17 Jul Natchez, MS PLACEOLDER

This post is based primarily on Don's notes, occasionally supplemented with MT's notes from our cruise in July 2025. When information from other sources is added—for further explanation to readers or to satisfy our own curiosity—that is set off in a text box (as this one).
Most of the photos that accompany this post are from Don’s camera (with a caption indicating the time it was taken); those from MT’s iPhone are indicated by “MT” placed at the beginning of the photo caption. Photos from any other source (such as the public domain Wikimedia Commons), occasionally used for clarification, indicate that source in the caption.

The Viking Daily newsletter showed today's weather forecast as "Sunny 94° F" and "Sunrise: 6:08 AM | Sunset: 8:10 PM."

MT (already up) woke Don at 6.30.

MT Thursday, July 17, ‎2025, 6:53 AM Viking Mississippi: Natchez-Vidalia Bridge near Natchez (telephoto 66 mm).

The Natchez-Vidalia Bridge are actually twin cantilever bridges across the Mississippi River between Vidalia, Louisiana and Natchez, Mississippi. It is the tallest bridge in Mississippi. The original bridge was built by the Works Progress Administration in 1940. It was originally bidirectional but now carries only westbound traffic. The newer, eastbound bridge completed in 1988 carries only eastbound traffic. While the two bridges look very similar and have the same footprint, the newer bridge is wider than the original structure.

According to the Viking Daily newsletter, we were scheduled to arrive at Natchez at 8:00.

Natchez, Mississippi (pop. 14,520) is named for the Natchez people, who with their ancestors, inhabited much of the area from the 8th century AD through the French colonial period. The city was established by French colonists in 1716, was traded to Great Britain in 1763, and came under Spanish colonial rule in 1779. After defeat in the Revolutionary War, Britain ceded the territory to the United States in 1783. After the US acquired this area from the Spanish, the city served as the capital of the Mississippi Territory and then of the state of Mississippi until 1822.
During the first half of the 19th century, Natchez was the southern terminus of the historic Natchez Trace. To allow traders to bypass the strong upriver currents on the Mississippi, Flatboats and keelboats unloaded their cargos in Natchez to be transported overland on the Natchez Trace trail to its northern terminus in Nashville, Tennessee.
In the middle of the 19th century, the city attracted wealthy Southern planters, who established large plantations where they grew large commodity crops of cotton and sugarcane using slave labor. Before the Civil War, Natchez was by far the most prevalent slave trading city in Mississippi.
The wealthy Southern planters built mansions to fit their ambitions. More than 200 of those mansions built by planters before 1860 (hence Antebellum) survive beautifully preserved and form a major part of the city’s architecture and identity.

7:45 AM - Natchez: buildings at top of levee.

From 8:30 to 9:00, Don walked on the track on Deck 1.

At 9:00, we went to the River Café (Deck 5) for breakfast.

The previous evening, we had received in our stateroom a "Shuttle Bus Schedule," which said that Viking would provide complimentary bus service from the port to downtown Natchez, departing every half hour from 10:00 to 3:30, presumably for those who wished to explore the town on their own.

The Viking Daily newsletter also showed many times, between 8:45 and 3:00 for taking a bus into Natchez for the included shore excursion "The Best of Natchez," which we had elected to take.

Admire panoramic vistas from your motor coach on your way to view the Rosalie Mansion and Gardens, a National Historic Landmark. Continue to the Stratton Chapel, stopping to view its collection of photographs documenting the early days of Natchez, before arriving at Magnolia Hall, where you will enjoy a guided tour of this opulent Greek Revival-style mansion. After time to explore, journey past the King’s Tavern—the oldest building on the Natchez Trace—and Natchez’s Main Street on your way to the “Proud to Take A Stand” monument. Built in 2019, this new memorial is dedicated to the Natchez citizens who were wrongfully incarcerated during the Civil Rights Movement. Gain insight into its history and then return to your ship.

At 10:00, we caught a bus into Natchez for the shore excursion "The Best of Natchez."

10:11 AM - Natchez: sign for "Natchez Trails: near the bus stop. which test a top left indicated was at "Intersection of North Pearl and Franklin streets."

