Bald Knob and Natchez

We spent two great days with friends Buddy and Mary.

We parked in their yard by the pond with the catfish and frogs. We went to a pot luck lunch in the little town of Russell and then drove down to Hurricane wild life preserve. A interesting day looking at sights only the locals can show us.

Thursday morning we said goodbye to Buddy and Mary, hoping it won't be another 8 years till we meet again, and made our way South over the back roads of Arkansas and Louisiana.



We made our way to Vidalia, La just across the bridge over the Mississippi from Natchez, Mississippi.




We sat by the trailer and watched the barges go up and down the river. It's a great spot to spend three days.





 We toured three Antebellum houses on Friday. Stanton Hall shown here, Roaslie and Longwood. The houses are amazing. Natchez has the finest collection of these houses in the country because Gen
Grant was so impressed that he spared Natchez during the civil war.




This is Longwood which was never finished. The lower floor is complete but the upper four floors were never finished. The house was to be 38,000 Sq ft when done.



Today (Sat) we drove a little of the Natchez Trace, a 444 mile road from Natchez to Nashville used in the 1860's by people returning from taking boats with goods for sale down the Mississippi to Natchez or New Orleans. They had no way to get the boats back up river so they sold them for lumber and walked home. This is Mount Locust Inn which served as a inn for travelers on the road. Dinner and lodging for the night cost $0.25.

We drove to our last house and toured Melrose. It was built over 8 years in the 1830's and was representative of wealthy society residences of that time. Cotton made a large number of people very rich.





This is the dining room at Melrose. It is representative of the houses we visited.







This is the study where the men would gather after dinner to smoke cigars and drink brandy. Here in the 1860's you were known by your house and the number of slaves you owned. Society here was very structured and resembled the English society of that time.

Off to Vicksburg on Monday morning. tomorrow is a relaxing day with Church and time to watch the barges on the river.