Natchez, Mississippi
Natchez is a city located in
Adams County, Mississippi. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 18,464. It is the
county seat of
Adams County. It was founded in
1716 and is the southern terminus of the
Natchez Trace Parkway.
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Historic house - Natchez Mississippi |
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Historic house at Natchez - Mississippi |
The site of Natchez is the grand ceremonial village of the Natchez tribe (pronounced "Nochi"), who had occupied the site in a culture that was unbroken since the 8th century, according to archaeological finds. Their language, Natchez, can be linked to the
Muskogean language family, indicating that the Natchez probably developed from earlier indigenous cultures in the Lower Mississippi River Valley. Their society was divided into nobles and commoners according to
matrilineal descent. The Natchez chief, the "Great Sun" owed his position to the rank of his mother.
The flat-topped ceremonial mounds built by the Natchez show the influence of moundbuilding cultures to the north in the Middle Mississippi River Valley (see
Mississippian culture). At Natchez the Grand Village of the Natchez is preserved as a
National Historic Landmark, and nearby
Emerald Mound, an earlier ceremonial center, may be seen near the
Natchez Trace Parkway [
1].
In
1716 the French founded
Fort Rosalie, an outpost in the Natchez territory. The fort's inhabitants often found themselves in conflict with the Natchez, who were influenced by British agents and when outright warfare erupted in November 1729, they eradicated the entire Indian population. On
November 28,
1729, the worst Indian massacre to take place on Mississippi soil occurred. In this attack, the Natchez Indians killed 138 Frenchmen, 35 French women, and 56 children. The dispersed Natchez refugees joined other tribes, including the Chickasaws, Creeks, and Cherokees. Descendants of the Natchez diaspora survive as the
Natchez Nation, a treaty tribe and confederate of the federally recognized Muscogee (Creek) Nation with a sovereign traditional government [
2]. Subsequently, Fort Rosalie, which was renamed after the extinguished tribe, spent periods under
Spanish, and
British colonial rule before being ceded to the
United States under the terms of the
Treaty of Paris (1783). In a census of the Natchez district in 1784, 1,619 people were found, including 498 African-American slaves.
In the late
18th century Natchez was the starting point of the
Natchez Trace overland route, which ran from Natchez to
Nashville, Tennessee through what is now
Mississippi,
Alabama, and
Tennessee.
Flatboatmen and
keelboatmen (locally called "Kaintucks" because they were usually from what is now Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana) who floated their produce downriver, often sold their wares at Natchez, including their boats as lumber, then made the trek back north overland.
On
October 27,
1795, the Spanish signed the
Treaty of San Lorenzo, by which Natchez was surrendered to the United States. In
1798, when the
Mississippi Territory was created by the
Adams administration, Natchez became its capital. After 19 years as territorial capital, on
10 December 1817, Natchez became the first capital of the state of
Mississippi. Though the capital later was shifted to the more centrally located
Jackson, over the course of the
19th century, Natchez became a town of strategic economic importance, due to its location on the eastern bank of the
Mississippi River. It developed into a bustling port for
steamboats until the early
1900s, when
railroad transport replaced steamboats. At Natchez, many local
cotton plantation owners loaded their cotton onto steamboats at the landing known as "
Natchez-Under-the-Hill" and transported their wares downriver to
New Orleans or sometimes upriver to
St. Louis, Missouri or
Cincinnati, Ohio, where the cotton would be sold and transported to Northern spinning mills.
On
May 7,
1840, an intense
tornado struck Natchez. This tornado killed 269 persons in Natchez, most of whom were on
flatboats in the
Mississippi River. The tornado killed 317 persons in all, making it the second deadliest tornado in
United States history. This tornado is known as the "
Great Natchez Tornado."
