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many bluffs, creeks and burial mounds to see. Natchez State Park is also accessible at mile marker 11. Natchez is the official southern terminus of the NTP and the Old Trace. Near mile marker zero is “The Forks of the Road.” It is there that Natchez became the second most prolific slave trading city in the U.S. (only surpassed by New Orleans) due to its proximity to the Trace, the river trade routes and the cotton and tobacco croplands. Today, it is where the difficult history and suffering of enslaved people are detailed and recognized. While the Natchez Trace tour ends there, this quaint city will hold your attention, eliminating any rush to return to the airport.
Founded by French colonists in 1716, Natchez was controlled by France, Great Britain and Spain before the American Revolution. Natchez would prove vital in the development of the entire region. Especially as the Trace was developed and steamboats began transporting the region’s crops upriver. Enslaved were, of course, the heart of the economy, making so many cotton growers in the area exceedingly wealthy. So much so that in the 1850s, Natchez had more millionaires than any city in the U.S. and half of all U.S. millionaires lived there! Thus, the proliferation of mansions in the area.
Antebellum means “Before [a specific] war.” In this case, the U.S. Civil War. Life after the war could not exist
the way it had before. Many of the wealthiest growers in the area were secretly aligned with the North to protect their property holdings. Many knew their business models would have to change in a post-slavery economy but also felt the Confederacy could not prevail. Those who cooperated with the North often carried secret papers to that effect, which they hoped would save their homes and crops when the time came. Of course, it did not in many cases, as war is ruthless. However, more than any other Southern city of wealth, Natchez did escape the scorched-earth devastation that engulfed so many others. As a result, today it contains one of the most representative collections of antebellum mansions, homes and buildings in the South. The preservation of this has become a point of pride for Natchez.
It is the antebellum mansions people come to see. The grand homes built by the wealthiest 1% in the decade preceding the war. Many were lost, of course, after the war, when their owners lost their fortunes. The owners who were able to adapt their business models remained successful and many were able to stay for generations to come. However, these homes require massive resources to own, maintain, power and improve. Thus, today, most are either a museum or a business. Lucky for travelers, the most common business is bed-and-breakfast (B&B) style lodging. There are dozens to choose from and we
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