Natchez, Mississippi
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Natchez ( ) is the only city in and the
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,520 at the 2020 census. Located on the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
across from Vidalia, Louisiana, Natchez was a prominent city in the antebellum years, a center of cotton planters and Mississippi River trade. Natchez is approximately southwest of the capital of Jackson and north of
Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...
, located on the lower Mississippi River. Natchez is the 28th-largest city in the state. The city was named for the
Natchez people ttps://archive.org/details/dcouverteett01marg The Internet Archive website The Natchez ( , ) are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people who originally lived in the Natchez Bluffs area in the Lower Mississippi Valley, n ...
, who with their ancestors, inhabited much of the area from the 8th century AD through the French colonial period.


History

Established by French colonists in 1716, Natchez is one of the oldest and most important European settlements in the lower Mississippi River Valley. After the French lost the
French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...
(Seven Years' War), they ceded Natchez and near territory to
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
in the Treaty of Paris of 1763. (It later traded other territory east of the Mississippi River with Great Britain, which expanded what it called West Florida). The British Crown bestowed land grants in this territory to officers who had served with distinction in the war. These officers came mostly from the colonies of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. They established plantations and brought their upper-class style of living to the area. Beginning 1779, the area was under Spanish colonial rule. After defeat in the American Revolutionary War, Great Britain ceded the territory to the United States under the terms of the Treaty of Paris (1783). Spain was not a party to the treaty, and it was their forces who had taken Natchez from British troops. Although Spain had been allied with the American colonists, they were more interested in advancing their power at the expense of Britain. Once the war was over, they were not inclined to give up that which they had acquired by force. In 1797 Major Andrew Ellicott of the United States marched to the highest ridge in the young town of Natchez, set up camp, and raised the first American Flag claiming Natchez and all former Spanish lands east of the Mississippi above the 31st parallel for the United States. After the United States acquired this area from the Spanish, the city served as the capital of the
Mississippi Territory The Territory of Mississippi was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that was created under an organic act passed by the United States Congress, Congress of the United States. It was approved and signed into law by Presiden ...
and then of the state of
Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
. It predates Jackson by more than a century; the latter replaced Natchez as the capital in 1822, as it was more centrally located in the developing state. The strategic location of Natchez, on a bluff overlooking the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
, ensured that it would be a pivotal center of trade, commerce, and the interchange of ethnic Native American, European, and African cultures in the region; it held this position for two centuries after its founding. In U.S. history, Natchez is recognized particularly for its role in the development of the
Old Southwest The "Old Southwest" is an informal name for the southwestern frontier territories of the United States from the American Revolutionary War , through the early 1800s, at which point the US had acquired the Louisiana Territory, pushing the sout ...
during the first half of the 19th century. It was the southern terminus of the historic Natchez Trace, with the northern terminus being
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
. After unloading their cargoes in Natchez or
New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
, many pilots and crew of flatboats and
keelboat A keelboat is a riverine cargo-capable working boat, or a small- to mid-sized recreational sailing yacht. The boats in the first category have shallow structural keels, and are nearly flat-bottomed and often used leeboards if forced in open w ...
s traveled by the Trace overland to their homes in the Ohio River Valley. (Given the strong current of the Mississippi River, it was not until steam-powered vessels were developed in the 1820s that travel northward on the river could be accomplished by large boats.) The Natchez Trace also played an important role during the
War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...