The caption for the far left photo reads as follows:

"The dramatic looking Natchez Hotel (no longer standing) was built in 1891. Within a few years, parts of the building began to disappear in stages. The tent-like dome went first in a storm, and a 1926 fire destroyed most of the structure. A remnant of the building, adorned with cast-iron masks, survives on Franklin Street."

The caption for the next photo to the right reads as follows:

"The large building with grand columns ad extensive porches (behind you) began life about 1840 as a simple, brick cottage. In 1902-1903, the Elks Lodge enlarged and remodeled the building and added a swimming pool. In 1932, the Natchez Garden Club used the Elks Lodge as their first headquarters for the first Spring Pilgrimage house tours. In the 1980s. the building became an inn, and the pool was converted into a landscaped courtyard."

The caption for the next photo to the right reads as follows:

"Members of the local Jewish community built the Standard Club (no longer standing) as a social club about 1890. Cotton merchants Gelsenberger and Friedler rented offices in the first story, while the second story contained a large ballroom. It was a popular spot for social activities before the construction of he grander Prentiss club in 1904."

The caption for the photo at the far right reads as follows:

"At his shop on the south corner of Franklin and Pearl streets, cabinetmaker Robert Stewart made both wooden furniture for fine Natchez houses and wooden caskets for his undertaking business."

10:20 AM - Natchez: St. Mary Minor Basilica.

St. Mary Basilica or St. Mary Minor Basilica, formerly St. Mary’s Cathedral, at the corner of Main and Union streets, is now a Catholic parish church. The Diocese of Natchez (now the Diocese of Jackson) was established in 1837. The construction of a new cathedral in Gothic Revival style began in 1842. In 1843, it was dedicated to the Virgin Mary under the title Our Lady of Sorrows but was not completed until 1882. It remained the cathedral of the diocese until 1977, when a new cathedral was established in Jackson. After that, it was designated a minor basilica in 1998. It is the oldest Catholic building still in use in Mississippi.
The main part of the brick structure is two stories and features pinnacles and buttresses. The central square tower is capped with a spire and has a recessed Gothic-arched entrance.

10:20 AM - Natchez: sign for "Natchez Trails" at "Intersection of Main and South Union streets." The caption of the second from left photo reads as follows:

"In 1842, construction began on St. Mary Minor Basilica, the first cathedral of the Roman Catholic diocese of Mississippi. The Church mainly served the area's Irish and Italian immigrant population. Debt and lawsuits from contractors slowed work on the church building while parishioners boarded up and held services in the basement. The parish completed the cathedral in 1859. The rectory beside the church dates to 1846."

10:21 AM - Natchez: St. Mary Minor Basilica - entrance and rectory next door.

10:21 AM - Natchez: St. Mary Minor Basilica - sign near entrance for "St. Mary Basilica" near entrance.

10:22 AM - Natchez: St. Mary Minor Basilica - interior from rear to main altar in apse.

10:22 AM - Natchez: St. Mary Minor Basilica - stained glass window.

10:23 AM - Natchez: St. Mary Minor Basilica - stained glass window.

10:24 AM - Natchez: St. Mary Minor Basilica - stained glass window.

10:24 AM - Natchez: St. Mary Minor Basilica - stained glass window.

10:25 AM - Natchez: St. Mary Minor Basilica - main altar.

10:25 AM - Natchez: St. Mary Minor Basilica - stained glass widow.

10:26 AM - Natchez: St. Mary Minor Basilica - stained glass widow.

10:26 AM - Natchez: St. Mary Minor Basilica - stained glass widows.

10:27 AM - Natchez: St. Mary Minor Basilica - stained glass widow.

10:28 AM - Natchez: St. Mary Minor Basilica - statue of Mary.

10:31 AM - Natchez: St. Mary Minor Basilica - side altar with statue of Mary.

10:33 AM - Natchez: St. Mary Minor Basilica - old bronze sign for "St. Mary's Cathedral." The text reads as follows:

"In 1837 Natchez was designated the See of the Roman Catholic Church in Mississippi. In 1842 Bishop J. M. Chanche began construction of this structure, the only church built as a cathedral in Mississippi."

