The Reason We are Here

 A speech presented at the 2025 Miss-Lou Memorial Day ceremony at the Natchez National Cemetery in Natchez, Mississippi

By Dr. Roscoe Barnes III

Cultural Heritage Tourism Manager at Visit Natchez

Click on image to enlarge. Photo by Albert L. Jones

Good Morning!

I am happy to be here today, and I'm proud to participate in this important event, which started in the late 1800s and is now one of the longest-running Memorial Day traditions in our nation. 

I want to note that when I came to Natchez four years ago, the first person to talk to me about this Memorial Day event was Mark LaFrancis, who was president of the Home with Heroes Foundation. Unfortunately, Mark died last year, and today he is resting in this sacred space. I thank him for his service to the military and to our community. He was a good man and his legacy lives on.

Today, I want to talk about the reason we are here, and it can be summed up in two words: We Care. We are here observing this day because WE CARE.

In the movie, "A Few Good Men," when Demi Moore's character is asked why she cares so much about the Marines on trial, she responds:

"Because they stand on a wall and say, 'Nothing's going to hurt you tonight, not on my watch.'"

Today, we're showing that we care. We care because our service members – our veterans who are now deceased, stood on a wall and they fought on a battlefield. We care because they left their homes and families to ensure our freedom. We care because of the commitment of these men and women who bravely and unselfishly served our country with dignity and honor.

Now, to be honest, there are many other reasons we care, but I want to focus on three of them.

First, WE CARE because they have shown us a "greater love."
In John 15:13 (NKJV), Christ said:

    "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends."

This verse clearly has implications related to Christ's death on the cross. But it also speaks to a general, fundamental truth about the ultimate act of love that can be seen in the sacrifices of our military service members.

Greater love is demonstrated when we unselfishly give our lives for others. This special love is shown when we give up our own privileges and lay down our lives for a cause that is much bigger than ourselves.

We observe Memorial Day because of this greater love shown by our military service members.

Second, WE CARE because they have given us hope.

Hope for a better community and hope for a better country. Hope for a bright future.
In spite of the horrors and debilitating wounds of war that we have faced as a community and as a nation, we've been able to stand up … pick up the pieces and snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat, and peace out of pain as we live out the true meaning of freedom. And that is no coincidence.

We have hope and a reason to believe because of the people we honor here today.

Third and finally, WE CARE because they have shown us that their service, and yes, their deaths, were not in vain. 

On one occasion, when Christ was speaking of his impending death, he said these words in John 12:24 (NLT):

    "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives."

My friends, the sacrifice of our service members makes it possible for us to not only go on living, but their sacrifice makes it possible for us to grow and even thrive and prosper in so many areas of our lives. Because of them, we have dreams and opportunities. We can have children who grow up to understand and appreciate this great nation, its values, and the opportunities it allows. 

Conclusion

As I close, I want to mention an important request: As we mourn those who are deceased and reflect on their duty and dedication in our military, let us also remember their loved ones, their families, as well as their friends. Those who have lost family members in the military should know that their suffering is also acknowledged and it will not be forgotten.

Thank you.

Miss-Lou Memorial Day event draws hundreds in annual tradition

By Roscoe Barnes III
Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
May 29, 2025 | 1:18 PM

Hundreds of people participated in the 2025 Miss-Lou Memorial Day Parade. Here they are crossing the Natchez-Vidalia Bridge from Vidalia as they proceed on to the Natchez National Cemetery for a ceremony to honor the fallen U.S. military service members. Photo by Albert L. Jones (Click on image to enlarge.)

NATCHEZ, Miss. – Hundreds of people turned out for the annual Miss-Lou Memorial Day Parade on Monday, May 26, to honor fallen U.S. military men and women. Beginning in Vidalia, they marched across the Natchez-Vidalia Bridge and stopped briefly at the Natchez Visitor Center at  640 South Canal St., before proceeding to the Natchez National Cemetery.

Ben Tucker, retired Army 1st Sgt., and Jeff McClure, retired Army Lt. Col., led the parade as co-grand marshals. The parade ended at the cemetery where a ceremony honoring the fallen was held. The day’s theme was “Symbols of American Courage.”

