It’s October 27, and it’s been exactly six weeks since we left home and started this long journey. Today we visited the city of Natchez, Mississippi. We spent the morning touring Stanton Hall, the largest mansion in a city of large mansions. We also took a carriage ride through the center of the city with a terrific tour guide who pointed out some of the highlights.

Before we get to that, though, a little background on Natchez. Natchez was a major center of the cotton trade in the 1800’s. When the Civil War broke out, Natchez was the wealthiest city in the South. More multi-millionaires lived here than anywhere else. And at that time, a multi-millionaire was a fabulously wealthy person. The city did not join the Confederacy, but remained loyal to the Union. As a result, Natchez was not attacked and did not experience the ruin that Vicksburg had. The antebellum structures remained intact and are there to see today.

Quite a few houses in Natchez are open for touring. Since we were only there for a day, we visited Stanton Hall, the showplace of the city. It was built in 1851 – 1857 by an Irish immigrant who became a successful cotton trader, at a cost of $83,000 (!). It was intended to impress, and it does, as its scale is very grand. The property occupies an entire city block.

The property went through several hands in the subsequent generations, eventually serving as the home of the Stanton College for Young Ladies. In 1940 it was purchased by the Pilgrimage Garden Club, encouraged by one of its members who was a descendant of the architect. Remarkably, the club still owns it today. The home has been furnished with a stunning collection of antiques from the period, some of which were actual Stanton family pieces. The textiles are sumptuous restorations, many of which were acquired through some sharp trading by garden club members. These ladies have an eye for a good deal, just like the home’s original owner!

When our tour of Stanton Hall ended we went into the center of town for a carriage tour of the city. Our driver and guide. Chris, was a former fireman and a good storyteller.

By the end of our carriage tour we knew the old city of Natchez fairly well. We hadn’t yet visited Natchez Under the Hill, the riverside section of town. The city center is built on a high bluff overlooking the Mississippi. Natchez Under the Hill is where the riverfront work took place, where the brothels and saloons were. It was pretty wild and dangerous down there back in the 1800’s. Today it’s cleaned up for company and worth a look.

By the time we trooped back up the hill the the town center we were ready for some lunch. We stopped at Pasta on Pearl for a nice meal of homemade pasta and salad, a nice break from bbq. Then we visited Old South Winery to try their muscadine wines. Not bad although not my favorite. While chatting with the proprietor we found that Natchez has been impacted in recent years by the exodus of several major employers. This leaves the town largely dependent on tourism. This is not ideal of course, but the town is making the best of it by sprucing up many historical properties and encouraging visitors. We were glad we got to see it and would definitely return in the future for a more detailed look.