NAPAC museum announces publication of ‘Map of Civil Rights Sites in Natchez’

By Roscoe Barnes III
Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
Aug 13, 2024 | 4:54 PM

NAPAC Museum and the Civil Rights Trail Committee recently announced the publication of the "Map of Civil Rights Sites in Natchez, Mississippi." The committee members from left are Carter Burns, Robert Pernell, Mayor Dan Gibson, Mimi Miller, Lance Harris, Roscoe Barnes III, Bobby Dennis, Rev. Clifton Marvel Sr., and Kathleen Bond. (Click on image to enlarge.)

NATCHEZ, Miss. — A new publication that tells the story of the civil rights movement in Natchez is now available to the public as a resource for self-guided tours. The free publication is titled, “Map of Civil Rights Sites in Natchez, Mississippi.” It was funded by a grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council.

“The map of the civil rights era of Natchez brochure is a great addition to the literature explaining the struggles of African Americans in their quest to become recognized as equal citizens in the city of Natchez,” said Bobby Dennis, executive director of NAPAC museum. “Not only does it give locations, but also a glimpse of the people involved in making the city grow into a place of compromise and inclusion of all its citizens.”

The map is a collaboration between NAPAC Museum and the Natchez Civil Rights Trail Committee. It is designed as a full-color brochure that includes photographs and annotated list of 53 sites that played an important role in the civil rights history of Natchez. It also features a QR code that takes readers to the online version of the map.

“The Historic Natchez Foundation is excited about the publication of this map of Civil Rights sites in Natchez,” said Carter Burns, executive director of Historic Natchez Foundation. “The Natchez Civil Rights Movement is nationally significant and it is wonderful to have a convenient map of important sites to allow the public to learn about the people and places involved.”

Lynsey Gilbert, interim director of Visit Natchez, shared Burns’ enthusiasm for the map. She also praised the volunteers who brought it to fruition.

“NAPAC museum and the Civil Rights Trail Committee have done a great job with this publication,” she said. “The goal was to give our local residents and visitors a convenient pocket guide for self-guided tours that is user-friendly, easy to follow, and easy to share with others. I think they accomplished that goal. We are grateful to the volunteers and the Mississippi Humanities Council for making this publication possible.”

The Civil Rights Trail Committee is a local volunteer group that was formed in January 2022. In addition to Dennis and Burns, its members include Robert Pernell, chairman of the Natchez U.S. Colored Troops Monument Project; Rev. Clifton Marvel Sr., pastor of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church; Mimi Miller, Executive Director Emerita of Historic Natchez Foundation; Mayor Dan Gibson; Kathleen Bond, superintendent of Natchez National Historical Park; Lance Harris, sites operation administrator for the Mississippi Department of Archives and History; and Roscoe Barnes III, cultural heritage tourism manager for Visit Natchez.

“Ever since the beginning of our administration, it has been our goal to see the entire history of Natchez told, the good, the bad, and all parts in between,” said Gibson. “Our community is so diverse, and telling these stories goes a long way in not only sharing our amazing history but also in allowing the true healing and reconciliation to take place.”

Pernell, who chaired the Proud to Take a Stand monument project, said the committee began working on the civil rights map in 2022, soon after the Dr. John Banks House was approved for the Mississippi Freedom Trail marker. The house had served as the NAACP headquarters in the 1960s.

“We believed the map would serve as a supplement to the marker and help us to interpret the broader history of the Natchez movement,” Pernell said. “Now we have a second site approved for a Freedom Trail marker that will tell the story of the Natchez Deacons for Defense and Justice. That site is the building that once housed Donnan’s Barbershop, where the Deacons met. It is also featured in the new map.”

The map’s content is based on the draft document, “List of Civil Rights Sites in Natchez and Adams County,” created by Miller and the Historic Natchez Foundation. Recommendations for selected sites were received from Ser Seshsh Ab Heter-C. M. Boxley, coordinator of Friends of the Forks of the Road Society.

The map was designed by Vidal Blankenstein of Imaginary Company. It was printed by Catherine Murray of Murray Printing.

The map features Armstrong Tire and Rubber Company, Shiloh Baptist Church, Home of the Rev. James Stokes, Holy Family Catholic Church, West Funeral Home, Beulah Missionary Baptist Church, Home of Nellie Jackson, S.H. Kress Department Store, White House Café and Green’s Service Station, King Solomon Baptist Church, Curtis Funeral Home, Ben Chester White’s Murder Site, and the Home of Jessie Bernard Williams, among other sites.

Copies of the map are available at the following locations: NAPAC Museum, 301 Main St.; Visit Natchez, 500 Main St., Suite 1; Historic Natchez Foundation, 108 S. Commerce St.; Natchez City Hall, 124 S. Pearl St.; Visit Natchez at The Depot Visitor Center, 200 N. Broadway St.; and Natchez City Sightseeing Tours (in the lobby of The Natchez Grand Hotel), 111 N. Broadway St.

The map may be downloaded at: https://visitnatchez.org/wp-content/uploads/Map-of-Civil-Rights-Sites-Corrected-PDF-Mallory.pdf