. Today the modern Natchez Trace Parkway, which commemorates this route, still has its southern terminus in Natchez. In the decades preceding the Civil War, Natchez was by far the most prevalent slave trading city in Mississippi, and second in the United States only to New Orleans. The leading markets were located at the Forks of the Road, at the intersection of Liberty Road and Washington Road (now D'Evereux Drive and St. Catherine Street). In 1833, the most active slavers in the United States, John Armfield and Isaac Franklin began a program of arbitraging low slave prices in the Middle Atlantic area by sending thousands of slaves to Deep South markets in Natchez and New Orleans. Their company, Franklin and Armfield sent an annual caravan of slaves, called a coffle, from Virginia to the Forks of the Road in Natchez, as well as sending others by ship through New Orleans. Unlike other slave sellers of the day, Franklin and Armfield sold slaves individually, with the buyers allowed to survey the people much like items in a modern retail store. In 1840, the city was struck by a devastating tornado that killed 317 people and injured 109. It ranks today as the second-deadliest tornado in U.S. history, although the death toll may be higher due to slave deaths not traditionally being counted in the South at that time. In the middle of the nineteenth century, the city attracted wealthy Southern planters as residents, who built
mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word ''manse'' originally defined a property l ...
s to fit their ambitions. Their plantations were vast tracts of land in the surrounding lowlands along the river fronts of Mississippi and Louisiana, where they grew large commodity crops of
cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...
and
sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...
using slave labor. Natchez became the principal
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...
from which these crops were exported, both upriver to Northern cities and downriver to New Orleans, where much of the cargo was exported to Europe. Many of the mansions built by planters before 1860 survive and form a major part of the city's architecture and identity. Agriculture remained the primary economic base for the region until well into the twentieth century. During the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
Natchez was surrendered by Confederate forces without a fight in September 1862. Following the Union victory at the Battle of Vicksburg in July 1863, many refugees, including former slaves, freed by the
Emancipation Proclamation The Emancipation Proclamation, officially Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War. The Proclamation had the eff ...
, began moving into Natchez and the surrounding countryside. The Union Army officers claimed to be short on resources and unable to provide for the refugees. The Army planned to address the situation with a mixture of paid labor for freed slaves on government leased plantations, the enlistment of able-bodied males who were willing to fight in the Union Army and the establishment of refugee camps where former slaves could be provided with education. However, as the war continued, the plan was never effectively implemented and the leased plantations were crowded, poorly managed and frequently raided by Confederate troops who controlled the surrounding territory. Hundreds of people living in Natchez, including many former slaves and refugees, died of hunger, disease, overwork or were killed in the fighting during this period. In order to manage the tens of thousands of freed Black slaves, the Union Army created a refugee camp in Natchez in a natural pit known as the Devil's Punchbowl, where thousands died of starvation, smallpox, and other diseases. After the American Civil War, the city's economy rapidly revived, mostly due to Natchez having been spared the destruction visited upon many other parts of the South. From 1870 to 1871, Robert H. Wood served as Mayor of Natchez; he was the one of only five African Americans to serve as mayor during the Reconstruction-era, and he was one of the first black mayors in the entire country. Natchez was also home to politicians Hiram Rhodes Revels and John R. Lynch, both African Americans. The municipality regulated transportation and commerce with Vidalia, Louisiana by setting tariffs on goods and fares on the ferry even giving a monthly rate for school children. The vitality of the city and region was captured most significantly in the 80 years or so following the war by the photographers Henry C. Norman and his son Earl. The output of the Norman Studio between roughly 1870 and 1950 documents this period in Natchez's development vividly; the photographs are now preserved as the Thomas and Joan Gandy Collection in special collections of the library of
Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...
in Baton Rouge. During the twentieth century, the city's economy experienced a downturn, first due to the replacement of steamboat traffic on the Mississippi River by railroads in the early 1900s, some of which bypassed the river cities and drew away their commerce. Later in the 20th century, many local industries closed in a restructuring that sharply reduced the number of jobs in the area. Despite its status as a popular destination for heritage tourism because of well-preserved antebellum architecture, Natchez has had a general decline in population since 1960. It remains the principal city of the Natchez micropolitan area.


