When Harold and I set out from Memphis heading toward Tupelo, Mississippi, little did we know we were about to embark on one of the most interesting road trips we ever took. When we got to Tupelo rather than exploring Elvis’s birthplace, we got on the Trace and headed south toward Natchez. We wound up driving entirely on the Trace to Natchez, a distance of about 280 miles. The Trace itself begins (or more precisely ends) in Nashville, Tennessee, a total distance of almost 450 miles. In colonial and antebellum times the inhabitants of Kentucky, Tennessee, western Pennsylvania, and Ohio would float their goods down the Ohio River and it tributaries to the Mississippi River and then float on south to Natchez, a major trading center. After the goods were sold the flat bottomed bateaus would be converted into wagons, oxen or horses purchased, and the newly minted wagons would be loaded with goods for the trip back north on the Trace. Today as you drive the modern parkway (no trucks allowed) you sometimes get a glimpse of the “sunken Trace” running parallel to the road but 10 or 12 feet lower than the modern highway. Part of the reason for the sunken dirt road is the erosion caused by thousands of feet, hooves, and wagon wheels as goods moved north.
Today the Natchez Trace is administered by the National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/natr/index.htm There are abundant historical sites and recreational opportunities found along the Trace. However, if you are seeking, food. lodging, or amenities you must leave the Trace and visit the myriad small towns and villages found along the way. There are many things to do just off the Trace. It took us the better part of 3 full days to travel from Tupelo to Natchez, staying along the way at delightful bed and breakfasts spots I had scouted on the internet. One of the establishments was run by a semiretired couple from Caribou, Maine. They said they headed south looking for a relatively warm place to live and quickly realized they could not afford coastal living. Then they headed west and found Mississippi where they could afford to buy a lovely home which they chose to run as a bed and breakfast. https://www.natcheztracetravel.com/bedandbreakfasts/mississippi-bedandbreakfasts.html
Once we arrived in Natchez we had found ourselves amid the motherlode of iconic southern cities. Natchez was spared by General Grant, in spite of the bloody siege of Vicksburg raging right next door. Some people theorized that Grant’s reason for sparing the city was that there was a large population of Jewish merchants living there and they were mostly Union sympathizers. Whatever the reason, many significant antebellum homes can be seen on tours. https://www.travelpulse.com/news/features/the-extravagant-antebellum-mansions-of-natchez-ms.html If you are lucky enough to find yourself there during the annual Spring Pilgrimage even more homes are open to visit. https://www.visitnatchez.org/p/experience-natchez/guys-weekend/spring-pilgrimage
I do have one enduring memory of our time in Natchez. In 2009 we did not have GPS in the car and we relied on maps and old fashioned directions. We had a booked a lovely bed & breakfast in one of the antebellum mansions and the proprietor was a kindly grey haired widow who had given us explicit directions as to how to find her home. We thought we followed the directions precisely, including the instruction to “turn right at the white church as you come into town.” We became hopelessly lost. We called the kind lady to explain our predicament. She listened closely to our explanation of what we had done and where we currently found ourselves in a very rural area apparently not anywhere near town. She quickly grasped where we had gone wrong. “Oh my goodness,” she said. “You turned at the black church.” Well, excuse us, but the church was painted white. Of course this incident happened before we chose to spend our winters in South Carolina and became more attuned to southern culture. Now I know that churches remain the most segregated of institutions in America, apparently a choice made by both races. I don’t claim to understand it, but apparently there is no malicious or racist intent on either side. It is just the way of the world.
Once you get to Natchez you might as well take a quick trip to Vicksburg as well. Vicksburg was definitely not spared by Grant. Victory at Vicksburg came on the very same day as Lee’s defeat at Gettysburg. From a military standpoint Vicksburg was a much more important battle according to some historians, although Gettysburg is politically and culturally considered more important. In any event July 4, 1863 was indeed a glorious fourth for the United States of America. As civil war battlefields go, Vicksburg is an interesting stop. https://usgrant200.com/gettysburg-vs-vicksburg/
We concluded our trip to Mississippi by driving back to Memphis along the road that runs along the Mississippi River. There is a saying that the Delta begins in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis. There are still acres of cotton field and other agricultural pursuits in the rich bottomland along the river. Occasionally there will be a long drive into a riverboat anchored in the river, home to floating casinos that now dot the landscape. My little trip to Mississippi proved one thing to me. You do not need to have a passport to travel to foreign lands — I definitely felt like an alien visitor when traveling through the Delta. Nevertheless I would definitely recommend a drive down the Natchez Trace to anyone who wants to explore a very different world and a very different time.
Memories - A Second Chance at Happiness 