Sweet Sleepy Natchez
After a dizzying day of miles the day before, we slowed the pace down and took the Natchez Trace Trail from Jackson Mississippi to Natchez. It is a slow speed controlled drive that traces the trader trails of old. Visiting Natchez has been a desire of mine for years, and it lived up. The love I have for history and lore comes together in this gem of a town. Sleepy is what I would call it. Off the beaten path, the pace is slow and uncrowded. Not touristy at all. Real folks live and work here, but are supported mostly by the travel trade and small business. We visited at the cusp of spring pilgrimage so were a few days ahead of the throngs that will visit throughout the first weeks of April. It is a town of preserved Mansions owned by cotton planters, brokers and merchants. Bustling in the 1800's, the plantations were shipping cotton up and down the Mississippi river that runs by at the base of a steep cliff. The cliff that keeps the town from ever flooding and provides a panoramic view of the river. Natchez never voted to secede before the war, so was untouched by Yankee destruction. Quite the opposite actually. The Yankees were welcome with party's held throughout the Civil War. Well enough history, class is out, let the pictures begin. Here is Monmouth. A beautifully preserved home that is now a Bed & Breakfast. Bob and I had a wonderful dinner here in a dining room illuminated by antique gasoliers.
Next is Stanton Hall . Located in town rimmed by iron fencing. Beautiful inside and out. The amazing thing about all these homes is that they are available to rent for weddings . Can you imagine?
Below is Longwood. A 30,000sq foot unfinished home set in a secluded property just outside the city. Unfinished since the beginning of the civil war, the tools and building items still sit where the northern craftsmen left them when the war broke out and they deserted back to the north to fight in the war.
Below is Magnolia Hall. Also in town is rimed by the slave quarters, or as they called the town slaves, the servants. 
Below is Longwood. A 30,000sq foot unfinished home set in a secluded property just outside the city. Unfinished since the beginning of the civil war, the tools and building items still sit where the northern craftsmen left them when the war broke out and they deserted back to the north to fight in the war.Below is Magnolia Hall. Also in town is rimed by the slave quarters, or as they called the town slaves, the servants. I took hundreds of pictures, both inside and out of these antebellum gems, but you really need to go see them for yourself. Girls trip anyone?
Ta Ta for now
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