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Trails & Trace
The Natchez Trails
The Natchez Trails leads you along a literal
pathway of Natchez history where you will enjoy
the architectural treasures of one of the most
historically intact towns in the United States.
Begin your tour at the Trails Pavilion located near the
corner of Broadway and Jefferson Streets. An outdoor
kiosk is there to help you get on your way and parking
is also available. Street-side interpretative panels
provide a view of the city as it was and offers a
historical narrative of the landmarks you will encounter
on your journey.
On the Bluff Trail, you will see the panoramic view of
the Mississippi River like that seen by Natchez Indians
before the 1700s. The Nature Trail below the bluff
offers a great opportunity to view the area’s flora and
fauna. On the North and South Trails, you can walk
the sidewalks of streets laid out by the Spanish before
1800 and see the grand homes of cotton planters
and modest quarters of enslaved peoples, and the
bustling post-Civil War retail district. The St. Catherine
Street Trail will take you through some surprising
aspects of Natchez’s history from Holy Family Catholic
Church, built in 1894, which was the first parish for
Roman Catholic African Americans in Mississippi,
to the Forks of the Road slave market site, to the
Proud to Take a Stand monument, marking the site
of one of the significant events of the Civil Rights
movement in Natchez.
1. Start your walking tour along the bluffs overlooking
the Mississippi River on the Bridge of Sighs. Named
after the famous “Bridge of Sighs” in Venice, Italy, the
original bridge collapsed in the 1880s, with a new,
modern bridge being completed in 2015.
2. Fort Rosalie, founded on August 3, 1716, was
created as a French colonial bulkhead that has led to
the oldest permanent settlement on the lower Mississippi
River - the City of Natchez, Mississippi. Natchez
National Historical Park opened the Fort Rosalie
archaeological site to the public for the first time on
August 3, 2016 - the 300th anniversary of its completion
by French oversight and Natchez Indian labor.
3. On State Street between Canal and Wall Streets,
sits the William Johnson House. Johnson, a free
black man who worked as a barber, wrote an
extensive diary describing Natchez life in the pre-
Civil War days. The house is also part of the Natchez
National Historical Park.
4. On the corner of Pearl and Washington Streets is
the home Magnolia Hall. It was built in the late 1850s
and restored by the Natchez Garden Club.
5. Built in 1822, Trinity Episcopal Church is the
oldest church building in Natchez. Later additions to
the building include stained glass windows by Louis
Comfort Tiffany and John La Farge. Next to the church
is Kuehnle Hall, constructed in 1886 and named for
the Rev. Jospeh H. Kuehnle, rector from 1914 to 1946.
6. Memorial Park, located along Rankin, Main, and
Union Streets, was once the site of the city’s earlier
cemetery. In 1822, most of the burials were reinterred
at the current Natchez City Cemetery. The Diocese
of Natchez was the first diocese in Mississippi,
established in 1837. In 1842, Bishop J.M. Chance
began construction of St. Mary Basilica, the only
church built as a cathedral in the state.
62 2024 VISIT NATCHEZ