“We had a wonderful program,” said Laura Ann Jackson, who chairs the Miss-Lou Memorial Day Parade Committee. “We had a good turnout in spite of the forecast calling for rain. Fortunately, the rain held off and we went on with the parade and the ceremony.”
Jackson said she appreciates all of the participants, and she looks forward to seeing more of them in 2026.

Dr. Roscoe Barnes III, cultural heritage tourism manager at Visit Natchez, served as guest speaker. He delivered a message titled, “The Reason We are Here.” Barnes said the reason for the parade and the ceremony could be summed up in two words: “We care.”

“Today, we’re showing that we care,” he said. “We care because our service members – our veterans who are now deceased, stood on a wall, and they fought on a battlefield. We care because they left their homes and families to ensure our freedom. We care because of the commitment of these men and women who bravely and unselfishly served our country with dignity and honor.”

Barnes suggested the service members demonstrated a “greater love” by laying down their lives for others. He quoted Christ, saying, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

Noting their service was not in vain, Barnes said “they give us hope for a better community and hope for a better country.”

Barnes said it was also important to remember the families of the service members.

“As we mourn those who are deceased and reflect on their duty and dedication in our military, let us also remember their loved ones, their families, as well as their friends,” he said. “Those who have lost family members in the military should know that their suffering is also acknowledged and it will not be forgotten.”

The parade and ceremony were organized by Jackson and the Miss-Lou Memorial Day Parade Committee.

Dr. Patricia Suduth-Scott, co-chair of the parade committee, served as master of ceremony. Vietnam veteran Doug McCallister gave the invocation, and Nolan Cubie led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance.

In her opening remarks at the ceremony, Charlotte Taylor, assistant director of the Mississippi National Cemetery Complex at Natchez, thanked everyone for their participation in the day’s event. She welcomed them to the cemetery “to honor our fallen veterans.”

She was followed by retired Army Lt. Col. Larry Smith, who sang “The Star-Spangled Banner.” As a representative of the Elnora Riley group, Cayman Riley provided a solo trumpet performance of “When the Saints Go Marching In.”

Mayor Dan Gibson and his wife, Marla, also attended the ceremony.

The Natchez High School AFJROTC posted and retired the colors, and Natchez National Cemetery staff assisted with the wreath presentation and the raising of the flag. Taps was played by military veteran Wilbur Johnson.

Taylor thanked the parade committee, distinguished local and state leaders, guest speaker, veterans, and cemetery staff for their participation in the ceremony.

She thanked everyone for “their commitment to honor our veterans on this Memorial Day and I look forward to your continued participation.”

See more at this link:

https://listenupyall.com/2025/05/29/miss-lou-memorial-day-event-draws-hundreds-in-annual-tradition/

Miss-Lou Military Museum to close by end of June

By Roscoe Barnes III
The Natchez Democrat
Published 12:38 pm Thursday, May 29, 2025

The Miss-Lou Military Museum, the brainchild of the late Mark LaFrancis, will close by the end of June. (Roscoe Barnes/The Natchez Democrat) Click on image to enlarge.

NATCHEZ—The Miss-Lou Military Museum and Veterans Welcome/Information Center will close its doors around the end of June, according to Larry Smith, president of the Home with Heroes Foundation Inc., the organization that operates the museum.
 
Smith said the decision to close the museum was prompted by funding issues. In short, he said, the museum simply does not have the funds to cover its rent.
 
Smith also announced that he and his wife, Jackie, will soon be moving to Arizona to be closer to their family. The couple moved to Natchez about four years ago, and since then, they have been active volunteers on various community committees.

“Having served in the U.S. Army for almost three decades and lived all over the world and across the United States, Natchez will always be home in our hearts,” said Larry Smith. “Its people, its history, and its charming eccentricities are truly unmatched. God is good, and we pray that one day we might return.”
 
U.S. Army Special Forces veteran Robert Foley is the new president of the Home with Heroes Foundation, and Gabi Crousillac, retired Army National Guard Major, is the new vice president. On June 1, Crousillac will replace Jackie Smith as the executive director. 
 
The museum, a nonprofit organization with 501 (c) (3) status, was the brainchild of G. Mark LaFrancis, former president of the Home with Heroes Foundation. LaFrancis passed in June 2024 following a long battle with cancer.
 
The museum first opened in 2018 at the VFW Post 9573 building at 318 Sgt. Prentiss Drive. The VFW provided a room for the museum on its second floor. However, on Nov. 12, 2023, the museum celebrated its grand opening at its current location at 107 Jefferson Davis Blvd. 
 
