Day (25) New Orleans , LA

 

We had a busy four days in Natchez, MS  and enjoyed the ride along the Natchez Trace. One more destination checked off our list.

The drive to New Orleans was uneventful. Of interest though was the  15 mile bridge we drove across over the swamps of Louisiana. We’ve been to Key West  and thought those bridges were long but the bridges over the Bayous were incredible.

                       Houses Along the Bayou

Old cemetery. People are buried above ground here.

 

 

 

 

Trying to get a reasonable CG in the area was a challenge but we managed to find one for under $30.00 per night instead of the usual $80.00. Not a great place but full hook-ups and close to town. The trailers in the background are some of the FEMA trailers used to house the people who lost their homes during Katrina.

LINK:

Mardi-Gras Campground LINK

We arrived around 2pm and it was 103 degrees and humid-humid –humid. Setting up was a challenge because I didn’t notice that the mud flap in the back got caught on the slight incline. Too busy making sure we cleared the tree. By the time we got set up we were both bright red, hit and sweaty. Ron hadn’t gotten a good nights sleep and was really tired not to mention irritated.

We spent the rest of the day and evening relaxing, catching up on the blog, making telephone calls to the family and napping. We thought about going to the French Quarter in the evening but opted to do that on Sunday instead along with some other tourist attractions.

Day (24) Natchez Churches

 

We have spent a lot of time driving around Natchez and have been amazed at the number of churches there are in one small area. Almost every corner has a church on it  - some large and some very small. We set out to try  to tour some of the churches but found that , like at home, many are locked.

It is sad to think that in our youth all church doors remained open for all to enter 24/7 but over the years that has changed.

 

We passed this church daily when driving into town.

LINK:

Church LINK

 

I believe the only reason we were able to enter was because the janitor was preparing it for a wedding  and he welcomed us in.

 

 

The church is amazing – although over 160 years old it has been so well maintained it look new.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I did some research but couldn’t come up with a good number but the population in Natchez is under 18,000 people and there are at least 25 churches in Natchez.

These churches were all within a 2 mile radius of each other. We did not  get pictures of the many smaller churches tucked in the neighborhoods on the corners.

 

 

 

 

 

We took another short ride through the cemetery and again were amazed at the sheer size of the place.

 

The tree with the hanging moss overlooking the ancient gravestones was in a weird way ethereal .

 

 

 

 

On our way back to the CG we were once again struck by the stark contrast between the  very rich  and very poor neighborhoods.

 

 

The medium gross income in Natchez is $26, 514  and in Mississippi is $36,646. Despite the lower incomes the cost of living didn’t seem to be any less. Gas prices were $3.71 for regular and food wasn’t any cheaper either.

 

LINK:

Natchez Statistics LINK

 

Tomorrow we will head to New Orleans  and check out the French Quarter and see what remains of the the devastation from Hurricane Katrina.

Day (23) Longwood Mansion, Natchez National Historic Park, Melrose Mansion, Natchez in Historic Photographs

 

There has been no break in the heat and humidity – something neither one of us enjoy. Traveling South this time of the year is sure different then traveling out West.

Our first stop was the Natchez National Historical Park established by Congress to preserve and interpret the history of Natchez, MS. The Mississippi River brought success and prosperity to some enslavement and despair to others.

We first toured Melrose Mansion. Fortunately we were able to take some pictures inside. It was quite attractive and a mansion one could live in comfortably. The home is undergoing an exterior restoration to bring it back to its original beauty.

LINK:

Melrose Mansion LINK

 

The interior was very nice and furniture quite beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remnants of a 16 person outhouse. Can’t imagine sitting with 15 other people!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

Ronnie the Rebel

Then it was off to  Longwood,the largest Octagonal house in America. It is an example of the mid-nineteenth century “Oriental Villa” style. The great octagonal rotunda is open to the entire six stories and crowning the whole rotunda  is a Byzantine-Moorish dome with a 24-foot finial.