10:34 AM - Natchez: St. Mary Minor Basilica - sign for "Bishop's Prayer Garden." The text reads as follows:

"In 2012, the Diocese of Jackson celebrated the 175th anniversary of its founding by Pope Gregory XVI. The Bishop's Prayer Garden, located on the old cathedral burial ground, is dedicated in this year to the seven deceased Bishops of Natchez who shepherded the Site of Mississippi in the Roman Catholic faith." The highlighted photo below the right end of that text is of "John Joseph Chanche, S.S. (1841-1852)."

10:34 AM - Natchez: St. Mary Minor Basilica - sign for "Immaculate Conception Shrine c. 1846 - Oldest Extant Outdoor Shrine Dedicated to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal." The text reads as follows is a history of the Miraculous Medal; excerpts give the following information:

"1830: ... The Blessed Virgin Mary appears... in Paris, France."

"1835: ... Father John Chanche, S.S., as president of St. Mary's College, Baltimore, MD., introduced the Miraculous Medal to ... the Sisters of Charity ..."

"1841-1843: Our Lady of Sorrows Cathedral (St. Mary Basilica) is partially completed."..

"1846: ... Bishop Chanche. S.S., is one of the ... bishops who signed the document to nominate Mary of the Immaculate Conception partoness of the United States. In Natchez, Bishop Chanche, S.S.", builds his episcopal residence and the shrine dedicated to the Immaculate Conception."

10:35 AM - Natchez: St. Mary Minor Basilica - Immaculate Conception Shrine.

10:35 AM - Natchez: St. Mary Minor Basilica - closer view of statue of Mary in Immaculate Conception Shrine.

10:35 AM - Natchez: St. Mary Minor Basilica - tomb of "Archbishop John J. Chanche, S.S. (1795-1952) First Bishop of Natchez (1841-1952)." Inscription at bottom right reads as follows: "Exhumation, 8 Aug. 2007 Baltimore. Reinterment, 19 Jan. 2008 Natchez"

10:35 AM - Natchez: St. Mary Minor Basilica - original tombstone of Archbishop John J. Chanche, apparently moved from Baltimore to Natchez.

10:39 AM - Natchez: Dixon Building on Main St. at corner of Main St. and Locust Ave. (according to the street sign).

The Dixon Building is the most architecturally significant of the post-Civil War commercial buildings in Natchez. It is the second-oldest commercial building in the city. The bottom floor is now the Dixon Books bookstore, while the upper has been converted to a loft.

10:44 AM - Natchez: Dixon Building with signs in windows for "Dixon Books."

10:40 AM - Natchez: Historical marker for "The Dixon Building Circa 1866 has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior."

10:42 AM - Natchez: Historical marker on building next door saying that it has also been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

10:42 AM - Natchez: Main Street Loft shop where MT went in while Don waited on the bench.

10:48 AM - Natchez: more old buildings on Main Street, also with historical marker on the one on the corner.

10:48 AM - Natchez: Historical marker saying that that building has also been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

10:53 AM - Natchez: Guest House.

The Guest House, a mansion at the corner of Pearl and Franklin streets, is now a bed and breakfast with historic charm known as Guest House Historic Mansion. It was originally built as a modest one-and-a-half story, Greek Revival townhouse around 1840. In 1900, it was sold to the Natchez Elks Lodge, which enlarged the building to the mansion seen today. The renovation in 1902-03 added a full second floor. Since this expansion and renovation occurred during the Victorian era, many architectural features were changed.
In 1981, owners of the Enola House across the street purchased the building from the Elks in order to provide large suites to VIP guests. This renovation boasted period antique furnishings, mostly purchased from shops in the surrounding area.

10:54 AM - Natchez: another sign for "Natchez Trails," at the "Intersection of North Pearl and Franklin streets," which included an old photo (second from left) of the Guest House and text as follows:

"The large building with grand columns and extensive porches (behind you) began life about 1840 as a simple, brick cottage. In 1902-1903, the Elks Lodge enlarged and remodeled the building and added a swimming pool. In 1932, the Natchez Garden Club used the Elks Lodge as their headquarters for the first Spring Pilgrimage house tours. In the 1980s, the building became an inn, and the pool was converted to a landscaped courtyard."

