Enslaved labor is topic of new Melrose exhibit

By Roscoe Barnes III
Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
Jun 18, 2024 | 12:20 PM

John Retallack, park guide for the Natchez National Historical Park, stands at the gate of the slave quarters at Melrose, which is the site of a temporary exhibit on the history of the McMurran family – who built the Melrose estate -- and the people they held in bondage. (Click on image to enlarge.)

Park Guide John Retallack is one of several staff members of the Natchez National Historical Park who provides tours of the Melrose slave quarters. (Click on image to enlarge.)

NATCHEZ, Miss. –  A Melrose slave quarters is the site of a temporary exhibit that presents the history of the McMurran family – who built the Melrose estate — and the people they held in bondage.

The exhibit, which is titled, “Through the Labor of Others: The McMurrans as Enslavers,” opened on June 10. It will last through Sunday, June 30, at #1 Melrose-Montebello Parkway.

It is free to the public and may be viewed each day between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.

“The exhibit includes the currently known names of nearly 400 people enslaved by the McMurrans at Melrose and five plantations,” said Jeff Mansell, lead historian for the Natchez National Historical Park.

The exhibit aims to show, among other things, how words matter when discussing the topic of enslavement, said Mansell. For this reason, an entire panel entitled “The Language of Enslavement” addresses this topic. Mansell believes it will “be particularly thought-provoking” for the visitors.

Dr. David Slay, chief of interpretation, credited Mansell with creating the exhibit. He said the names of the enslaved people will include men, women, and children, with the youngest being 12 months old.

The slave quarters where the exhibit is featured is a small wooden structure with three rooms, where each served as a cell for three different families. Each room had a front and back door.

On the wall of the middle room is a history panel that presents the background of the McMurrans. According to the text, John McMurran was a Pennsylvanian who came to Natchez in the 1820s to make money as a cotton planter. “In pre-Civil War American, this meant becoming an enslaver on a large scale,” the panel notes.

When he married Mary Louisa Turner in 1832, her father gave them a slave labor farm called Hope Farm and 24 enslaved people to work it. Mary’s father was Edward Turner who was a state legislator and state justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court.

Even though the McMurran’s started with 24 enslaved people, they would eventually have hundreds working various farms and plantations. It is believed that between 1832 and 1863, the McMurrans had enslaved more than 700 people. 

John Retallack, park guide for the Natchez National Historical Park, stands at the gate of the slave quarters at Melrose, which is the site of a temporary exhibit, “Through the Labor of Others: The McMurrans as Enslavers.” (Click on image to enlarge.)

An interesting part of the McMurrans’ history is what they did to maintain control over the enslaved. What Mary Louisa’s father did for them in providing slave labor, the McMurrans did the same for their daughter and son-in-law when they married in 1856, Mansell said.

“They would continue to maintain power and control through each generation by making enslavers of their children,” Mansell said.

The slave quarters exhibit is one of several programs the park service initiated this year to commemorate Juneteenth. Another program, which will be held Wednesday, consists of Melrose mansion tours, announced Mansell.

He said in a press release that throughout the day on June 19th, the staff of the Natchez National Historical Park will provide tours of the Melrose mansion that focus on the African American experience.

“The tours will highlight what is known about the enslaved men, women, and children who lived and labored at the estate as well as the system of slavery in this region that made such extravagant homes possible,” Mansell said.

The tours, which Slay called “African American history-centric tours,” will be given during the day on Wednesday.

Melrose house tours take place seven days a week at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m., and 4 p.m. The cost for adults is $11.00. The tour is free for children 15 and under. Tour tickets can be purchased at Melrose or online in advance at Recreation.gov.

Wednesday evening, beginning at 7:30 p.m., the Melrose Juneteenth Luminary will be held on the front lawn of the Melrose estate. It is free and open to the public.

For more information, visit www.nps.gov/natc

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John Retallack, park guide for the Natchez National Historical Park, discusses a history panel on display in the temporary slave quarters exhibit on the Melrose estate. The exhibit opened on June 10 and will last through Sunday, June 30, at #1 Melrose-Montebello Parkway. (Click on image to enlarge.)