LaFrancis said the museum’s aim was to educate the public about the contributions of men and women in the U.S. military by giving local residents and visitors immersive, interactive, memorable, and visually stimulating experiences.

 
Those experiences were made possible by the use of military artifacts, GI Joe figures, well-designed ship and aircraft models, uniforms of different military branches, and photos. LaFrancis said the museum could be seen as a tangible way to recognize all branches of the U.S. military, dating back to World War I.
 
According to Smith, over the past few months, the museum staff has searched for a more cost-effective building to call home. Unfortunately, they were not successful in their search.
 
Smith said that between now and its closing, all of the museum’s collections and artifacts will be returned to their owners. Unclaimed items will be offered to military museums in Mississippi and Louisiana.  

For information on the museum’s closing and having items returned, call 253-970-2090.
 
Read more at: https://www.natchezdemocrat.com/2025/05/29/miss-lou-military-museum-to-close-by-end-of-june/
 
 

Speaking at the 2025 Miss-Lou Memorial Day ceremony in Natchez, Mississippi

Dr. Roscoe Barnes III

I had the honor of serving as the guest speaker at the Miss-Lou Memorial Day ceremony Monday, May 26, at the Natchez National Cemetery. I delivered a message titled, “The Reason We are Here.” Photo by Albert L. Jones.

Miss-Lou Memorial Day Parade set for Monday, May 26

By Roscoe Barnes III
Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
May 19, 2025 | 12:55 PM 

Anthony Cupit, cemetery caretaker at Natchez National Cemetery, places a flag on the gravesite of a U.S. military veteran in 2024. Photo courtesy of Caleb Q. Ray of the Natchez National Cemetery (Click on image to enlarge.)

NATCHEZ, Miss. — The annual Miss-Lou Memorial Day Parade, one of the longest-running Memorial Day traditions in the United States, will be held Monday, May 26, 2025, with Army veterans Ben Tucker and Jeff McClure serving as co-grand marshals, announced Laura Ann Jackson, who chairs the Committee for the Miss-Lou Memorial Day Parade.

Jackson said that she and others in Vidalia and Natchez are looking forward to continuing the tradition that began in the late 1800s and has continued to this day.

“As in previous years, we expect a good turnout as we honor those who are now deceased who served in our military,” Jackson said. “This is important for our community and for our nation, which is free because of the price paid by our military service members.”

The parade lineup will begin at 8 a.m. at Zion Baptist Church at 601 Magnolia Street in Vidalia. Participants will proceed to the corner of Carter and Magnolia streets

Around 9 a.m., they will begin their trek at the foot of the Louisiana side of the Natchez-Vidalia Bridge. From there, they will proceed across the bridge to the Natchez Visitor Center at 640 S. Canal St., where they will take a 30-minute break.

After their break, the participants will proceed north on Canal to Franklin Street, and from Franklin, they will move along to Pearl Street and from Pearl to Oak Street. From Oak, they will proceed to Maple Street and then travel north to the Natchez National Cemetery at 41 Cemetery Road, where a ceremony is held.

Jackson said shuttles will be available at the Visit Center and the cemetery.

The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. on the west side of the cemetery overlooking the river front. This year’s program will feature Dr. Patricia Sudduth as the master of ceremonies and Dr. Roscoe Barnes III, the cultural heritage tourism manager at Visit Natchez, as the guest speaker.

For more information call 601-446-9052.

In addition to the Monday parade, several other events will take place over the Memorial Day weekend in the Mississippi-Louisiana area.

Posting flags

On Saturday, May 24, beginning at 9 a.m., the Natchez National Cemetery Memorial Committee will place flags on the gravesites of each veteran. The committee is asking for volunteers to assist with this project.

“Refreshments will be provided following placement of the flags in appreciation of the volunteers’ support,” said Caleb Q. Ray, cemetery technician.

Volunteer help is also needed at 9 a.m. Tuesday, May 27, when the flags will be removed from the gravesites, Ray said.

For more information or to volunteer, call 601-445-4981.

Supporting memorial

Also on Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m., the Point Man International Ministries will host a drawing for a fundraiser at the Veterans Memorial site at 270 Front St., Vidalia, at the south end of the Riverfront next to the Riverview RV Park, announced Army Vietnam veteran Douglas McCallister.