Then we went back to the Viking Mississippi for lunch.

At 2:15, we went to the Living Room (Deck 1) meeting place for the also included "The Best of Natchez" shore excursion at 2:30.

The My Viking Journey web site described the shore excursion “The Best of Natchez” as follows:
The Best of Natchez
INCLUDED
Day 13 – Natchez, Mississippi, United States
Thursday, July 17
8:30 AM / 3:00 PM
2.5 Hours
Easy
Sightseeing
Shopping

Small-Town America at Its Best
Learn about local history during a tour of Natchez that visits the city’s top sights.
Admire panoramic vistas from your motor coach on your way to view the Rosalie Mansion and Gardens, a National Historic Landmark. Continue to the Stratton Chapel, stopping to view its collection of photographs documenting the early days of Natchez, before arriving at Magnolia Hall, where you will enjoy a guided tour of this opulent Greek Revival-style mansion. After time to explore, journey past the King’s Tavern—the oldest building on the Natchez Trace—and Natchez’s Main Street on your way to the “Proud to Take A Stand” monument. Built in 2019, this new memorial is dedicated to the Natchez citizens who were wrongfully incarcerated during the Civil Rights Movement. Gain insight into its history and then return to your ship.

2:33 PM - Natchez: view from bus window, through trees, of Rosalie Mansion and Gardens, with brick wall around it and barrier across street with sign pointing to "Rosalie Main Entrance" to the left.

Natchez: Rosalie Manson (By Elisa Rolle - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21200426).

Rosalie Mansion is a historic pre-Civil War mansion Built by a wealthy cotton broker in 1823 on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, it was a major influence on Antebellum architecture in the region, inspiring many of Natchez’s grand Greek Revival mansions. Its front façade has a monumental four-column Tuscan portico. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1989.

A historical marker for Don Bernardo de Gálvez is located in the Rosalie Gardens because of his critical role in capturing the nearby British-held Fort Panmure (formerly Fort Rosalie) in 1779 during the Revolutionary War. The marker is placed near the strategic location on the bluff where Fort Rosalie was originally established.

2:34 PM - Natchez: view from bus window of brick wall around Rosalie Mansion and Gardens with sign pointing to "Tour Rosalie " to the left and bronze historical marker on the right on the corner of the gardens for "Don Bernardo de Gálvez, Spanish Governor of Louisiana 1776-1783."

2:34 PM - Natchez: MT taking photo from bus window, through trees, of side of Rosalie Mansion around the corner of the Gardens.

2:36 PM - Natchez: view, from bus window, of "First Presbyterian Church" (on sign) at corner of State and Pearl streets.

The First Presbyterian Church of Natchez is a historic church on the corner of State and Pearl streets. It was built in 1830 with features of Greek Revival and Federal style architecture. It is one of the finest examples of a Federal-style church in Mississippi.
Stratton Chapel, added to the rear of the historic church in about 1900, is named for Joseph B. Stratton, pastor of the church in 1853-1893. The chapel houses Natchez in Historic Photographs,” a collection of photos of early Natchez.

2:37 PM - Natchez: view, from bus window, of another church?

2:37 PM - Natchez: view, from bus window, of Trinity Episcopal Church.

The Trinity Episcopal Church, located on S Commerce Street, is the oldest church building in Natchez and the oldest existing Episcopal church building in Mississippi. The congregation was founded in 1822, meeting in various places. The first services as a parish were held in 1882, but were held in the Presbyterian Church, by permission.
The lot on which the present-day Trinity Church stands was purchased in 1822, and construction began immediately, in the Federalist style. The first services in the present building were held in 1823. In 1838, an architectural firm was engaged to remodel the building, giving it a Greek Revival appearance. The decorative gilded dome was removed, and a portico was added to the front.

2:38 PM - Natchez: view, from bus window, of old house.