Geography

According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , of which are land and (4.62%) is water. The physical characteristic that controls the land use within the municipality are the natural drains which the locals call 'bayous' and their network of deep ravines across the landscape. The elevation of the Mississippi River at Natchez is approximately 46 feet and the river gauge reference point for Natchez being 17.28 feet. The Natchez bluffs are composed of
strata In geology and related fields, a stratum (: strata) is a layer of Rock (geology), rock or sediment characterized by certain Lithology, lithologic properties or attributes that distinguish it from adjacent layers from which it is separated by v ...
that might indicate a later geological event that cut a trench into the bluffs depositing a soil variation.


Climate

Natchez has a
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
(''Cfa'') under the
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system.


Demographics


2020 census

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2020, there were 14,520 people, 6,028 households, and 3,149 families residing in the city.


Race and ethnicity


2000 census

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 18,464 people, 7,591 households, and 4,858 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 8,479 housing units at an average density of . In 2000, the racial and ethnic makeup of the city was 54.49%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 44.18%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.38% Asian, 0.11% Native American, 0.02%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.18% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. 0.70% of the population were
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race. Since then, with the publication of the 2020 census, its racial and ethnic makeup was 60.12% African American, 35.51% non-Hispanic white, 0.11% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 2.36% other or mixed, and 1.38% Hispanic or Latino of any race.


Economy

Adams County Correctional Center, a private prison operated by the Corrections Corporation of America on behalf of the
Federal Bureau of Prisons The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Justice that is responsible for all List of United States federal prisons, federal prisons ...
, is in an
unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
in Adams County, near Natchez.


Education

Natchez is home to Alcorn State University's Natchez Campus, which offers the School of Nursing, the School of Business, and graduate business programs. The School of Business offers
Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...
(MBA) degree and other business classes from its Natchez campus. The MBA program attracts students from a wide range of academic disciplines and preparation from the Southwest Mississippi area and beyond offering concentrations in general business, gaming management and hospitality management. Both schools in the Natchez campus provide skills which has enabled community students to have an important impact on the economic opportunities of people in Southwest Mississippi. Copiah-Lincoln Community College also operates a campus in Natchez. Adams County is in the district of Copiah–Lincoln Community College and has been since 1971. The city of Natchez and Adams County are in the boundary of one public school system, the Natchez-Adams School District. The district comprises ten schools. They are Susie B. West, Morgantown, Gilmer McLaurin, Joseph F. Frazier, Robert Lewis Magnet School, Natchez Freshman Academy, Natchez Early College@Co-Lin, Central Alternative School, Natchez High School, and Fallin Career and Technology Center. In Natchez, there are a number of private and parochial schools. ''Adams County Christian School'' (ACCS) is also a PK-12 school in the city. Adams County Christian School was founded as a segregation academy and is a member of the
Mississippi Association of Independent Schools The Midsouth Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) is a consortium of schools in Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana and Arkansas. It is responsible for accreditation of its member private schools as well as governing athletic competition for i ...
(MAIS). Cathedral School is also a PK-12 school in the city. It is affiliated with the Roman Catholic St. Mary Basilica. Holy Family Catholic School, founded in 1890, is a PK-3 school affiliated with Holy Family Catholic Church.


Media


Newspaper

* The Natchez Democrat


Radio


Television

Natchez is amid the Alexandria, Louisiana and Jackson, Mississippi television markets.


Transportation


Highways

U.S. 61 runs north–south, parallel to the Mississippi River, linking Natchez with Port Gibson, Woodville,
Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
and
Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...
,
Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
. U.S. 84 runs east–west and bridges the Mississippi, connecting it with Vidalia,
Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
and Brookhaven,
Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
. U.S. 425 runs north from Natchez after crossing the Mississippi, connecting Ferriday with Clayton, at which point U.S. 65 follows the west bank of the Mississippi, connecting to Waterproof north to St. Joseph, Newellton, and Tallulah,
Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
. U.S. 98 runs east from Natchez towards
Bude Bude (, locally or ; Cornish language, Cornish ) is a seaside town in north Cornwall, England, in the civil parish of Bude-Stratton and at the mouth of the River Neet (also known locally as the River Strat). It was sometimes formerly known as ...
and McComb,
Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
. Mississippi 555 runs north from the center of Natchez to where it joins Mississippi Highway 554. Mississippi 554 runs from the north side of the city to where it joins Highway 61, northeast of town.


Rail

Natchez is served by the Natchez Railway, which interchanges with Canadian National.


Air

Natchez is served by the Natchez-Adams County Airport, a general aviation facility. The nearest airports with commercial service are Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport, to the south via US 61 and Alexandria International Airport, to the west via US 84 to LA-28W.


