NATCHEZ VISIT: New director of Two Museums brings staff to Natchez

By Roscoe Barnes III
Special to The Natchez Democrat
 

Robert Pernell, center, who chaired the Proud to Take a Stand Monument committee, tells the story of the Parchman Ordeal.

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Note: This story was published on the front page of the Aug. 30, 2023, issue of The Natchez Democrat.

NATCHEZ, Miss. – Michael Morris, the new director of the Two Museums in Jackson, visited Natchez on Monday with eight members of his staff from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

The team spent the day discussing history while touring historical sites that included Jefferson College, Forks of the Road, the Proud to Take a Stand Monument, and the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians.

“Although the museums cover much of Mississippi's past, we encourage tourists to visit the places across the state where history happened,” said Morris. “I thought it was important for the museum staff to be able to speak from experience when they describe to visitors, for example, the Forks of the Road site or the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians.”

Morris noted, “It's also important to understand that these places did not save themselves—there are individuals who have dedicated their lives to preserving these sacred places for the future generations to appreciate. We will continue this tradition, started by my predecessor Pamela D.C. Junior, of visiting historic sites across the state throughout the year, but I thought it was important we began in Natchez.”

Morris’ team included Ayana Jones, museum educator; Sarah Grantham, director of student learning; Drew Gardner, director of family and community learning; Luis Montgomery, museum educator and outreach assistant; Dorian Pridgen, museums administrator; Shalynn Smith, gallery assistant; Shamira Maxie, gallery assistant; Jerry Knight, museum educator.

Roscoe Barnes III, cultural heritage tourism manager for Visit Natchez, participated in the tours throughout the day. Mayor Dan Gibson welcomed the team at the Grand Village.

“We in Natchez are so very grateful for all that the Mississippi Department of Archives and History does for our state – and having Michael Morris, a longtime friend of Natchez, and now executive director of Mississippi’s Two Museums, has indeed been an honor,” Gibson said.

“Mr. Morris and his staff members serve at the epicenter of the telling of Mississippi civil rights history, and our state’s overall history as well, and what better place for them to experience this history up close and personal than in Natchez.”

Mayor Dan Gibson, left, and Two Museums Director Michael Morris have a chat during visit to the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians.

The MDAH visit began with a tour of Jefferson College. It was led by Phillip Williams, site maintenance manager of the Grand Village and Jefferson College, and Morris.

The team followed this visit with a tour of Forks of the Road, where Kathleen Bond, superintendent of the Natchez National Historical Park, presented the history of the site that included an overview of Natchez’s early history dating back to the French and Native Americans.

Bond praised Ser Seshsh Ab Heter-Clifford M. Boxley for his work in educating the public about the enslavement market history - and the US Colored Troops history - at Forks of the Road. She called Ser Boxley  “the godfather of this site” who worked over 20 years to interpret and help preserve its place in history. The site, which she described as “a site of conscience … like the Holocaust [sites],” is now part of the Natchez National Historical Park.

In discussing future plans for the new park site, Bond stated that the land-acquisition phase will end in 2024 when formal planning will begin, and public meetings will be held to gather input.

After having lunch at The Guest House, the team visited the Proud to Take a Stand Monument, where Robert Pernell gave a talk on the civil rights movement. Pernell, who chaired the Proud to Take a Stand monument committee, described how hundreds of people from the Black community in Natchez and Adams County were wrongfully incarcerated in October 1965 for standing up for basic civil rights and voting rights. 

About 150 were bused to the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman, where they were humiliated, punished, and abused for several days. The protestors became known as survivors of “The Parchman Ordeal.”

Morris and his team’s last stop was the Grand Village. There, they met Grand Village Historian Becky Anderson and Sales Shop Manager Janice Sago. After watching a short film about the history of the Natchez Indians, the team heard a presentation by Anderson that included stories about Natchez Indians’ ancestors and culture in Southwest Mississippi, and what became of them. She also led the team outside the museum to discuss the history of the mounds on the Grand Village property.

Morris said that he and his staff enjoyed the day’s experience. “Staff members were grateful to visit places they've heard department leaders discuss extensively like Jefferson College,” he said. “I think they were able to understand the challenges and why MDAH is placing so much effort into creating a long-term preservation plan for these sites. Most importantly, they very much enjoyed the food.”