Greg Iles Book Party -- August 5 - 7, 2022

#GregIles
#VisitNatchez

I’m excited about this event, and I’m happy to serve as guest speaker. Thanks to Downtown Karla Brown for making it all possible. I'm schedule to speak on Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022.

Natchez USCT Monument Committee Issues Official ‘Request for Qualifications and Proposal’

Professional assistance is being sought for the design phase of the project

#NatchezUSCT

NATCHEZ, Miss. – The Natchez U.S. Colored Troops Monument Committee is ready to connect with qualified individuals and firms to help with the design of its monument to honor the U.S. Colored Troops of Natchez.

The committee recently announced the release of a Request for Qualifications and Proposal (RFQP) targeting qualified firms and individuals to work with the committee and local community for conceptual and schematic designs for the Natchez project. Deadline for submissions is 5 p.m., Friday, June 24, 2022.

Download RFQP here.

The proposed monument will honor the more than 3,000 African American men who served with six regiments at Fort McPherson in Natchez, Miss., as well those who served in the Navy who were born in Natchez. The six regiments in which the men served include: 6th U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery, 58th U.S. Colored Infantry, 70th U.S. Colored Infantry, 71st U.S. Colored Infantry, 63rd U.S. Colored Infantry, and the 64th U.S. Colored Infantry.

"This monument will be a place of reverence, pride, and honor that will help to tell many untold stories about Natchez's past," said Committee Chairman Robert Pernell. “At the same, the monument will allow us to give these brave men the honor they deserve for their sacrifice.”

The Natchez USCT Monument Committee was established in 2021 by Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson as an independent organization. It envisions the monument as a tribute to the individual African American Army and Navy enlistees, according to Lance Harris, who chairs the Monument Design Subcommittee.

“The Natchez USCT soldiers and Navy servicemen deserve their history to be known, respected and honored,” he said in the RFQP document. “Up to this time, little if any of their history has been widely known or discussed.”

Harris noted the monument could also serve as a place of inspiration, learning, and connection to other USCT places of meaning in Natchez.

Since its formation, the committee has made notable progress, according to Pernell. In January, the committee launched its official Fundraising Kickoff for the Natchez USCT Monument Project. The fundraising campaign is led by Mayor Dan Gibson, who chairs the Finance and Fundraising Subcommittee.

After months of research, meetings, and input from the community, the committee selected The Natchez Bluff, at the corner of Madison and Broadway streets, as the official site for the monument. The location received unanimous support in March from the Natchez Board of Aldermen contingent upon approval of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, and the Natchez Preservation Commission.

“We are now ready to release the RFQP seeking discovery, conceptual design and schematic design that will guide future phases of the project,” said Pernell. “We want to share this document with as many qualified prospects as possible. We’re asking the community to help us by sharing this document with any qualified individual or firm that might have an interest in this project.”

For more information

Proposals should be mailed to: 

Natchez USCT Monument Committee
Attn: Lance Harris
Grand Village of the Natchez Indians
400 Jeff Davis Blvd.
Natchez, MS  39120.

Additional information is available by contacting Lance Harris, chairman of the Monument Design Subcommittee at lharris@mdah.ms.gov or by visiting NatchezUSCTMonument.com. Learn more at: https://natchezusctmonument.com/rfqp.html

#VisitNatchez #NatchezUSCT #NatchezColoredTroops

Arkansas Review: The Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture

By Bobby Dennis and Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D.
 
#VisitNatchez

I am excited about this article that Bobby Dennis and I wrote about the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture. It is published in the current issue of the Arkansas Review: A Journal of Delta Studies (53.1 (April 2022).

This is the first museum to tell the full story of African Americans in Natchez, Miss., a city on the Mississippi River that is located in the southwest part of the state. Since its founding in 1990 by the Natchez Association for the Preservation of African American Culture, the Museum has become an essential resource for the study of local history. This article gives an overview of the Museum's history. Additionally, it provides a description of its exhibits, tours, programs, and community support. To see the full article, please follow this link:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/360477079_The_Natchez_Museum_of_African_American_History_and_Culture

 #NAPAC #BlackHistory 

Historian Jeff Mansell to Speak about Role of U.S. Colored Troops in Building Fort McPherson

Event hosted by Natchez Historical Society

#NatchezUSCT

Jeff Mansell, Lead Historian
Natchez National Historical Park

NATCHEZ, Miss. – Jeff Mansell, lead historian for the Natchez National Historical Park, will speak about the Natchez U.S Colored Troops at the May 24 meeting of the Natchez Historical Society, announced NHS President Maria Bowser in a recent press release.

Mansell will present the findings of his latest research into the 58th U.S. Colored Troops and the building of Fort McPherson, the Union fortification erected by federal troops after their arrival in Natchez in July 1863.

