growing numbers of travellers and kaintucks making their way along the Parkway, its owners the Ferguson’s, converted it into a “stand” to cater to the influx of travellers. As cotton crops became more lucrative, the property was expanded to include as many as 16 slave cabins and archaeologists have discovered at least 43 gravesites, only a couple with stone markers. The National Park Service began managing the site in 1938.

Just one stone marker was visible when we visited the slave grave site

The Ferguson’s grave markers were far more elaborate.

Our next stop was Windsor Ruins. Completed in 1861 wealthy cotton plantation owner Smith Coffee Daniels II, however, he died only weeks after its completion, at only 34 years old. His widow and children remained. It was one of the largest private manors built before the civil War in Mississippi and certainly a manor on a grand scale. It comprised 29 Greek revival pillars and stood 3 stories high. There were 9′ (2.7m) wide verandahs on the second and third floors and each columns diameter exceeded 3.5′ (1.1m) at their base and stood 40′ (12m) tall. It contained 23 rooms, an above ground attic and a basement. There were also two bathrooms with running water from a tank in the attic.

During the Civil War, the manor was used by the Confederates as a signal and observation station and later, a hospital. The family were permitted to remain on the third floor during its occupation. After the war, the family continued to reside in Windsor, and held many social and community gatherings, earning income from leasing their vast land holdings.

On February 17, 1890 a guest dropped cigar ash that ignited the third floor. It was completely destroyed, leaving only the 29 columns and the cast iron work. Today, only the columns remain on the site, however one set of the cast iron stairs is installed at nearby Oakland chapel at Alcorn State University.

We can only imagine how magnificent it was. All information about the manor was destroyed in the fire. However, in the 1990s, a sketch drawn by a Union soldier was discovered and it is the only image that remains.

There are no camping spots along the Parkway, so we digressed to the town of Vicksburg and a convenient Walmart for the night. Our morning walk uncovered another beautiful town, steeped in history and antebellum houses and discovered a 3 mile town walking trail that snaked up and down many of the streets and displayed information boards on each of the notable sights.

Our morning was grey and overcast so we noticed many of the street lamps remained lit. We’d seen many ornate street lamps throughout these town but these were quite unique.

I had to look closely, but the flames were actually real. Others we’d seen were bulb lookalike flames, these definitely were not. How fascinating, we thought!

Often, when faced with numerous information signs, we scan them quickly, take a snap to read later and take a picture of the building or site. Much of the information on signs in Vicksburg was just so interesting to read, we found our walk lasted several hours.

Take, for example, Governor McNutt House.

Built in 1826, Alexander McNutt purchased the property in 1829. In 1838 he was elected the 12th Governor of Mississippi and stood until 1842. He was renowned for his witticisms and comical yarns. However, few people were aware that he also wrote stories in the local paper about the adventures of Jim and Chunky, two ‘slow’ individuals who worked for the ‘Captain’. McNutt’s pseudonym was comically “The Turkey Runner”.

Duff Green Mansion was left undamaged during the civil war siege of Vicksburg because Duff Green, a wealthy cotton broker who built it in 1856, deemed it a hospital, open to both Union and Confederate soldiers.

Lakemont was built by Judge William Lake in 1835. He was a congressman from 1855 – 1856 and a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1859 – 1861. He and his opponent Colonel Henry Chambers, were constantly at odds, feuding and sniping at each other until, on October 15 1861, Lake challenged Chambers to a pistol duel. Unfortunately for Lake, he lost.

The front gate still showing it’s battle scar from being hit with a cannonball during the Civil War.

Fun facts: In 1856 Judge Lake’s daughter, Mary, married Duff Green, the wealthy cotton broker of Duff Green Manor.

Another ‘you wouldn’t read about it!’ fact: When Judge Lake was dying from the gunshot would after the duel, it was Captain Thomas Leathers, whose story is above, that held him until he passed. 35 years later, when Leathers was dying in New Orleans after being struck by the hit and run bicycle, it was Judge Lake’s grandson who held him as he passed and the grandson had no idea who he was or the connection.

The Warren County courthouse is built upon the highest bluff, overlooking the Mississippi River and was completed in 1860, only two months before Mississippi seceded from the Union. When the Union Army started taking pot shots at the building, the Confederates began housing their Union prisoners there, to stop it from being bombed.

Steele Cottage was built in 1829 with a brick cistern (still attached to the house today) that collected rainwater from the roof and provided running water to the house. During the civil war, the local newspaper (The Daily Citizen) editor and publisher lived here and when the Siege of Vicksburg (May – July 1863) happened, the paper literally ran out of paper. He was adamant that a copy would be published every day, so the paper was printed on wallpaper.

As we made our way back to Joey, parked adjacent the Mississippi River, we saw how easily the low lying areas of Vicksburg could flood. In 1927,the Mississippi rose 56.2 feet. A flood in 2011 reached 57.1 feet and in 2018, 55.8. In fact, some of the low lying streets are closed as I type this “for the duration of (a) high water event.” If the water level exceeds 50 feet, more streets are due to close.

To combat the flooding, A cement wall was built in 2012 and a levee wall in 2018 from 20 to 30 feet tall. To beautify the cement structures, murals depicting Vicksburg historical events are painted on them and they’re very well done.

The Miss Mississippi Pageant began in 1934 and has crowned four Miss America’s.

The Sprague was the largest stern wheel towboat ever launched. In April 1927 it rescued almost 20,000 people during the severe floods of that year. It was decommissioned in 1948, saved by the Vicksburg community and used as a floating theatre until 1974 when it burned down.

