Natchez Ms - the only thing cheaper than the body of a woman was the life of a man

First settled by the French in 1716, Natchez is steeped in slave trade, cotton plantation wealth, brothels and civil war history. 

An amazing amount of antebellum homes - many were occupied by the Union army and spared from destruction. 

Longwood was a particularly tragic story. A 30,000 square foot octagonal mansion with 4 stories and a basement. It was never finished when the wealthy cotton baron owner, Haller Nutt, died in his late 40’s. After loosing everything during the war, he left his wife and 11 children to live in the basement - the only finished space. Can you imagine 11 children? You can tell it was a planned basement because of the low ceiling.  You’re  not supposed to take pictures - but I am a bit of a southern rebel. 

Check out the servant powered ceiling fan. 

Beds in the basement- 

Other antebellum homes - owned by wealthy cotton plantation owners or cotton brokers. All in Greek revival style 

And on the opposite end is this little gem! That is a love of yard art - right there! 

For someone that won’t be buried- I am fascinated by old cemeteries. We visited the historic Natchez cemetery. In March of 1908 a gas explosion killed five young female workers at a drug company. The turning angel was placed to look over the modest graves. Legend says people have reported the angel turning to look at passing cars. 

Emerald Mound, built and used during the Mississippian period between 1250 and 1600 A.D.,was a ceremonial center for ancestors of the Natchez Indians. These ceremonial hills can be found all over the US. This is the second largest discovered. 

The Under the Hill area near the rivers edge where river boats would dock was known for bars and brothels. We stopped at a saloon that was built in the 1830’s. 

Our campsite at Natchez State Park-

LeFluer Bluff State Park- hidden gem in Jackson, Ms and $15 per night for seniors

Literally 5 minutes for downtown Jackson Mississippi is a true hidden gem!  Le Fluer Bluff State Park is a very small 28 site campground and $15 per night for over 60.  $32 for full hookups and $25 for water and electricity. 

About 10 sites back up directly to the lake. We watched two alligators cruising the lake but that didn’t detour the young kayakers. Anytime a kayaker got close, the alligators would go the other way. I personally questioned the thought process of the parents. Egrets flew in and out and turtles rested on logs. 

Lots of fishing and we watched large fish jump out of the water for bugs on the surface. 

A nice and clean bathhouse. I heard one camper say the water was just warm. I like a hot shower so I showered in the TT. 

They do have a set of washers. Which you don’t see often in a state park. I was thrilled and then mad when the washer wasn’t working. I lost $1.50 in precious quarters and went back to put an order note on the washer. The beautiful campground made up for my moment of disappointment. 

Each site lots of room between sites and has a picnic table, grill and fire ring. I saw reports of a rough road leading to the campground. You have a drive for one mile down a dirt road and it is not bad. Just go the posted speed limit.

If you are passing through Mississippi- this is really a lovely stop. And the price is right! 

Historic Vicksburg, Mississippi

Our last day in central Mississippi took us to Vicksburg. Best known for the Siege at Vicksburg. As a confederate stronghold, the Union army knew if they could take control of the area (because of the Mississippi River supply chain) they could cut off confederate food and supplies to Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana which could effectively end the Cicil War. The Confederate troops established strong fortifications that the Union army could not breach. After a month long siege and hard fought massive battles the Union army cut off all supplies effectively starving the Confederate troops. Just one day after the victory at Gettysburg, the confederate army surrendered to the Union army to put an end to the civil war. The battlefield was interesting- especially for Mark who was figuring out the military strategies  
 The Union Army’s ironclad USS Cairo was sunk by a confederate mine. 

The historical district has a mural  river wall that tell the story of Vicksburg. 

The Coca Cola museum was small but showcases a German emigrant who owned a soda and candy store and was the first to bottle coke. He invented a system to combine syrup with carbonated water and bottled one coke at a time. He then took a horse drawn carriage around the rural areas to sell his bottled coke. 

The old courthouse was the first location in the area to get a telephone. 

A stop for a beer and a nice conversation with some full time RVers ended the day. On to Natchez tomorrow. 

I love capitol cities - Jackson, Mississippi

I especially love them when we get to visit with a long time friend!  We met up with a Round Rock neighbor, Amy Ellis, for two hours of conversation that could have gone on all night! It was great catching up, Amy!

The downtown was totally vacant!  So I guess the weekend is a great time to visit But, it was a bit odd to find the state capitol closed on the weekend, but leave it to me to get us in. Mark was like “what are you doing?” And the next thing we are inside! 

Art museums can be hit or miss, but the Mississippi Museum of Art was a hit. Not huge but also free. I found some really interesting pieces. 

This is all hand stitched embroidery. Seriously impressive! 

This was photo prints of old share cropper homes and then a lightly painted scene on top. So unique and cool. I think you have to zoom in to see the photographs.  

Interesting concept with this one. Really tells a story 

Plus art you could participate with. This is Mark taking a picture. 

The Mississippi museum of natural sciences - was really interesting. It showcased all the prehistoric animals to current indigenous animals and plants inhabiting Mississippi. The sea of Jackson once covered much of Mississippi and the amount of sharks and whales found inland was impressive. 

An unexpected find was the Mississippi Agricultural Museum. The history of the cotton gin, farming and timber was showcased. 

They had a frontier town made up from buildings saved and moved to the museum. The doctors office had a collection of old vaccine. They had one for acne! Wish that one would have worked!

We are at a super cool tiny state park 10 minutes from downtown and you would never know the downtown area was so close. 28 campsites (for $15 per night) and ours backs up to the lake with fishing, kayaking and alligators!  We have had a good time watching the alligators swim around. They don’t like people and avoid anyone coming towards them.  

Alligators swimming past the camper.