Natchez

https://www.nps.gov/natc/index.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natchez_National_Historical_Park Natchez National Historical Park commemorates the history of Natchez, Mississippi. The park consists of three separate sites: Fort Rosalie is the site of a former fortification from the 18th century, built by the French. It was later renamed Fort Panmure and controlled in turn by Great Britain, Spain, and the United States. The fort site is not open to the public. The William Johnson House was the home of William Johnson, a 19th-century free African American barber and resident of Natchez whose diary has been published. Melrose was the estate of John T. McMurran, a lawyer, state senator, and planter who lived in Natchez from 1830 until the Civil War. Discover the history of all the peoples of Natchez, Mississippi, from European settlement, African enslavement, the American cotton economy, to the Civil Rights struggle on the lower Mississippi River. Natchez National Historical Park Headquarters and the Natchez Visitor Center is located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 84 and Canal Street in Natchez, MS. Melrose Estate is located at 1 Melrose-Montebello Parkway, Natchez, MS 39120. The William Johnson House is located at 212 State Street, Natchez, MS 39120. Melrose Visitor Center Located in the former kitchen building for the estate, the Melrose Visitor Center is the visitor contact station at the site. Tickets for the mansion tour are available here. There is also a gift shop and an adjoining exhibit room. Natchez Visitor Center The Natchez Visitor Reception Center is owned, operated and maintained by the National Park Service. The building also serves as the official southern terminus and welcome center for the Natchez Trace Parkway. The Natchez Visitor Center is home to Natchez National Historical Park Headquarters, the Mississippi Welcome Center, and the City of Natchez Visitor Information Services. Currently, the Natchez Visitor Center is closed due to construction surrounding the installation of a new HVAC system. The Natchez Visitor Center is located right before your cross the Mississippi River bridge into Louisiana at the intersection of Canal Street and John R. Junkin Drive. William Johnson House Visitor Center This visitor contact station at the William Johnson House site is located in the two-and-a-half story brick building known as the McCallum House which is adjacent to the Johnson home. The McCallum House serves as the site's visitor contact station and provides restroom facilities, a small bookstore/giftshop, and exhibits. When traveling north on Canal Street, turn right onto State Street. When traveling south on Canal, turn left onto State Street. The William Johnson House is located in the 200 block of State Street. Melrose Mansion Two story brick mansion with columns Melrose and its landscape present a comprehensive picture of the Southern planter class and the enslaved people who lived and worked there. William Johnson House Two story brick townhouse The William Johnson House provides a window into the life of a free man of color whose published diary and personal papers provide a detailed account of daily life in the antebellum south. Melrose Slave Cabin One story wood frame house with two doors and two windows One of two remaining slave cabins at the Melrose estate Inside Melrose Slave Cabin Room containing very simple wood table and chair, and baby cradle with fireplace in background The furnished slave cabin at Melrose helps to illustrate the daily life of the enslaved. Inside the William Johnson House room with tall windows and fireplace, round table containing lamp and surrounded by chairs Visitors to the William Johnson House can see many original furnishings. Emancipation and the Quest for Freedom Although the abolition of slavery emerged as a dominant objective of the Union war effort, most Northerners embraced abolition as a practical measure rather than a moral cause. The war resolved legally and constitutionally the single most important moral question that afflicted the nascent republic, an issue that prevented the country from coalescing around a shared vision of freedom, equality, morality, and nationhood. Slave family seated in front of their house Natchez History Minutes The Natchez History Minutes series bring together park historians, students, elected officials and other community members to share stories of how people from all walks of life shape a city. Title card for the Natchez History Minute Series Construction Monitoring at Forks of the Road Old Brick Bridge Old Brick Bridge The Civil War in American Memory America's cultural memories of the Civil War are inseparably intertwined with that most "peculiar institution" of American history - racial slavery. But in the struggle over Civil War memory which began as soon as the war was over and continues to this day, rival cultural memories of reconciliation and white supremacy have often prevailed. Therein lies the challenge as the National Park Service - a public agency - seeks to "provide understanding" of the Civil War era's lasting impact upon the development of our nation. Elderly Union and Confederate veterans shake hands at the fiftieth anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg The Changing War Begun as a purely military effort with the limited political objectives of reunification (North) or independence (South), the Civil War transformed into a social, economic and political revolution with unforeseen consequences. As the war progressed, the Union war effort steadily transformed from a limited to a hard war; it targeted not just Southern armies, but the heart of the Confederacy's economy, morale, and social order-the institution of slavery. Woodcut of spectators watching a train station set fire by Sherman's troops NATC LRIP Natchez NHP, HFC, and The Design Minds Conduct Successful Virtual LRIP Recommendations Workshop. Active participant engagement and dynamic conversations that define future visitor experiences are hallmarks of on-site, in-person interpretive planning workshops. Based on the collaborative efforts of Natchez National Historical Park (NATC), Harpers Ferry Center (HFC), and The Design Minds, these measures of success now also apply to virtual interpretive planning workshops. Natchez NHP, HFC, and The Design Minds Conduct Successful Virtual LRIP Recommendations Workshop Women in Fire Science: Alicia Schlarb Alicia Schlarb is the lead fire effects monitor for a portion of the National Park Service's Southeast Region. She and her crew provide prescribed burning, monitoring, and wildland fire responses to national parks located within Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, and portions of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Florida. She loves fire and that she can change perceptions about wildland fire through science. Alicia Schlarb. Kathleen Bond: What Can I Do Today to Make a Difference? Kathleen Bond's career with the NPS developed in her home state of Mississippi, where she advanced from museum technician to park superintendent at Natchez National Historical Park. As a historian, Bond was trained to asked questions and consider multiple perspectives, and she turned to research and scholarship to guide decisions about interpretation and resource management. In an oral history interview, she describes her role in sharing the complicated history of Natchez. Kathleen Bond in uniform