The terrain around Natchez on the Mississippi side of the river is rather hilly. The city sits on a high bluff above the Mississippi river and in order to reach the riverbank one must travel down a steep road to the landing called Silver Street. This is in marked contrast to the flat lowland found across the river surrounding the city of
Vidalia, Louisiana. Natchez is known for its many
Antebellum mansions and estates, built by 19th century plantation owners, who would often own farmland in Louisiana but locate their homes on the higher ground in Mississippi. The City of Natchez boasts that today it has more antebellum houses than anywhere else in the United States, partly due to the fact that during the
American Civil War Natchez was spared the destruction of many other
Southern cities, such as
Vicksburg. According to legend, the planter population, which has largely disappeared since the early 19th century, once made the city the wealthiest in the United States.
*
Miisissippi History Now: Jim Barnett "The Natchez Indians"Prior to the Civil War, in which Natchez stayed neutral and housed Union troops, Natchez had the most millionaires per capita of any city in the United States due to the large number of plantation owners who owned land across the Mississippi River but dwelt in large mansions in Natchez.
The legend of the Battle of Natchez has been told since the Civil War. As Union troops were being housed in Natchez, civilians and regular bar owners sat Under the Hill to watch Union gunboats travel the Mississippi River from Vicksburg down to New Orleans. In one passing, a Union gunboat fired a blank from a canon to rile up the Union troops at Fort Rosalie. This caused an elderly man to have a heart attack Under the Hill. There was one casualty in the Battle of Natchez.
Natchez is located at 31°33'16" North, 91°23'15" West (31.554393, -91.387566).
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 35.9
km² (13.9
mi²). 34.2 km² (13.2 mi²) of it is land and 1.7 km² (0.6 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 4.62% water.
As of the
census of 2000, there were 18,464 people, 7,591 households, and 4,858 families residing in the city. The
population density was 540.1/km² (1,398.3/mi²). There were 8,479 housing units at an average density of 248.0/km² (642.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 44.18%
White, 54.49%
African American, 0.11%
Native American, 0.38%
Asian, 0.02%
Pacific Islander, 0.18% from
other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. 0.70% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There were 7,591 households out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.6% were
married couples living together, 23.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.0% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 81.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,117, and the median income for a family was $29,723. Males had a median income of $31,323 versus $20,829 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $16,868. 28.6% of the population and 25.1% of families were below the
poverty line. 41.6% of those under the age of 18 and 23.3% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Natchez is the home to Alcorn State University's Natchez Campus. The campus is home to the university's nursing school and master's of business administration program. Copiah-Lincoln Community College, also, operates a campus in Natchez.
The city of Natchez and the county of Adams operates one public school system, the Natchez Adams County School District
NASD. The district is comprised of eight schools. They are Susie B. West, Morgantown, Gilmer McLaurin, Joseph F Frazier, Robert Lewis Middle School, Central Alternative School, Natchez High School, and Fallin Career and Technology Center.
In Natchez there are a number of private and parochial schools.
Trinity Episcopal Day School is PK-12 school founded by the Trinity Episcopal Church. It is a member of the
Mississippi Private School Association. and is highly regarded for its academic standards.
Cathedral School is also a PK-12 school in the city. It is affliated with the Roman Catholic Church specfically
St Mary's Minor Basilica. Cathedral is also highly regarded for its academic standards. Natchez is the home to Adams County Christian School (PK-12) and Holy Family Catholic School (PK-8).
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Souvenir de Richard Wright à Natchez |
Richard Nathaniel Wright (
September 4,
1908 â€"
November 28,
1960) was an
American author of
novels,
short stories and
non-fiction.
Richard Wright, the grandson of slaves, was born in
Roxie, Mississippi, a tiny town located about 22 miles east of
Natchez.
*
Robert H. Adams, former
United States Senator from
Mississippi*
Lynda Lee Mead was crowned
Miss Mississippi in
1959 and
Miss America in
1960. A Natchez city street, Lynda Lee Drive, is named in her honor.
*
*
Great Natchez Tornado*Cox, James L.
The Mississippi Almanac (2001). ISBN 0-9643545-2-7