LINK:

Longwood Photos LINK

Info LINK

The first level of the home is finished but the rest of the home is not. We were prohibited from taking pictures on the first level but we were able to capture the unfinished portions of the mansion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking out at one of the balconies that surrounds the mansion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The signage in Natchez is mostly non-existent and the directions to locations very vague. So off we were again looking for Natchez in Historic Photographs. Nowhere did any of the literature mention that the display was located in the First Presbyterian Church.

LINK:

Church Facts

 

Tiffany leaded glass windows in the church.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Representing the work of three photographers, the more then 500 pictures tell the story of of Natchez from the Civil War era to World War II. The photographs spanned 8 rooms and really showed how integration was present in Natchez long before integration was mandated by the government.

Natchez had a large population of northerners so many black people were free to own their own businesses and homes. The photos clearly showed that many of the black citizens were very wealthy and worked side-by-side with their white counterparts. 

Interior of the Church

Back at the CG we took Jewel for a walk and spent some time enjoying the lake.

Tomorrow is our last day in Natchez and we believe we have covered a lot of territory. Since we are in the Bible Belt there are lots of churches and some quite magnificent. We plan to visit a few of those churches tomorrow.

Day (22) Natchez, MS, Stanton Hall, Rosalie

 

We spent a very quiet night in the CG.There were only three other campers in the section we are in. It has been very hot and the humidity has been making it very uncomfortable.

The road out of the CG is very interesting. It has several buildings that are falling apart and resembles a ghost town of sorts. 

We were unable to get any info regarding the buildings in the area or why they have been abandoned and left to rot but sure looks like a ghost town to us.

We picked up our tickets at the Visitor Center and foolishly decided to walk to the first antebellum home, Rosalie. Although it was only a four block walk it was unbearably hot.

Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures of the inside.

LINK:

Rosalie LINK

The bell that Ron had to ring!!  It scared him and the people standing next to him. LOL

 

 

 

 

The interior of the home was nice but not as spectacular as we had expected. I guess we’ve been spoiled by the Newport Mansions.

              We walked back to the car and drove to Stanton Hall.

 

We noticed that all of the antebellum homes have a similar footprint and look very much alike both outside and inside.Once again interior pictures were prohibited.  And the interior looked much like Rosalie.

LINK:

Stanton Hall LINK

 

The back of Stanton Hall was just as pretty as the front.

 

 

 

 

 

After leaving Stanton Hall we drove around Natchez and were impressed with other homes in the area as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not too shabby either

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are all private residences

 

 

 

 

 

 

The majority of the streets in Natchez are one –way making it very difficult to get around. We wanted to find the memorial museum for the Rhythm Nightclub and had a heck of a time finding it.

LINK:

Rhythm Nightclub Fire LINK

We drove around and up and down the same one-way streets for 1/2 hour before finally finding it. I mentioned the memorial plaque on the bluff by the gazebo in a previous  post and how it piqued our interest so now we were going to get the details of the fire.

We pulled into the parking area and were immediately greeted by the proprietor , Monroe Sago. He made a point to come out to the parking lot and escort us into the museum.

He is very committed to keeping the memory of what happened that night on the same spot the museum is located.  He originally bought the property to build a detail  shop but when he found out that it was the location of the Rhythm Nightclub fire he decided to turn build a memorial instead.

He had no clue that such a tragic event had occurred on the property and after extensive research is the resident expert on the fire.

Inside was a pictorial history of the incident  explaining how such a horrific event could occur. Again it was lack of fire codes, combustible decorations and only one way out. The decorative moss hanging from the ceiling was sprayed with a flammable bug repellent and  it is believed that somehow a lit cigarette or match caught the hanging moss on fire.  This resulted in tremendous loss of life and there is  a belief that many more then 209 people perished that night.

Betty Sago arrived a while later and we watched videos of interviews with three of the survivors from the fire. (The oldest is now 97) It was sad to hear their stories but always brings to mind the importance of fire safety wherever large crowds congregate.

We spent more then two hours with Monroe and Betty and were impressed with their dedication to the project.

 

 

 

A small museum making a big impact in Natchez.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had put in a good day seeing the sights and since everything closes down by 4:30 pm we headed back to the CG for the night.