At the same location, Boy Scout Troop 158 will conduct a flag retirement ceremony, McCallister said.

The drawing is for a wooden flag made by a local scout, Peyton Covington, as part of his Eagle Scout project. The fundraiser is for the Cost of Freedom Tribute Memorial that will be built on the Vidalia riverfront, McCallister said.

Presenting flowers

Downtown Karla Brown is seeking volunteer help and donation of flowers for her annual Memorial Day tradition, where she visits the cemetery to place flowers on the graves of the deceased U.S. military service members. Although many flowers are purchased, some are donated by businesses and individuals, according to Brown.

Brown is asking volunteers to meet her at the Natchez National Cemetery at 6:30 a.m., Monday, May 26. She said they can finish in about 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the amount of help she has.

“Memorial Day is about our fallen soldiers,” Brown said in an earlier interview. “We honor them because of their sacrifice and because we’re living in a free country.”

Anyone interested in assisting Brown as a volunteer or who wishes to make a donation for the purchase of flowers may contact her at 907-540-0001.

See more at this link:
https://listenupyall.com/2025/05/19/miss-lou-memorial-day-parade-set-for-monday-may-26/

VIDEO: Natchez College to house Anne Moody Interpretive Center

Happy to see this coverage by WJTV 12 News

See more at this link: https://listenupyall.com/2025/05/06/natchez-college-to-house-anne-moody-interpretive-center/

Natchez College to house Anne Moody Interpretive Center

By Roscoe Barnes III
Natchez, MS, USA/ListenUpYall.com
May 6, 2025/12:23 p.m. 

Anne Moody was a civil rights activist and the author of "Coming of Age in Mississippi." She attended Natchez College in the early 1960s on a basketball scholarship after graduating from high school in Woodville, Mississippi.

NATCHEZ, Miss. -- A building on the campus of Natchez College will soon house historic documents, artifacts, and memorabilia of one of its famous students and authors who played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.
 
The Women’s Auxiliary building – the main building on campus -- will be home to the Anne Moody Interpretive Center, which honors the legacy of Anne Moody, author of “Coming of Age in Mississippi.” Moody attended the school on a basketball scholarship in the early 1960s, before moving on to Tougaloo College, where she became a civil rights activist.
 
The name for the center was approved in November 2024 by the General Missionary Baptist State Convention of Mississippi Inc., announced the Rev. Reginald M. Buckley, who is president of the convention.
 
When asked about the reason for the interpretive center, Buckley said, “We believe that it is extremely important to protect the voices and preserve the narratives that are often silenced. Moody’s time spent at Natchez College was formative in her development as a writer and activist as she discovered her agency to confront and speak to issues.
 
“Establishing the Anne Moody Interpretive Center at the Baptist Heritage and Arts Center at Natchez College will help to keep Moody’s spirit of agency and activism alive for future generations to be inspired.”
 
“I’m so happy Natchez College is honoring Anne,” said Frances Jefferson, Moody’s sister. “I’m looking forward to visiting the interpretive center when it’s completed.”
 
Moody (1940-2015) was born and raised in Centreville, Mississippi. She grew up as a poor black girl in the Jim Crow South, but despite her limitations, she  found courage in the midst of bigotry and racial violence in a segregated society. In her memoir, Moody recounted how she risked her life in her fight for civil rights for African Americans and other people of color. She suffered beatings and endured multiple incarcerations in her efforts to bring about change.
 
Those who knew Moody say that she exhibited courage as she fought for justice, voter registration, and equal access to public places.
 
Moody wrote about Natchez College in chapters 18 and 19 of her book. She discussed in detail the problems the students had with the food. Buckley noted, “It was there that she participated in her first public protest that involved the student meals.”  For that reason, Buckley envisions the cafeteria in the Women’s Auxiliary building being the space where the interpretive center is housed.  
 
According to Buckley, the interpretive center will also allow future generations to know of Moody’s history and be inspired by her work in the Civil Rights Movement.
 
“An interpretive center in her name will serve as a catalyst for programs that speak directly to our youth,” he said. “This would include writing programs and expressionist projects that interpret her life history while helping the young people to discover their own voices the way that Moody discovered hers.”
 