Notable people

* Robert H. Adams, former
United States senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...
from Mississippi * William Wirt Adams,
Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...
officer, grew up in Natchez * Philip Alston, prominent plantation owner and early American
outlaw An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them. ...
*
Glen Ballard Basil Glen Ballard Jr. (born May 1, 1953) is an American songwriter, lyricist, and record producer. He is best known for co-writing and producing on Wilson Phillips' debut and sophomore albums, '' Wilson Phillips'' and '' Shadows and Light'', ...
, five-time
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
-winning songwriter/producer * Pierre A. Barker, former Mayor of Buffalo, New York * Campbell Brown,
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
-winning journalist, political anchor for CNN; grew up in Natchez and attended both Trinity Episcopal and Cathedral High School * John J. Chanche, first Roman Catholic bishop of Natchez, buried on the grounds of St. Mary Basilica, Natchez * George Henry Clinton, member of both houses of the
Louisiana State Legislature The Louisiana State Legislature (; ) is the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is a bicameral legislature, body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 ...
in the first quarter of the 20th century, born in Natchez in the late 1860s * Charles C. Cordill, Louisiana state senator from Concordia and Tensas parishes, interred at Natchez City Cemetery * Charles G. Dahlgren, Confederate brigadier general during American Civil War *
Olu Dara Olu Dara Jones (born Charles Jones III; January 12, 1941) is an American cornetist, guitarist, and singer. He is the father of rapper Nas. Early life Olu Dara was born Charles Jones III on January 12, 1941, in Natchez, Mississippi, Natchez, Mis ...
, musician and father of rapper
Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air (S ...
* Varina Howell Davis, first lady of the
Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United State ...
; born, reared, and married in Natchez * Bob Dearing, longtime member of the Mississippi State Senate * Ellen Douglas, novelist, author of ''Black Cloud, White Cloud'' and ''Apostles of Light'', nominated for the
National Book Award The National Book Awards (NBA) are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. ...
* A. W. Dumas (1876-1945), physician * Stephen Duncan (1787-1867), planter and banker * Robert C. Farrell (born 1936), journalist and member of the
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
City Council, 1974–91 * Je'Kel Foster, basketball player * Jimmie Giles, NFL Tight End & four-time Pro Bowl selection in the 1980s while with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers * Mickey Gilley, country music singer, born in Natchez * Hugh Green, All-American defensive end at the
University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...
, two-time
Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...
er, Heisman runner-up * Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, noted black concert singer and Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame inductee, was born in Natchez in 1824. * Cedric Griffin, Minnesota Vikings cornerback born in Natchez but raised in
San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...
, Texas * Bishop Gunn,
rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
band whose members were born in Natchez and hold 'The Bishop Gunn Crawfish Boil' in the city every May. * Malcolm Harvey, former sheriff of Stone Mountain, Georgia and murderer, was born in Natchez * Margaret Kempe Howell, mother of Varina Davis and mother-in-law of Jefferson Davis, lived in Natchez * Abijah Hunt, merchant during the Territorial Period who owned a chain of stores and public cotton gins along the Natchez TraceA Guide to the Abijah Hunt Papers, 1800-1821, 1880
, The University of Texas at Austin: Briscoe Center for American History
* Von Hutchins, former NFL football player for the
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
2004-2005
Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...
2006-2007
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...
2008 * Greg Iles, raised in Natchez and a best-selling author of many novels set in the city * Wharlest Jackson, Sr. (1929–1967), civil rights activist * Rosa Vertner Jeffrey (1828-1894), poet and novelist * William Johnson, "The Barber of Natchez", freed slave and prominent businessman * Harriet B. Kells, educator, activist, suffragist, feminist, editor; born in Natchez * Nook Logan, former Major League Baseball player for the Washington Nationals * John R. Lynch, the first African-American Speaker of the House in Mississippi and one of the earliest African-American members of Congress * Samuel Abraham Marx, architect, was born in Natchez * George Mathews, former governor of Georgia, lived in Natchez in the late 1790s. * Carrie Winder McGavock, Confederate cemetery caretaker * Lynda Lee Mead, Miss Mississippi in 1959 and Miss America in 1960. A Natchez city street, Lynda Lee Drive, is named in her honor. * Marion Montgomery, jazz singer born in Natchez * Anne Moody,
civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...
activist and author of '' Coming of Age in Mississippi'', attended Natchez Junior College * Elizabeth Dunbar Murray (1877-1966), author, director, impersonator; conducted the Murray School of Expression * Alexander O'Neal, R&B singer * John Anthony Quitman, Mexican War hero, plantation owner, governor of Mississippi, owner of Monmouth Plantation * Clyde V. Ratcliff, member of the Louisiana State Senate from 1944 to 1948, lived in Natchez * Rico Richardson, NFL player * Stevan Ridley, NFL running back for the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
* Pierre Adolphe Rost, a member of the Mississippi State Senate and commissioner to
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
for the Confederate States, immigrated to Natchez from
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
*
Billy Shaw William Lewis Shaw (December 15, 1938 – October 4, 2024) was an American professional football player who was a guard for the Buffalo Bills in the American Football League (AFL). After playing college football for the Georgia Tech Yellow Ja ...
, Pro Football Hall of Fame member, born in Natchez * Chris Shivers, two-time PBR world champion bull rider, born in Natchez * Carter Smith, film director and fashion photographer * Abdul Rahman Ibrahima Sori, African nobleman sold into slavery and sent to work a plantation in Natchez, Mississippi for thirty-eight years before being freed at the request of Abd al-Rahman, the Sultan of Morocco *
Hound Dog Taylor Theodore Roosevelt "Hound Dog" Taylor (April 12, 1915 – December 17, 1975) was an American Chicago blues guitarist and singer. Life and career Taylor was born in Natchez, Mississippi, in 1915, though some sources say 1917. He first played t ...
, blues singer and slide guitar player * Fred Toliver, former pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies and the
Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...
* Don José Vidal, Spanish governor of the Natchez District, buried in the Natchez City Cemetery * Joanna Fox Waddill, Civil War nurse known as the "
Florence Nightingale Florence Nightingale (; 12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was an English Reform movement, social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during th ...
of the Confederacy" * Samuel Washington Weis (1870–1956), painter * Marie Selika Williams, first black artist to perform at the White House * Richard Wright, novelist, author of ''Black Boy'' and ''Native Son'', born on Rucker plantation in Roxie, twenty-two miles east of Natchez; lived in Natchez as a child * Robert H. Wood (1844–?), politician, first African American mayor in the United States, former mayor of Natchez


