The eight NPS sites in Mississippi focus on three primary themes – Civil War battlefield sites, the Civil Rights movement, and the Natchez Trace. Our goal this summer was to visit all of the Mississippi NPS sites. The Natchez Trace sites were quite historical and enjoyable.
The southern terminus of the Natchez Trace is in, well, Natchez. The town and surrounding area are full of the grand historical homes of the cities elite, or “Natchez Nabobs”, who flaunted their wealth in their (sometimes multiple) grand homes and plantations. We visited Melrose, just outside of Natchez.
Natchez NHP – Melrose
The Natchez NHP is composed of five properties. We visited two – the Natchez Visitor’s center and Melrose, one of the grandest homes of the South. It features almost all of the original furnishings as well as intact outbuildings. Altogether, the grand plantation provides insight into the pre- and post-Civil War culture surrounding the Mississippi River, slavery, and cotton.
Roux 61 in Natchez
In a win from Trip Adviser, Roux 61 in Natchez had the best grilled oysters ever!
Natchez Trace Parkway
The Natchez Trace, a travel corridor that dates back many centuries, has been used by native peoples (from the Natchez, Chickasaw, and Choctaw nations), travelers (walkers, riders, and wagons), frontiersmen (including Kaintucks who floated goods down river to Natchez or New Orleans and walked home on the Trace). Famous Americans who traveled the Trace include General Andrew Jackson, Meriwether Lewis (who died on the Trace in 1809), John James Audubon, Jefferson Davis, and Ulysses S. Grant.
The Natchez Trace Parkway runs 444 miles from Natchez MS to Nashville TN. It was established as a unit of the NPS in 1938. The Parkway has very limited access roads (every 10 miles or so), lush vegetation, wildlife, and it is unmarred by any development at all. We numerous sightings of turkeys (20+ turkeys over several days) and deer (6+ including cute fawns) during our peaceful drives on the Trace.
In keeping we our tradition of “reading” a nonfiction book or historical novel centered around the local area as we travel, we listened to two Nevada Barr mysteries – Deep South and Hunting Season. Both are set in area of the southern section of the Trace. The protagonist in this series of Barr’s books is Anna Pigeon, a NPS Ranger.
We visited most of the Trace’s important sites (they were starred on the brochure) on the southern part of the Trace over a period of days as we zigzagged through Mississippi. Mile markers of the sites we visited are noted below.
Emerald Mound – Mile 10.3
Emerald Mound is the second largest Mississippian mound in the US (the largest is Monk’s Mound in Illinois). In a feat of remarkable engineering, the site was built and used during the time period between 1200 and 1730 CE. The eight-acre mound is 35-feet high and measures 770 feet by 435 feet at the base. The pictures below do not adequately reflect the scale of the mound. Like other similar mounds, it was used for burials, temples, and ceremonial structures. There are many mounds scattered through the Mississippi basin, and we are familiar with mounds in Georgia, such as the Kolomoki Mounds in South Georgia.
The Mississippian culture, although thriving during the period of Hernando De Soto’s travels in the area, declined as a result of disease and disruption. The Mississippians eventually became the tribes of Chickasaw and Choctaw.
Mount Locust – Mile 15.5
Mount Locust is the only remaining “stand” (inn) of the 50+ that serviced travelers on the Old Trace during the period 1785 to 1830. One of the oldest structures in Mississippi, it was a working plantation and an inn. It is restored to its appearance in 1810 at the peak of its service with the five generations of the Ferguson – Chamberlain family. One of the Nevada Barr books is set at Mount Locust.
Natchez Trace NST – The Sunken Trace – Mile 41.5
I am counting this as our visit to the Natchez Trace NST (National Scenic Trail) although it is a short section of trail, rather than one of five longer official sections of the historic trail that make up the NST. Thousands of travelers wore the soft soil down in sections of the trails such as this Sunken Trace section. The erosion is 15 to 20 feet deep here. We chose this one based on its beauty and drama. It did not disappoint.
I love trails like this, where you walk in the paths or footpaths of those who traveled before you. Another dramatic example is the sections of the Oregon Trail where you can still see the wagon ruts.
Cypress Swamp – Mile 122
The sign at the trailhead says it best… “You are entering a realm of trees, water, and reflections. Its subtle beauty and peaceful setting can soothe a tired soul… Allow enough time for the magic to work.” The swamp includes tupelo and bald cypress trees.
Chicksaw Village Site – Mile 261.8
The Trace runs through the historic homeland of the Chickasaw Nation. Their fortified villages featured round houses for the winter and rectangular houses for the summer along with forts for defense against attacks. Their evolving life as warriors, traders, and farmers since the 1500’s was ultimately threatened by the colonization and expansion of their lands in the Southeast, and they were forced to move to Oklahoma in the Trail of Tears.
Meriwether Lewis Monument and Grave Site – Mile 385.9
Meriwether Lewis died here in 1809 at Grinder’s Stand, an inn just off the Natchez Trace. He was on the way to Washington DC to deliver the documents and journals from his trip on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. His mysterious death was officially deemed a suicide. His monument featured a broken column to symbolize his early demise.
We met some fellow members (original members, in fact) of the National Park Traveler’s Club at a stop on the Trace. They were finishing up their last NPS site, yet again. As new NPS sites have been added over time, they visit the new sites to maintain their Platinum status and collect the new stamps from those sites in their 20 Passport books. Some day we hope to visit all of the NPS sites, become Platinum members of the National Traveler’s Club, fill up our Passport book, and follow along in their footsteps.
We have visited 57 sites to date, and we are closing in on completing the Southeastern sites. After finishing up Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Puerto Rico, and with just a couple of sites left in Alabama and Florida, the primary remaining spots are in North Carolina and the Virgin Islands.