Mississippi: Visiting Two Historic River Towns
Walking tours of Natchez include this pathway that runs just above the Under-the-Hill Historic District and the Mississippi River. SCROLL to the bottom of this page to see a gallery of 17 photos!
Go to Natchez and Vicksburg, Miss., if you’d like to see beautiful homes and learn about the role of the Mississippi River in shaping our nation’s history. While the river turned both towns into prosperous trading centers and transportation hubs, the strategic value of the river as a supply pipeline made the siege of Vicksburg one of the most important battles of the Civil War.
Dina Draper from Utah and Deana Grosse from Oregon joined us on this trip and enjoyed it despite not being used to the high heat and humidity we experienced.
NATCHEZ
Natchez sits on a 200-foot bluff overlooking the Mississippi River and has been rated by Architectural Digest as the prettiest town in Mississippi. It includes more than 45 antebellum and Victorian mansions and inns, with many of them on the National Register of Historic Places. If you’re like us and enjoy walking through vibrant and attractive downtown areas, you’ll love this city.
We especially enjoyed Bluff Park, which features an awesome gazebo and views of the Mississippi River and the Under-the-Hill Historic District. This area at the base of the bluff is where the first homes and businesses were built before the city shifted to higher ground. It’s also where you’ll find the start of the half-mile nature trail.
Within walking distance of Bluff Park is Texada—the first brick building constructed in Natchez. In 1817, this home on Wall Street served as the first state capitol of Mississippi. Across the street is a building built in 1794. The first governor of the U.S. state of Mississippi, David Holmes, lived in this home. On Wall Street, you’ll find many other historic homes, including bed and breakfast inns.
There are so many things to see in the city that you’ll want to stop at the Natchez Visitor Center to collect maps and brochures to guide you. We received excellent info there from one of the staff members about how to find the Natchez National Historical Park, which the guidance system on our car botched badly. The center also features a museum, shop and plenty of parking and restrooms. Don’t skip it.
Deana (left), Linda and Dina gain a panoramic view of the Mississippi River from the gazebo at Bluff Park in Natchez.
Rosalie, built in 1820, offers public tours for a fee. It represents one of the antebellum homes in Natchez that make the city a great place to visit. Rosalie is located at 1000 Orleans St., overlooking the Mississippi River.
VICKSBURG
We arrived in Vicksburg in time for an evening stroll of the city before visiting the national military park the next day. Highlights of our meandering journey included the Old Court House on Cherry St., which is on one of the highest hills in the city. We also passed many historic homes and enjoyed dining in one of the restaurants near the waterfront.
The main reason we visited the city was to tour Vicksburg National Military Park, which preserves much of the land involved in a 47-day siege of the city by Union troops during the Civil War. In 1899, the War Department established the park to commemorate the siege and defense of Vicksburg. The park covers more than 1,800 acres and includes 1,340 monuments, markers and plaques. We stopped at many of them, but it would take days to see it all.
We agreed that tour highlights were:
The U.S.S. Cairo Museum with artifacts salvaged from the bottom of the Yazoo River where the Union army gunboat had rested for 102 years
The proximity of the troops on both sides when fighting at the Third Louisiana Redan (That’s where mines were twice exploded under the Confederate defenses by Union troops, but the defenders still held their ground.)
The view from Fort Hill of the city and river below
The overall natural beauty of the park’s rolling hills
The amazing artwork of the memorials
An exhibit at the Vicksburg National Military Park shows how Vicksburg residents lived in caves during the siege of the city to avoid Union army cannon fire.
Natchez and Vicksburg both provide excellent downtown areas to explore on foot. They feature historic homes, good restaurants, unique shops and interesting museums such as the Coca-Cola Museum in Vicksburg.
ARLA’S SHOCKING MOMENT
Arla: Cannons are everywhere at Vicksburg National Military Park. What would happen if an expert in Civil War artifacts came along and brought one of these cannons back into service? It might be an absurd concern, but it makes me think—somebody could get shot with a cannon here. I hope the National Park Service rangers keep their eyes on these cannons and don’t let them get turned into weapons again. (Linda told me to relax. It’s not going to happen.)
LINDA’S TAKEAWAY
Linda: Exploring Vicksburg National Military Park was one of a few times I recall visiting a Civil War site that educated me on the facts of the war from both sides—North and South. And the park is huge! Even though I am a walker, I discovered that the park has too many miles and hills to explore by foot. So, we relied on Doug to be the designated driver, tour guide and history buff. The biggest takeaway for me was the chance to discover and relearn important facts about the Civil War. For example, did you know that it was the deadliest war in American history?
DOUG’S HISTORICAL FEATURE
Doug: In Natchez, the River Club monument in Bluff Park is a memorial to the 209 African Americans who died in one of America’s deadliest nightclub fires. There is a separate historic marker on St. Catherine Street that designates the River Club’s location. On April 23, 1940, a large crowd attended a concert at the club to hear a popular jazz group from Chicago—Walter Barnes and his Royal Creolians. The club blocked exit doors to keep out gatecrashers and decorated the interior with Spanish moss, treated with a flammable insect spray. Tragically, it became a worst-case scenario.
Arla tells Linda that she is concerned about the many unattended cannons scattered across the military park.
GEE WHIZ FACTS
Following the acquisition of the Natchez District by Spain in 1779, the Spanish government founded the city of Natchez (in 1790) to serve as the district’s capital. It remained under Spanish dominion until 1798 when it became part of the United States through a treaty with Spain.
Natchez can claim to be the oldest permanent settlement on the lower Mississippi River because the French army constructed Fort Rosalie there in 1716.
Natchez is a good starting point to get on the Natchez Trace Parkway, a 444-mile scenic highway. The parkway’s course once served as a trail for Native Americans and pioneers, with Natchez its southernmost point. The National Park Service describes the parkway as “the most significant highway of the Old Southwest.”
The French in 1719 were the first Europeans to settle in the Vicksburg area with the establishment of Fort Saint Pierre on the bluffs overlooking the Yazoo River. Within a decade, the Choctaw Nation took over the region. In 1790, the Spanish founded Fort Nogales there. In 1798, the U.S. took possession of the area and changed the name to Walnut Hills. In 1825, the small village on the bluffs was incorporated as Vicksburg, in honor of Newitt Vick, a Methodist minister who had set up a mission there.
Vicksburg was officially surrendered by Confederate General John C. Pemberton to Union General Ulysses S. Grant on July 4, 1863. Grant was elected as the nation’s 18th president, serving from 1869 to 1877.