The meeting, which is free and open to the public, will be held at 6 p.m. in the hall of Historic Natchez Foundation at 108 S. Commerce St. Handicapped accessibility is on the side of the building.

After the park closed its various sites due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Mansell turned his attention to examining and recording information found in more than 1,500 enlistment papers for the men of the 58th. These records provide a vast amount of information about the members of the regiment, including name, age, length of services, and profession.

Remarkably, these enlistment papers also list the name of the formerly enslaved’s owner, something typically not found in similar records. The birthplace of the new recruits was also recorded, providing researchers with the probable identity of the men who were sold at the Forks of the Road slave market, Mansell said.

The men of this regiment were the ones who participated in the destruction of the slave pens at the Forks of the Road in the fall of 1863. Tragically the enlistment papers also reveal that almost one-third of the regiment perished from various diseases in the first two months of their service.

All are invited to attend the meeting as Mansell explains more about the patriotic story of these formerly enslaved men who threw off the shackles of slavery to put on the blue uniform of the Union Army, and what that meant to them.

For more information on the Natchez Historical Society, visit: Natchezhistoricalsociety.org or join the NHS on Facebook: Search for “Natchez Historical Society” or follow this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/188228461785070

MFP: Deacons for Defense Fought for Black Lives from Donnan’s Barbershop in Natchez

"A group of Black community leaders founded the Deacons for Defense and Justice in Jonesboro, La., with the goal of protecting the Black community and fighting back against KKK violence."

#DeaconsForDefense
#CivilRights

(Photos courtesy of Sarah Sookraj.)

Once again, the talented Aliyah Veal has written an excellent article on an important topic related to African American history in Natchez, Miss. Her recent article focuses on the Natchez Deacons for Defense and Justice. Published by Mississippi Free Press, the article features Willie Carter, the owner of the building that once housed Donnan’s Barber Shop, the command post for the Natchez Deacons. It includes interviews with Denise Ford, the daughter of slain civil rights leader Wharlest Jackson Sr., and Ser Seshsh Ab Heter-Clifford M. Boxley, who assisted the Natchez Deacons.

The full article by Aliyah Veal can be viewed here or by following this link:

https://www.mississippifreepress.org/23364/deacons-for-defense-fought-for-black-lives-from-donnans-barbershop-in-natchez/

#VisitNatchez #BlackHistory #CivilRights

The Dixon Makes Donation to Natchez USCT Monument Project

#NatchezUSCT

#TheDixon

We are grateful to the owners of The Dixon, John Weaver, Ginger Weaver, Walter Boone and Jennifer Boone, for their generous contribution of $1,000 to the Natchez US Colored Troops Monument Project. The Dixon made the donation Friday, April 22, 2022, during the ribbon cutting ceremony at its Grand Opening. The Dixon, located at 514 Main St., is a commercial development with retail space leased by Olivina’s and office space to be filled by Weaver Architects. Dixon Loft, located upstairs, is now accepting bookings as iconic, historic, and luxurious short-term rental, currently listed on VRBO.

In the photo, Walter Boone, left, is presenting the check to Robert Pernell, center, and me. Pernell chairs the Natchez U.S. Colored Troops Monument Committee.

To learn more about this project, please visit NatchezUSCTMonument.com.

#NatchezColoredTroops #VisitNatchez #BlackHistory #CivilWar

The Natchez Democrat: Turning tragedy into triumph

Annual memorial awards scholarship, promotes storytelling

#VisitNatchez

#RhythmNightClub

On Saturday, April 23, 2022, I served as guest speaker for the 82nd anniversary of the Rhythm Night Club fire. Reporter Hunter Cloud of The Natchez Democrat covered the event. His story opens as follows:

NATCHEZ — Roscoe Barnes with Visit Natchez was a guest speaker at the 82nd anniversary of the Rhythm Night Club fire. Monroe and his wife Betty Sago own the museum built on the hallowed grounds of the worst fire to hit Natchez. 

This year’s theme was Get up, Get dressed, we have work to do after a saying Betty heard as a kid growing up on a farm. Barnes, an Indianola native, described the night’s tragedy and impact on Natchez as if he was there when 209 souls perished in the inferno. 

“Tears were shed, blood was splattered and bodies burned. It was a sad night. There was crying into the night. People bowed under the unbearable weight of grief,” Barnes said. “They saw what no one should have to see here. Had it not been for the Sagos no one would know this story. People from all over are learning about this piece of history.” 

The full story by Reporter Hunter Cloud can be viewed here or by following this link:

https://www.natchezdemocrat.com/2022/04/23/turning-tragedy-into-triumph-annual-memorial-awards-scholarship-promotes-storytelling/