One car. One map. Twenty-five antebellum mansions. Four days.
I had come to Natchez., Miss., on a mission: all houses, all the time. As a worshiper of all things homey — particularly when they include Shanahan-size square footage, Sheraton and Hepplewhite furnishings and azalea-draped front lawns the size of golf courses — I could think of few trips more appealing than a house-and-garden tour described as a pilgrimage.
Home to the largest collection of Civil War-era houses in the country, this nearly 300-year-old town on the banks of the Mississippi River is uniquely positioned to host one of the nation’s most prestigious home tours. The Natchez Pilgrimage, held every fall and spring for more than 75 years, draws visitors from around the world. But I soon discovered that not everyone is there to admire the Belter parlor suites or wisteria-draped porticoes.
Some do the pilgrimage to immerse themselves in Civil War history. Some visit the many African-American heritage sites associated with Natchez’s role as one of the biggest slave markets in the South. Some hike, bike or drive the scenic Natchez Trace Parkway. And some prefer to gamble the night away on the casino boat or hang out at the brothels- turned-bars in historic Natchez Under-the-Hill.
Whatever pursuit they choose, the hordes that descend on Natchez every March, April, September and October end up traveling through history one way or another — but without the boring road signs or lecturing tour guides found on the nonhouse tours.
In Natchez, genteel and genealogy go hand-in-hand.
Roots in a gardening disaster
The Natchez Pilgrimage began by accident. In 1932, the Natchez Garden Club was chosen to host a prestigious State Garden Club Federation convention, but a bout of bad weather decimated the azaleas, camellias, magnolias, crepe myrtles and other spectacular flora the town is known for.
Frantic to find something to show their visitors, nine garden club ladies dressed up in their grandmother’s wedding dresses and offered tours of their heirloom- packed, Civil War-era mansions. The house-peeking was such a hit, it expanded into spring and fall tours that double as high-society events, complete with pageants and pilgrimage kings and queens.
I learned all of this from the hoop-skirted ladies who position themselves throughout the pilgrimage houses offering tidbits during the self-guided tours. In their delicate drawls, the docents explain that the more than 1,000 buildings in Natchez on the National Register of Historic Places survived the Civil War because the city was a financial center of the South before the war, and many citizens had business connections with the North.
As a result, Natchez was a hotbed of Union sympathizers, which worked in the town’s favor when Northern troops burned and pillaged their way along the Mississippi.
That didn’t mean that Union soldiers left the antebellum mansions entirely unscathed, however. Soldiers scattered crystal stemware among the 350 varieties of camellias on the grounds of the plantation house Montaigne and stabled their horses in the drawing room underneath the chandeliers — or so I heard from the home’s 102-year- old owner, Mrs. Dunbar Shields, who sits Queen Victoria-erect in a chair on the porch, hair perfectly coiffed, during every pilgrimage.
One of the best things about the pilgrimage is that almost all of the houses are privately owned. It’s not unusual for the ticket-taker to greet you with a gracious “Welcome to my home.” At Landsdowne, I discovered that the young boy playing on the back lawn was actually the sixth-generation heir of the family that has lived in the house since 1853. His grandparents led us through the parlor, which still has the same carpet, pink velvet furniture and peeling wallpaper dating to when the house was built.
Threadbare carpets and furniture you’re not allowed to sit on are just a few of the realities of living in houses that are historic monuments. The homeowners of The Parsonage don’t even reside in the main house, choosing instead to make a home in a walkout basement stuffed with Pennsylvania Dutch furniture from the wife’s family. Other houses feature oddly placed bathrooms, including one on a porch, as homeowners tried to figure out how to add plumbing to architectural masterpieces.
And then there’s Richmond, whose owners changed styles every time they made an addition. The current owner told me that as a child, she would crawl out the windows of the three-story Greek Revival section, across the enclosed roof of the two-story French Plantation section and into the windows of the three-story Colonial section.
“My mother told me it was quicker than going outside and around to that wing,” she said.
But along with those inconveniences come generations of heirlooms. Before the Civil War, Natchez was said to have the most millionaires per capita of any city in the country. They were able to commission one-of-a-kind pieces like Green Leaves’ spectacular collection of blue and gold “bird” china, believed to have been painted by famed naturalist John James Audubon, who worked as an itinerant artist in Natchez in the early 1800s. The descriptions of the Duncan Phyfe sofas, Old Paris china, Carrera marble mantelpieces, Meissen figurines and Chippendale dressers in practically every house can get tedious until you realize that the parlor furnishings alone are probably worth more than half the Pottery Barn catalog.
Had enough Hepplewhite?
No matter how fabulous the houses, there is going to be a point when you reach furniture fatigue. That’s the time to visit Natchez’s small downtown area, a charming collection of antique shops and galleries, including the Audubon Gallery, home to rare etchings, maps and botanical prints. My friend and I were lucky enough to be there during the Friday Art Walk, held the first Friday of every month. The merchants ply you with plenty of food and wine, and each shop has a working artist displaying his or her wares.
As the oldest continuous settlement on the Mississippi River, downtown Natchez is a lesson in everything from American Indian culture to the new South. One of the easiest ways to get a history fix is to visit First Presbyterian Church’s exhibit of more than 500 photographs taken in Natchez between the Civil War and World War II. Printed from glass plates and negatives rescued after many years on the back porch of a local home, the collection chronicles everything from riverboats to hairstyles and offers a fascinating snapshot of everyday life along the Mississippi River.
