Concord Quarters to host walking tours of archeological research sites

Public invited to witness installation of interpretive panels
 

Students at the Mississippi State University Archaeological Field School conducted research in June 2022 on the grounds of Concord Quarters.

NATCHEZ, Miss. -- Interpretive panels displaying the work of 13 Mississippi State University Archaeological Field School students will be installed during a special program from 10 a.m. to noon Sunday, September 25, at Concord Quarters, announced Debbie Cosey, who co-owns the Concord Quarters Bed and Breakfast with her husband, Gregory Cosey.

Debbie said the event will include a walking tour that will feature critical points throughout the property, which is located at 301 Gayoso St. Specifically, the tour will focus on the excavation sites that revealed the location of the “Big House” or mansion, a kitchen, cistern, and smoke house, among other things.

Concord Quarters is an original free-standing slave quarters built in the 1820s. At one time, the property where it resides was home to three primary buildings, which included a mansion that was built by Natchez Spanish Manuel Gayoso in the 1700s. However, the mansion burned down in 1901, and today, only the slave quarters remain.

Archeological research was conducted on the property in June under the supervision of Dr. Shawn Lambert, professor of Anthropology at Mississippi State University. He and Jessica Crawford, director of the Southeast Division of the Archaeological Conservancy, will be the special guests at Sunday’s installation.

“We are officially an archaeological site, and we now know where various structures and other important things were located,” said Debbie, who noted she was excited about the archaeological dig and the research conducted by the students. It is because of their findings that the panels were created, she said.

“Thanks to them, we now know more about this property,” Debbie said. “We’re free-standing here. We’re all that’s left to interpret this significant history. We now know what we didn’t know before.”

Sunday’s event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

For more information, call 601-493-3018 or send email to concordquarters@gmail.com.