Then, our bus stopped at Magnolia Hall for a tour.

2:43 PM - Natchez: Magnolia Hall, with our tour group heading for entrance in rain.

Magnolia Hall, on S Pearl Street, is also known as the Henderson-Britton House and was built in 1858 in Greek Revival style. A wealthy banker, merchant, planter, and cotton broker named Thomas Henderson had this townhouse built. In 1866, Henderson heirs sold the house to a banker named Britton. A ceiling medallion in the front parlor incorporates magnolias and inspired the house’s name.
In 1876, the house was donated to the Preservation Society of Ellicott Hill, a nonprofit affiliated with the Natchez Garden Club which began immediately to restore Magnolia Hall to the period of its original owner. This included repainting the white exterior to its original faux brownstone appearance. Rooms on the main floor are filled with mid-nineteenth century antiques, and Henderson descendants have donated original furnishings. Rooms on the upper floors contain a costume collection. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

2:44 PM - Natchez: Magnolia Hall-- main hallway with hostess in period costume by stairway.

Magnolia Hall’s center hallway with staircase departs architecturally from the Natchez tradition of wide open halls with staircases in secondary lateral stair halls like those in Rosalie.

2:45 PM - Natchez: Magnolia Hall -- front parlor.

2:45 PM - Natchez: Magnolia Hall -- downstairs bedroom.

The downstairs bedroom features typical bedroom furnishings of the mid-nineteenth century and included an original Henderson canopy bed.

2:45 PM - Natchez: Magnolia Hall -- document signed by "Andrew Johnson, President of the United States of America" apparently granting pardon to Thomas Henderson for "taking part in the rebellion against the Government of the United States" (downstairs bedroom).

2:55 PM - Natchez: Magnolia Hall -- another small parlor.

2:55 PM - Natchez: Magnolia Hall -- small dining room with table with period cookies and drinks; small sign says "Please place used cups here."

The small dining room was originally Thomas Henderson’s office but is now used as a secondary dining room for small events.

2:56 PM - Natchez: Magnolia Hall -- main dining room.

The main dining room features an original marble mantel with a pair of “Old Paris” vases, manufactured in and around Paris between about 1815 and 1870, which was the most popular porcelain for the Natchez plater class. The furniture is typical of dining room furnishings of the mid-19th century and include sideboards for serving and storage.

2:57 PM - Natchez: Magnolia Hall -- downstairs bedroom (again), showing Andrew Johnson document on easel at right.

3:03 PM - Natchez: Magnolia Hall -- sign for "Magnolia Hall History and Architecture" with text that reads as follows:
"In 1858, architect J. Edwards Smith designed one of the city's most stylish mansions--home of the family of the widowed cotton planter and merchant Thomas Henderson and six enslaved African Americans. The house has a Greek Revival giant-order Ionic portico but Italianate detailing including scroll brackets and arched panels. The house served as a home, an inn, and a private school. In 1976 the Armstrong family donated the house to the Natchez Garden Club and its non-profit, the Preservation Society of Ellicott's Hill. Work soon began to restore the house based on historic photographs, physical evidence, and academic analysis of painted finishes, including exterior stucco scored and tinted to mimic the brownstone of the Northeast. Your visit is important to ongoing efforts to preserve, restore, and interpret Magnolia Hall.
"Theresa Henderson, the Viscountess of Avonmore, published Teresina in America in 1875. It included a description of Natchez and the rage for brownstone houses in New York:
'Natchez, before the war, it appeared, had been the Bath or Clifton of the South, and the residences had more the appearance of wealth and style than those of any Southern city, with the exception of Charleston and New Orleans. They were the town residences of the planters and were solidly constructed of brick, covered in brown cement, resembling stone, and had massive columns ascending from the front doorway to the top of the gable of the house...
'In New York... most men's ambition is to live in a house with "brown stone front." It is called brown stone, but is of a reddish chocolate color... No matter what the rest of the house is built of... it must have a stone front, and look like a stone building. If it cannot be actually veneered with a "brown stone," it must at least be plastered to resemble it... A lady about to marry would make any sacrifice of herself, if a brown stone front were only thrown into the matrimonial bargain.'
Text at bottom left reads as follows:
Photographs to the right date to the late 19th and early 20th centuries and illustrate the house when it was owned by the Audley C. Britton family, who acquired the house in 1870 after the death of Thomas Henderson in 1866."

