Natchez National Historical Park

Natchez, Mississippi

Contains several sites important to Black history in Mississippi.

Natchez National Historical Park commemorates the history of the city of Natchez and includes an antebellum estate, an African-American barber's home, and an 18th-century fort.  William Johnson was born a slave in Natchez and given his freedom at age eleven.  As a free Black man, Johnson operated several businesses including three barbershops.  His businesses were run by free Black people as well as slaves.  In 1851, Johnson was murdered over a land dispute and left behind a rare 2,000-page diary of his life as a free Black person in the South.

Visitors to the Park can also explore the life of the Southern plantation owners and the enslaved people who lived and worked at Melrose Plantation.  This historic antebellum estate remains largely unchanged and includes furnished slave cabins with exhibits.

The Dunleith Mansion is located Natchez.  John R. Lynch once worked here as a house servant and later became a noted politician.  Following the Civil War, he served as the Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives.  At the tender age of 26, he was elected to U.S. House of Representatives.  Today, the Mansion is an historic inn and restaurant with tours available to patrons.  Also in Natchez is the Natchez Museum-African American Culture.