Ross and Beverley: Natchez

Natchez, MS is located on the banks of the Mississippi River and is a blend of African, British, French, Native American and Spanish influences. The Natchez Indians called Natchez area home for centuries. French explorers where the first to arrive, establishing Fort Rosalie in 1716 on the Natchez Bluff overlooking the Mississippi River which was occupied by the Natchez. The tribe held much contention with the French, ultimately leading to the tribe's dissolution.
The French settlement saw the arrival of he first enslaved Africans into this area. Soon after saw the British, Scottish, and Spanish settlers.
We stayed at the River View RV Park which is located on the banks of the Mississippi River where each day can be seen the largest barges we have even seen.

Looking to the left from our RV is one of the many large bridges connecting MS to LA.

From the front window of our RV we were entertained by very nimble creatures, such as this black squirrel.

And across the river this home situated on the LA side is most grand and has a great view of the river.

Natchez is truly an antebellum city with so many grand homes. To see this city we took a fantastic historic tour with a born and bread native of Natchez and her tour took us past the home she grew up in. It is on the market for $750K. It has a rich history but there are so many homes for sale in the city, the main reason being the expense for the upkeep on these properties.

Around every corner there are several styles of homes.

There are several ways to sight see. These folks were enjoying the horse and carriage.

The city has many historic homes

One example is Longwood which was designed by Samuel Sloan for Haller and Julia Nutt. Haller was a well to do cotton plantation planter and owner. He and Julia had 11 children, 3 of who did not survive infancy. Haller passed away and Julia was left to fend for her 8 remaining children . The house was constructed as an octagonal home and construction commenced in 1860 but was halted in 1861 by rising tensions over the Civil War. The home's interior was left unfinished except for the lowest level. It was to be five levels but to this day has never been completed. The Nutt family lived in the finally finished ground floor until the 20th century.

Another interesting home is the Rosalie Mansion which was built between 1820 - 1823 for Peter and Eliza Little and is considered to be and outstanding example of antebellum architecture. In 1857 it was purchased by Andrew and Eliza Wilson. Neither the Littles or Wilsons ever had children, however, the Wilson's adopted a 6 year old girl called Fanny. When Fanny was a young woman she was sent off to an expensive woman's finishing school. She was very talented and was fluent in a number of languages and was a very good painter. Before she returned home her father asked her to purchase some Belter furniture for the double parlors. In 1863 Rosalie became headquarters for the Union Army under General Walter Gresham who protected the house and its contents including furniture, toys, books, scrapbooks and clothing.
After the Federal occupancy, Rosalie was returned intact to the Wilson family where it remained until 1938 when it was purchased by the Mississipi State Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. To see the interior furnishings please google Rosalie Mansion MS.