Also worth a visit is the Historic Natchez Foundation, which is the keeper of Natchez’s decorative history. It houses a collection of photos of all the architectural details of the pilgrimage homes, making it a good place to get up to speed on the styles and shapes that give the city’s historic buildings their character. The foundation also manages licensing agreements with upholstery, wall covering, fabric and accessory makers, meaning if you fall in love with the wallpaper in the bedroom at the antebellum Shields Town House, there’s a chance you might be able to buy some for your own townhome.
Near downtown is the river bluff, a good place for a tranquil picnic. We walked down the bluff to Natchez Under-the-Hill, the original town once known for its seedy saloons and now home to a small collection of bars, restaurants and the Isle of Capri Casino, which is docked in a replica of a Mississippi River steamboat.
It’s fun to take a trip up the Natchez Trace, a 500-mile scenic parkway between Natchez and Nashville that winds through forests and across creeks. Once a footpath for the Natchez Indians, in the 18th century it became a way home for flatboat pilots. Natchez had such an acquisitive upper class, it was cost-effective enough for Eastern merchants to load their goods on flatboats, float down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, sell their wares and the boats they rode in on, then make the six-month trek up the Trace back home.
It’s also worth the 35-mile drive or bike ride up the Trace to visit the Windsor Ruins, the spooky wreckage of the largest Greek Revival antebellum house in Mississippi. The four-story house burned in 1890, leaving nothing but rows of massive columns and lacy, wrought-iron balustrades.
It’s the perfect combination of history and homes that makes Natchez famous.
Denver Post staff writer Dana Coffield contributed to this report.
The other side of Natchez’s history
Although Natchez residents are proud of the number of freed slaves that lived in the town pre-Civil War, it was still the second-largest slave-trade area in the South. As a result, Natchez has a number of sites devoted to black history.
During last spring’s pilgrimage, the Forks of the Roads monument was unveiled to a large audience, some of whom had worked for 13 years to develop the interpretive panels located at the interchange where slaves were brought from all over the South to be bought and sold. Particularly poignant is an installation of leg irons unearthed when the site was excavated.
Natchez is also home to Holy Family Catholic Church, the oldest African-American Catholic church in Mississippi; Natchez Bluff Park, which has a variety of markers commemorating local black history; and Zion Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church, whose minister, Hiram Revels, became the first African-American to serve in the U.S. Congress.
Also worth checking out: The William Johnson house, a sprawling complex belonging to a slave freed at age 11 who went on to become a successful barber.
Johnson’s 14 diaries from 1835 until his death in 1851 are considered the most extensive of any Civil War-era African-American. They detail everything from his hunting and fishing pursuits to his many domestic disputes — including, ironically, the problems associated with owning 16 slaves.
Vicky Uhland
Insider’s Guide
GET THERE: The closest major airport to Natchez is in New Orleans, 172 miles south. Smaller airports include Shreveport, La., 70 miles northwest; Baton Rouge, La., 90 miles south; and Jackson, Miss., 115 miles northeast. U.S. 61, U.S. 84 or U.S. 98 take you into town.
Pilgrimage facts: The pilgrimage is divided into half-day tours — three houses per tour — but the fall itinerary also includes nine individual houses. Each day features specific houses, so it takes four days to see all them. Tours are self-guided, but there are docents at each house who give presentations and answer questions. The houses are spread around the city, so you’ll need a car, or you can take the minibus tour, but that adds $13 to the ticket price.
The fall pilgrimage is Sept. 27-Oct. 11 and features 24 houses, including six houses that are new to the tour. Spring pilgrimage is March 7- April 11 and has 25 houses, including nine from the fall tour. Eleven houses are open year round. Three-house tickets for either pilgrimage are $24; $18 for children under 14. More info: natchez or 800-647-6742.
STAY: Natchez has a few chain motels, but your best bet is the bed-and-breakfasts, some of them in houses on the pilgrimage. You can compare prices and amenities at natchezpilgrimage . We stayed in a two-bedroom cottage at the Stone House(: Antebellum Music Room — a great deal at $110 a night. Owner Joe Stone is related to virtually everyone in town and can give you all the insider stuff. Be sure to check out the photo of his grandmother’s friend, “To Kill a Mockingbird” author Harper Lee, with Truman Capote.
If you’re on a budget or just want to sleep outdoors, there are several campgrounds along the Natchez Trace.
DINE: If you’re heading into town from New Orleans or Baton Rouge, you can’t miss the iconic Mammy’s Cupboard (555 U.S. 61) in a building shaped like a giant Aunt Jemima. The food is Southern comfort. Save room for the homemade pies, including banana caramel cream, and the hummingbird cake. The restaurant is open for lunch only; get there early before the daily special runs out.
The Mississippi Delta is known as the tamale trail, and Fat Mama’s Tamales (303 S. Canal St.) serves some of the best. Try the gringo pie — tamales topped with chili, cheese, onions and jalapeños — and wash it down with one of Fat Mama’s “knock-you-naked” margaritas.
If you’re craving hush puppies and catfish, Cock of the Walk (200 N. Broadway St.) in the old train depot serves a heart- busting selection of fried foods, everything from dill pickles to crawfish salad, that are well worth the calorie and cholesterol count.
