Mississippi

Natchez: 300 years of life on the river

Natchez is a city that has weathered three centuries of tumult and transformation. It is one of the oldest continuous settlements on the Mississippi River, besting New Orleans, its’ bigger, flashier neighbor, by two years. It was spared much of the physical destruction that other cities saw during the Civil War, and its unrivaled array of antebellum architecture offers a singular experience of a transformative era of American history.

Natchez was born 300 years ago on the banks of the Mississippi River. The establishment of Fort Rosalie by the French in 1716 forever changed the area from one of sacred ground for Native Americans to a hub of commerce for European settlers: Natchez and the nearby settlement at Emerald Mound had been an important ceremonial site used by indigenous people for a thousand years. For 2016, the city of Natchez has devoted an entire year to celebrating the diverse cultures and traditions that have shaped this place over the last three centuries – from a month-long music festival to weekly legends-and-lore lectures and walking tours to a grand, old-fashioned birthday party in August. Recent civic improvements, including new additions to the Natchez Trails project of walking and cycling paths, prove that this jewel of the Mississippi has never shone brighter.