Vicksburg prepares for the arrival of President William McKinley on May 1, 1901. Famous for its production of quality cotton, an “arch of cotton bales” greeted him on arrival.

Famous musician and song writer Willie Dixon was born in Vicksburg in 1915. Over 50 years he wrote 500 songs and defined what we now call “the blues” and “rock and roll.” His songs have been performed by artists including, Etta James, Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton.

Gold in the Hills is in the Guiness Book of World Records as the worlds longest running melodrama. Written by J. Frank Davis in 1930, it was set in New York had a classic, good versus evil plot, following Nell Stanley, a farm girl who leaves her family in the 1890s for New York where her beau, John Dalton is framed for murder by the villain, Murgatroyd. There are can can dancers, and music and songs from the era. It began its run in Vicksburg on March 28, 1936 on an army corps barge that was altered to resemble a river boat and renamed the Dixie Belle. In 1948 in moved to the Sprague and continued its run after the Sprague burned down. In 2024 it was played by the Vicksburg Theatre Guild in the Parkside Playhouse, taking its record run to 88 years.

There are 32 murals in total and all are wonderfully painted with extensive information boards explaining the event.

Once we left Vicksburg, we headed back to the Parkway and took a 1/2 mile walk through a tupelo and bald cypress tree swamp.

Both varieties survive with wet feet. The bald cypress can live for thousands of years and grow between 100-150 feet tall. Tupelo wood is often used by wood carvers, its fruit the “ogeechee lime” is used in drinks and marmalades and the nectar it produces is vanilla flavoured and prized by chefs.

We’ve learned a lot about America and its history since we’ve been here. Travelling along the Natchez Trace, we’re learning more about the Indian tribes of the region. Many of the early land treaties signed between the local Choctaw tribe and the US Government were eroded away after the 1800s. In 1830, the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek was signed and effectively transferred 10.5 million acres of land to the US Government. Between 1831 and 1834, thousands of Choctaws travelled over 500 miles (800kms) to “Indian Territory” having been promised “ample corn and beef, or pork” for the journey. Instead, they suffered through heavy rain, severe snow-falls and without adequate clothing, shelter and supplies, thousands of people perished during the journey. One Choctaw chief told an Alabama newspaper it was a “trail of tears and death.” Today, this forced displacement is called the Trail of Tears and we followed some of their journey along the Natchez Trace.

The Natchez Trace Parkway is a continuous byway with entry and exit points along the route to adjacent towns. There are no modern conveniences on the Parkway, so if you need fuel, as we did, or shops or accommodation, you take an exit to as nearby town. What should greet us at the fuel stop but something that transported us right back home!

It was late in the day so we decided to find a spot to park Joey for the night and reconvene in the morning. What should we discover while Googling the town, but that it was the birthplace of a very famous American. Of course we had to visit the site!

Any guesses what town we were in?

Kosciusko, Mississippi.

While her birth house is no longer standing, the church that Oprah attended, a few hundred feet down the road was not only still there, but is still active today. It features a very modest sign that merely reads, “Oprah faced first audience here.”

Back on the Parkway, we learned that President Thomas Jefferson developed the Trace to allow wagons to transport supplies for soldiers. During the 1812 war, more than 6,000 soldiers marched along the Parkway and it was one of the first highways built by the US Government.

One of the most important commodities for journeyers along the trace was water, so springs that provided clean drinking water were crucial. After the 1811 earthquake that hit the region, four springs appeared and as word travelled, stands, campsites and even settlements began appearing. This area was known as Redbud Springs, but renamed Kosciusko in 1833 after Thaddeus Kosciusko, a Polish hero of the US revolutionary war.

What was evident along the entirety of the Trace, was its greenness. The trees and shrubs were all varying shades of pale to lime to darker green, and the grass was abundant.

But occasionally, as we walked along the trails, a pop of colour attracted my attention.

These were small flowering ground shrubs that were sparse in some areas but quite prolific along some of the walking trails.

These flowers were hard to spot at first, but then we noticed several full-flowering shrubs that were like marshmallows among the green.

The ability of my phone to take pictures like this, never ceases to amaze me! These blooms were so small and close to the path, you could blink and miss them but my phone captured them beautifully.

As we continued along the Parkway, stopping intermittently to read an information sign or take a walking trail, we noticed a buzzing noise that just kept getting louder. Eventually, it became so loud that we were raising our voices to be heard. At one stop, we started a conversation with another couple from Texas, who said the noise was cicadas. Of course! We told them that we have cicadas in some areas in Australia and they’re quite large and green. After a short time we saw one, smaller than ours and shades of brown, but in their millions throughout this entire region, even as far north as Nashville.

Apparently the weather conditions were ideal for these cicadas, in their millions, to shed their exoskeleton and begin their life cycle again. From here to Nashville and even beyond, we were never far from the humming drone of the cicadas and nor was Joey immune from splatting them as we drove.

Taking another detour off the Parkway, we headed to Tupelo and the birthplace of another very famous American. Any guesses?

Born in this little cabin, somewhat restored, on January 8th 1935, was someone who would leave an indelible mark in the music industry and is as revered now, as he was during his hey day.

Elvis Aaron Presley. Can you remember where you were when the world was shocked to hear he had died?

The small site houses his restored birth home, the Pentecostal church he attended, which was relocated from its location a block away and a small museum.

In fact, they still hold services in the church, which patrons are free to attend.

After our short sojourn in Tupelo, we headed back to the Parkway and continued our journey north towards Nashville.