In popular culture

Various movies have been shot here, including '' The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman'' (1974), '' Crossroads'' (1986), '' Raintree County'' (1957), '' Horse Soldiers'' (1959), '' Rascals and Robbers: The Secret Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn'' (1981), '' The Ladykillers'' (2004),'' Get On Up'' (2014) and '' Ma (film)'' (2019). In the opening narration of '' The Apartment'' (1960), C.C. Baxter mentions the company he works for "has 31,259 employees, which is more than the entire population of Natchez, Mississippi." Ta-Nehisi Coates' 2019 novel, ''The Water Dancer'', alludes constantly to the threat, in antebellum Virginia, represented to slaves by the possibility of being sold "down Natchez way," that is, into harshest slavery.


Historic sites


Post-classical In Human history, world history, post-classical history refers to the period from about 500 CE to 1500 CE, roughly corresponding to the European Middle Ages. The period is characterized by the expansion of civilizations geographically an ...
thru Early modern periods

* Anna site * Grand Village of the Natchez


Antebellum period

* Commercial Bank and Banker's House * First Presbyterian Church of Natchez * Great Natchez Tornado * Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture * Natchez National Cemetery * Natchez On-Top-of-the-Hill Historic District * Selma Plantation * St. Mary Basilica, Natchez * United States Courthouse (Natchez, Mississippi)


Pre-Civil War homes

* Airlie (Natchez) * Arlington (Natchez, Mississippi) * Auburn (Natchez, Mississippi) * Brandon Hall (Washington, Mississippi) * The Briars (Natchez, Mississippi) * The Burn (Natchez, Mississippi) * Concord (Natchez, Mississippi) * Cottage Gardens * D'Evereux * Dunleith * Elgin (Natchez, Mississippi) * The Elms (Natchez, Mississippi) * Elms Court * Glenfield Plantation * Gloucester (Natchez, Mississippi) * Hawthorne Place * Homewood Plantation (Natchez, Mississippi) * Lansdowne (Natchez, Mississippi) * Linden (Natchez, Mississippi) * Longwood (Natchez, Mississippi) * Magnolia Hill (Natchez, Mississippi) * Melrose (Natchez, Mississippi) * Monmouth (Natchez, Mississippi) * Montaigne (Natchez, Mississippi) * Ravenna (Natchez, Mississippi) * Richmond (Natchez, Mississippi) * Routhland