In other words, Buckley said, “the interpretive center would aid in helping our youth with self-expression via writing, speech, and other forms of communication. It would present history – and ideas – that would inspire them to become change agents in their respective communities.” 
 
The interpretive center is expected to reach diverse groups of people and speak to them on different levels. In addition to providing programs related to Moody’s legacy, the interpretive center will include compelling exhibitions and relevant displays of period photographs and art, as well as copies of Moody’s books, articles, and family artifacts, Buckley said.

Buckley hopes the Interpretive Center will open around 2027, when other restoration work is completed at the Women’s Auxiliary building. The work will cost an estimated $6.5 million and when finished will provide classroom, office spaces and historical archives where research about Baptist life in Mississippi can occur. That is far more than the $750,000 awarded in 2022 to complete the first floor restoration of the T.J. Huddleston Memorial Chapel on the Natchez College campus.
 
Funding for the chapel was provided as a pass-through grant by Lilly Endowment Inc., which was part of a $2.5 million grant to the Foundation for Mississippi History to support Mississippi Department of Archives and History programs that promote public understanding of the role of religion in Mississippi history and culture.
 
Buckley said the first floor of the chapel has been completed, and funds are being sought for the second floor.
 
Natchez College was established by the Baptist convention as a private, historically black institution in 1884. The school, which later became Natchez Junior College, closed in 1989. Booker T. Washington visited the school in 1908.
 

See more at this link: https://listenupyall.com/2025/05/06/natchez-college-to-house-anne-moody-interpretive-center/

Karla Brown seeks volunteers for Memorial Day event to honor fallen soldiers

By Roscoe Barnes III
The Natchez Democrat
Published Friday, May 2, 2025

Karla Brown of Downtown Karla Brown, left, is pictured here with her friend and volunteer Allene Kaiser, who helps with Brown's annual Memorial Day project. (Photo courtesy of Karla Brown) Click on image to enlarge.

NATCHEZ, Miss. -- When Karla Brown goes out this year to honor the deceased U.S. service members on Memorial Day, she will keep a promise she made years ago to G. Mark LaFrancis, who was president of the Home with Heroes Foundation Inc.

 
Brown did not have flowers to place on the graves of all of the service members, but LaFrancis asked her to remember one in particular.
 
“He donated $100, and he asked me to make sure we placed a flower on the grave of Wilson Brown, who was African American, and the only Medal of Honor recipient buried in the Natchez National Cemetery,” Brown recalled. “Each year we place two roses on his grave.”
 
LaFrancis died in June 2024 following a long battle with cancer. This year, Brown and her volunteers will honor him by placing a flower on his grave.
 
LaFrancis was a retired veteran of the military. He served a total of 23 years in the Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. He was also director of the Miss-Lou Military Museum and Veterans Welcome/Information Center.
 
Memorial Day will be observed on Monday, May 26, and as the day approaches, Brown is seeking volunteer help -- and donation of flowers. Brown is known for her work through Downtown Karla Brown.
 
 “Last year we had eight buckets of flowers, which was a record,” Brown said, noting her volunteer project “gets bigger each year.” Last year, they bought out the flowers at Walmart in Natchez and Vidalia and grocery stores, she said. They want to do the same this year.
 
She also had about a dozen volunteers, she said.
 
When the Flower Station learned of Brown’s needs last year, the business quickly donated flowers for the cause, Brown said. Moreton’s Flowerland also pitched in to help. Brown said she was extremely grateful to these businesses.
 
Brown typically purchases all of the flowers that she can afford and place them in a bucket of water one day before Memorial Day. Early the next day, she visits the cemetery where she and her volunteers place one flower in front of the graves of the military service members.
 
While she would love to honor all of the service members with a flower, she usually does not have enough to go around, she said. Even so, she is mindful to cover the graves of men and women who served in all of the wars -- and all branches of the military, she said.
 
Brown said she moved to Natchez 13 years ago, and for the last 12 years, she has been placing flowers on the graves of U.S. service members. Natchez is the first place she has lived that has a national cemetery, she said.
 
“Memorial Day is about our fallen soldiers,” she said. “We honor them because of their sacrifice and because we’re living in a free country.”
 
Placing flowers on the graves is an act of reverence and something that should not be rushed, Brown said. She asks her volunteers to take a flower, stand in front of the grave, reflect and say, “Thank you.”
 
