November 13, 2024: Natchez

Natchez is really a small town, boasting a population of around 19,000. It has a storied history, as many Southern areas have, but also has some unique characters and characteristics that we learned more about during our stay at the town built on the bluffs of the Mississippi River.

We headed to Stratton Chapel where a treasure trove of photographs were displayed. These dated back to the early days of Natchez where Henry C. Norman, a young photographer, opened his own studio in 1870. He documented life in and around Natchez where he caught people at work and in personal moments. His work would have been lost had it not been for Dr. Gandy, who in the 1970s purchased the Norman negatives. The result was hundreds of photographs, now framed and displayed in the upper floor of Stratton Chapel. They were amazing!

We continued on to tour the Magnolia Hall, built by Thomas Henderson in 1858. He was a Scottish Immigrant who made his fortune in cotton. Another magnificent home with 14’ high ceilings, 26 stairs to the 2nd story (the children learned their ABCs by naming a letter on each step!). Although most of the furnishings were of the period, there was one outstanding original piece—the bookcase. This was returned to Magnolia Hall by a distant relative living in North Carolina.

Our last stop before returning to the ship was at the Civil Rights Monument, “Proud to Take a Stand”, dedicated to the Natchez citizens who were wrongfully incarcerated, specifically recognizing the 1965 Parchman Ordeal. A brief summary: a number of African American citizens were peacefully marching to the mayor’s office to present their demands under the newly signed Civil Rights Act. They were arrested, thrown into the Natchez Auditorium then bused to Parchman penitentiary. The irony was that people of color were not allowed to step foot inside the Auditorium before this.