Town houses

*
Choctaw The Choctaw ( ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States, originally based in what is now Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The Choctaw language is a Western Muskogean language. Today, Choct ...
* Green Leaves * House on Ellicott's Hill * King's Tavern * The Presbyterian Manse * Magnolia Hall (Natchez, Mississippi) * Rosalie Mansion * Smith-Bontura-Evans House * Stanton Hall * William Johnson House (Natchez, Mississippi) * Winchester House (Natchez, Mississippi)


Footnotes


Further reading

* Anderson, Aaron D. ''Builders of a New South: Merchants, Capital, and the Remaking of Natchez, 1865-1914.'' Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 2013. * Boler, Jaime Elizabeth. ''City under Siege: Resistance and Power in Natchez, Mississippi, 1719–1857,'' PhD. U. of Southern Mississippi, ''Dissertation Abstracts International'' 2006 67(3): 1061-A. DA3209667, 393p. * Brazy, Martha Jane. ''An American Planter: Stephen Duncan of Antebellum Natchez and New York,'' Louisiana State U. Press, 2006. 232 pp. * Broussard, Joyce L. "Occupied Natchez, Elite Women, and the Feminization of the Civil War," ''Journal of Mississippi History,'' 2008 70(2): 179–207. * Broussard, Joyce L. ''Stepping Lively in Place: The Not-Married, Free Women of Civil War-Era Natchez, Mississippi.'' Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press, 2016. * Cox, James L. ''The Mississippi Almanac''. New York: Computer Search & Research, 2001. . * Davis, Jack E. ''Race Against Time: Culture and Separation in Natchez Since 1930,'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2001. * Davis, Ronald L. F. ''Good and Faithful Labor: from Slavery to Sharecropping in the Natchez District 1860-1890,'' Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1982. * Dittmer, John. ''Local People: The Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi.'' Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1994. * Dolensky, Suzanne T. "Natchez in 1920: On the Threshold of Modernity." ''Journal of Mississippi History'' 72#2 (2011): 95-13
online
* Gandy, Thomas H. and Evelyn. ''The Mississippi Steamboat Era in Historic Photographs: Natchez to New Orleans, 1870–1920''. New York: Dover Publications, 1987. * Gower, Herschel. ''Charles Dahlgren of Natchez: The Civil War and Dynastic Decline'' Brassey's, 2002. 293 pp. * Grant, Richard. ''The Deepest South of All: True Stories from Natchez, Mississippi''. Simon & Schuster, 2020. * Inglis, G. Douglas. "Searching for Free People of Color in Colonial Natchez," ''Southern Quarterly'' 2006 43(2): 97–112 * James, Dorris Clayton. ''Ante-Bellum Natchez'' (1968), the standard scholarly study * Libby, David J. ''Slavery and Frontier Mississippi, 1720–1835,'' U. Press of Mississippi, 2004. 163 pp. focus on Natchez * Nguyen, Julia Huston. "Useful and Ornamental: Female Education in Antebellum Natchez," ''Journal of Mississippi History'' 2005 67(4): 291–309 * Nolan, Charles E. ''St. Mary's of Natchez: The History of a Southern Catholic Congregation, 1716–1988'' (2 vol 1992) * Umoja, Akinyele Omowale. "'We Will Shoot Back': The Natchez Model and Paramilitary Organization in the Mississippi Freedom Movement", ''Journal of Black Studies,'' Vol. 32, No. 3 (January 2002), pp. 271–294
In JSTOR
* Way, Frederick. ''Way's Packet Dictionary, 1848–1994: Passenger Steamboats of the Mississippi River System Since the Advent of Photography in Mid-Continent America''. 2nd ed. Athens, OH: Ohio University Press, 1994. * Wayne, Michael. ''The Reshaping of Plantation Society: The Natchez District, 1860–1880'' (1983).


External links


City of Natchez -- Official Website
{{Authority control Populated places established in 1716 Cities in Adams County, Mississippi Cities in Mississippi Cities in Natchez micropolitan area Mississippi populated places on the Mississippi River
Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
County seats in Mississippi French-American culture in Mississippi Natchez Trace Mississippi placenames of Native American origin