Natchez is a treasure and I was delighted to spend a long weekend in that historic town on Memorial Day.
Jesus said a prophet is not appreciated in his hometown. Likewise, many Mississippians don't appreciate what a historic treasure Natchez is.
Back in the years before the Civil War, Natchez was, by far, the richest city in the United States with the most millionaires per capita. It was the historic equivalent of what Silicon Valley is today.
In 1860, there were maybe 50 millionaires in our entire nation. Half of them lived in Natchez. It was wealth based on two things: cotton and slavery.
That economy, and the lifestyle it created, is gone with the wind, but the beautiful architecture and the fascinating family histories still remain. The city is eager and waiting to show you.
I'll never forget going to the spring Natchez Pilgrimage for the first time in 1986. It was a beautiful spring weekend. I was mesmerized by all the beautiful mansions. A shuttle took me around to as many antebellum mansions as I could possibly visit.
At each mansion, were volunteer docents dressed in antebellum attire. They would greet you and take you around the mansion and reveal the history of the mansion and its inhabitants. Often, the docents were actual descendants of the family that built or owned the mansion. It was one of the best tourist experiences I had ever witnessed.
If you have never gone on a Natchez pilgrimage, go. There is both a spring and fall pilgrimage.
Making our trip to Natchez even better, were the local connections we have. What I love about Mississippi is how the whole state is connected personally. If you live here long enough, you are only one or two acquaintances removed from someone you meet. Some people may prefer anonymity. I prefer community.
The first connection was Peter Corson, a Madison workers comp defense attorney who is also my sailboat partner. Peter’s son Andrew was marrying his childhood sweetheart Lexi Ball and they picked a venue at Natchez Church Hill, Field and Forest.
The second connection was Tracy Alderson who runs a Natchez bed and breakfast, The Big Muddy. Tracy and her husband David Fort lived down the street from us in Loho on Douglas Drive. We met them walking their St. Bernard dog and became fast couple friends. We birthed all our six children during this period 30 years ago.
Time moves on but we all stayed in touch. Tracy and David divorced. Tracy bought a bed and breakfast in Natchez on the east side of Stanton Hall in the epicenter of historic Natchez. We looked forward to renewing our friendship, reminiscing about younger days and catching up.
The third connection was Terrell Williams, a retired Jackson ophthalmologist whom I had known for decades as fellow members of the Rotary Club of North Jackson. Terrell purchased the beautiful historic bed and breakfast The Burn and moved back to his ancestral town of Natchez.
The recent May rains made the drive down the Trace feel like a journey through a lush jungle. In many places, there was a full canopy of trees, like a tunnel. Whenever I saw another car, I would joke to Ginny, “I’m going to have a talk with our caretaker. He’s giving too many passes to his friends on our private road.”
The cool May weather is supposedly caused by the El Nino. Gemini AI describes it thusly:
“During the early development stages of a strong El Niño, the jet stream shifts in a way that frequently robs the eastern and southern US of its early summer heatwaves.”
The cool weather has produced a bounty of late May wildflowers along the Trace: yellow black eyed Susans, purple verbena, red poppies, pink primrose, white Queen Anne’s lace and endless magnolia blossoms.
Terrell had arranged a small cocktail party to greet our arrival. Turns out he and Tracy are friends, both being in the bed and breakfast business and historic Natchez being closely knit.
The Burn is a beautiful antebellum mansion and it was a treat to be feted there. Afterwards we hung out at The Big Muddy, ordered po boys delivered and had a hootenanny in its music studio with Tracy’s partner Amy and Brooklyn friend Chase.
We all had a delicious brunch Saturday at a cool, funky independently owned restaurant of which there are so many in Natchez. A huge storm front plowed through and we said a prayer for the wedding party. There were still several hours for the storm to move out.
In the meantime, Terrell gave me a tour of Stanton Hall, Longwood and historic Natchez downtown. Terrell is the first male president of the Pilgrimage Garden Club, which owns and renovates many historic buildings including the two we toured. The club is also the main force behind the spring and fall pilgrimages.
Attendance at the pilgrimages has declined substantially over the last 15 years, especially since covid. One of the factors is the loss of independent travel agents now that so many people can easily book their own trips online -- just one more unintended casualty of the Internet.
Like local journalists, travel agents were real people with years of expertise. You just can’t replace that with a computer. They got feedback from their clients and passed it on to other clients. The travel agents knew how much people loved the Natchez Pilgrimages which encouraged them to book the trip for other clients. As the number of travel agents declined, the tourists declined. Mastering the art of advertising in the digital age is tricky business for a garden club.
Because Natchez was the place to get rich, it attracted wealthy entrepreneurs from more sophisticated regions of the country such as New York City. Its citizenry depended on slavery for their wealth but there were many Union sympathizers which probably saved many historic mansions from being razed to the ground.
Stanton Hall is the center of historic Natchez, built by an Irish immigrant cotton broker who died of yellow fever just months after his dream mansion was built. One can only imagine.
Prayers were answered, the rain cleared and the wedding, though delayed, was on. Bride Lexi’s stepfather Brent Jones did yeoman’s work moving the wedding furniture in and then back out after the storm passed. At the end of the day, I saw him with a much deserved drink in his hand.
The sun came out and it was a beautiful day with the vows exchanged on the mansion veranda, surrounded by the biggest crepe myrtle trees I’ve ever seen. The food was delicious and the dancing and celebration continued throughout the night after the sunset. The older I get, the more I appreciate the beauty and hope of a wedding.
The next morning we gathered at the Magnolia Grill under the hill for a two-and-half hour Sunday brunch followed by a walk along the beautiful riverfront walking path next to the Grand Hotel. The mighty Mississippi is truly awesome.
Driving back along the Trace, I marveled at what a blessing it is to live in Mississippi where we have such a treasure as Natchez. We should all do a better job of supporting and enjoying it.