3:03 PM - Natchez: Magnolia Hall -- sign for "Magnolia Hall History and Henderson Family" with text that reads as follows:
"The patriarch of the Henderson family was John Henderson (1755-18420, a Scotsman who settled in Natchez in 1787. Henderson was a successful merchant and cotton broker who authorized the only known literary work written in Natchez during the colonial period. He served as postmaster in the early territorial period and was a founder of the First Presbyterian Church."
The photo at top center is captioned "Thomas Henderson 1798-1863."
Text to the right of that photo reads as follows:
"Like his father, Thomas Henderson was a merchant and cotton booker who was also a successful cotton planter. His wife Bathsheba died in 1844 and he never remarried. John Waldo Henderson (1832-1916) was a pre-Civil War planter, a Civil War soldier, an ordained Presbyterian minister (1892), and superintendent of education in Natchez for 34 years."
Subheading reads as follows: "Chattel Enslavement at Magnolia Hall."
Text below that reads as follows:
"How do we reconcile the ownership of enslaved African Americans by Thomas Henderson, whose father was a founding member of First Presbyterian Church and whose son was an ordained Presbyterian minister? Thomas Henderson himself was described in the diary of Dr. Joseph Stratton, minister of First Presbyterian, as an 'eminent saint, the most consistent mature and complete Christian, I believe, I have ever known ...'"
"We cannot reconcile it but we can acknowledge it. We hope that Thomas Henderson was kind to the six people who were held in bondage and served his family, but kindness is no substitute for freedom. We will never really know their complete stories nor comprehend what life was like for the four women and two men who were enslaved at Magnolia Hall, but we will continue to research in the hope of more fully interpreting the lives of those who so enriched our culture."
Below that text are two old photos, the center one of an old woman (Mary Ann Williams), and a notice "Died" with text that reads as follows:
"WILLIAMS - October 6th, 1909, in the 94th year of her age, MARY ANN WILLIAMS, colored servant of John Henderson, first treasurer of the Mississippi Territory. Faithful in her service during his life time, and faithful in the service of four generations of his descendants, she has gone to meet a heavenly reward. 'Honor to whom honor is due." (signed "H.")
A caption for the photo at left reads as follows:
"Magnolia Hall has an unusual attached L-shaped service wing with second-story quarters for enslaved workers. On the first story were the kitchen, pantry, laundry, and informal dining area for enslaved workers. The service wing also featured integral
privies with exterior entrances. Louvered walls, or jalousies, separate the colonnaded galleries of the main house from the galleries of the wing to distinguish the living area from the work area. Today these walls remind us of two separate worlds--freedom and slavery. Mary Ann Williams, pictured above in a Henderson family album, has been identified as one of the four enslaved women who lived in the wing."

3:04 PM - Natchez: Magnolia Hall -- side entrance with those signs on the porch and a sign in yard for "All Tours Begin in the Gift Shop - Enter thru Back Porch."

Then Don went back around to the main entrance.

3:06 PM - Natchez: Magnolia Hall -- main entrance with light rain.

3:08 PM - Natchez: Magnolia Hall -- bedroom with small canopy bed and baby carriage.

3:08 PM - Natchez: Magnolia Hall -- bedroom with canopy bed without drapes.

3:08 PM - Natchez: Magnolia Hall -- another bedroom with canopy bed without drapes.

3:09 PM - Natchez: Magnolia Hall -- another bedroom with twin beds.

3:09 PM - Natchez: Magnolia Hall -- room with wedding dresses, one small dress, couple with part of bride's wedding dress and groom in uniform; photo of couple.

3:09 PM - Natchez: Magnolia Hall -- room with wedding dresses, two small dresses, photo of couple, and man's uniform.

3:09 PM - Natchez: Magnolia Hall -- photo of couple and man's uniform.