“I ask them to really think about what these people did and to give some reverence,” she said. “We take our time and think about their service to our nation. I really encourage people to do that.”
 
As in previous years, Brown is asking all volunteers to meet her at the Natchez National Cemetery at 6:30 a.m. She said they can finish in about 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the amount of help she has. Afterwards, they will go to breakfast.
 
Anyone interested in assisting Brown as a volunteer or who wishes to make a donation for the purchase of flowers may contact her at 907-540-0001.

See more at this link: https://www.natchezdemocrat.com/2025/05/02/downtown-karla-brown-seeks-volunteers-for-memorial-day-event-to-honor-fallen-soldiers/

Cypress knees exhibit highlights little-known piece of Natchez history

Clay sculptures will be donated to Monmouth and African American museum

By Roscoe Barnes III
The Natchez Democrat
Thursday, May 1, 2025

The Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture recently hosted the Cypress Knees exhibit presented by Woven Wind. Viewers of the exhibit's clay sculptures included, from left, Debbie Toles, Sue Harris, and Ruthie Smith. (Click on image to enlarge.)

NATCHEZ, Miss. -- Members of the Woven Wind project used clay sculptures of cypress knees Friday, April 25, to highlight the history of the Toles family and their enslaved ancestors at Monmouth.

An exhibit of the cypress knees was featured for one day at the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture. The knees were also placed on the grounds of Monmouth near a pond, said Nashville-based curator Courtney Adair Johnson.
 
“The clay objects, which symbolically carry the voices of the enslaved, will dissolve with the landscape over time to memorialize the site of the family's painful history,” Johnson said, adding the unfired pieces of art will simply melt into the ground.
 
Some of the sculptures will be donated to the museum and Monmouth, she said.
 
Melisande Short-Colomb, research and community engagement associate at the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University, said nobody can really explain the purpose of the cypress knees in nature.
 
“They don’t grow into trees, but they are part of the network, the eco system, and the environment of the cypress swamp,” she said. “They connect all of the trees.”
 
Short-Colomb spoke about the cypress knees at the museum. She was joined by Vesna Pavlović, the Paul E. Shwab Chair in Fine Arts Professor of Art at Vanderbilt University.
 
“Part of what scientists believe is the cypress roots are in the water,” Short-Colomb said. “The knees come up to get some air and store water in periods of draught when the water may recede or go down when it doesn’t rain. Because of the cypress knees, the cypress trees continue to have a source of water. We chose the knees as a representative of the continuity of family through time.”
 
“The connection between the cypress knees and the trees shows the connectivity of a family,” said Bobby Dennis, director of the museum. “Each knee is attached to a tree. They all have the same resource as that tree, yet they’re all different.”
 
Furthermore, Short-Colomb said, the cypress knees sculpture is an artistic representation of the region. “The trees themselves hold the memory of everything that has happened there. The soil, the water, all of that is a memory that lives in the environment all over Natchez.”
 
Short-Colomb said Natchez was the richest city in America for 90 years, and the remnants of memory remain in the environment, even though the cycles of humanity continues to change. “One day we’re born, and one day we die. The environment of the earth contains all of us. It receives all of us,” she said.

Woven Wind representatives Melisande Short-Colomb, left, and Vesna Pavlovic, discuss the clay sculptures of the Cypress Knees exhibit held April 25 in Natchez. (Click on image to enlarge.)

Short-Colomb said their work as Woven Wind “was connecting the archives of John A. Quitman, who was an enslaver, a human trafficker, to descendants of a complete and full name mentioned in the archives of the Quitman family.”
 
Their aim, she said, was to connect the living descendants to their ancestor, Frank Toles, who was mentioned in the archives. The archives are held in the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee.
 
According to Pavlović’s website, Woven Wind is a multi-layered research project drawing from artistic translations of the Lovell Quitman archive, which includes extensive Quitman Plantation records and photographs of the Civil War era.
 
The creation of the cypress knees involves the use of clay as a community activity, said Short-Colomb. The work is done by people who are not professional potters.
 
“Those knees are part of a multi-disciplinary art installation that includes the film of the Toles family, painted art work, a portfolio of photographs, and original music composed for the film and was performed in Nashville, she said.

 See more at this link:
 
https://www.natchezdemocrat.com/2025/05/01/cypress-knees-exhibit-highlights-little-known-piece-of-natchez-history/