New interpretive center highlights African American history, music legacy, and youth development
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Bettye Bell, center, and her daughter, Brittany Bell
Surratt, recently opened The Legacy of Madison to share Natchez’s history. They
are pictured with Brittany’s daughter, Chozyn Channell Bell. (Click on image to enlarge.) |
NATCHEZ, Miss. -- A long-vacant pink house on the corner of Madison and N. Dr. M.L. King streets has been reborn as The Legacy of Madison, a new tourism attraction and interpretive center dedicated to sharing the untold and under-told history of Natchez.
The site, located at 516 N. Dr. M.L. King St., is co-owned
and managed by retired educator Bettye Bell and her daughter, Brittany Bell
Surratt. The two said the new venture will provide a cultural and educational
experience for residents and visitors.
It provides a quiet, welcoming environment where visitors
can discuss Natchez history over coffee, tea, and traditional tea cakes, said
Bettye. The experience also includes a full three-course meal.
“Natchez has a lot of untold and under-told history,”
said Brittany. “While Mississippi is often associated with the blues, Natchez
has made significant contributions to jazz and hip-hop as well.”
She said much attention has focused on antebellum homes
and the Civil War, while African American history remains underrepresented.
“We want to tell those stories,” Brittany said.
Bettye agreed. "We look forward to sharing how
African Americans helped build Natchez and went on to make nationally and
internationally recognized contributions," she said.
Brittany’s vision for the house stems from her love of
history, literature, and travel. “I meet people from all around the world. When
they visit Natchez, they’ve only learned one side of Natchez’s history.”
The mother-daughter team hopes to inspire local youth. “The
historic property serves as both a tourism destination and a training center
designed to prepare local youth for careers in hospitality and tourism,” Bettye
said. “Young people can develop customer service, public speaking, cultural
awareness, and leadership skills while gaining firsthand experience.”
The team believes Natchez has important stories that
deserve greater attention. Among those stories is the connection between rapper
Nas and Natchez through his father, world-renowned jazz musician Olu Dara
Jones, who was born and raised in the city.
“That is an under-told story and key contribution to
music history,” Brittany said. She noted Natchez has deep-rooted music
contributions to national music history that goes beyond the blues.
Another celebrity with Natchez ties is actress Yara Sayeh
Shahidi, best known for her role on the ABC sitcom, “Black-ish,” Brittany said.
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The pink house at the corner of N. Dr. M.L. King and
Madison streets is now home to The Legacy of Madison, an interpretive center
dedicated to sharing Natchez's untold and under-told history. (Click on image to enlarge.) |
This site features four rooms that provide visitors with an immersive experience through story-telling, music, historical artifacts, and cultural displays.
The interpretive center highlights a range of notable
figures, including Greg Iles, Hiram Rhodes Revels, John R. Lynch, Robert H.
Wood, Richard Wright, Ellen Douglas, Alexander O’Neal, Geeshie Wiley, Judge
Lillie Blackmon Sanders, Judge Mary Lee Davis Toles, Dr. Albert Woods Dumas
Sr., and others.
Themes include such topics as Reconstruction era leadership,
African American political history, Natchez writers and authors, music legends,
cultural contributors, educational trailblazers, and local “firsts” in
leadership.
Each tour concludes with a Southern soul food experience
inspired by traditions of the late 1800s and early 1900s.
The house was built in the late Queen Anne style between
1901 and 1904, according to Mimi Miller, executive director emerita of the
Historic Natchez Foundation.
Brittany purchased the house from Alvin Garrison, mayor
of Ferriday. It was previously owned by Frederick
David Todd, whose father, Dr. J.R. Todd Jr., was a respected community leader
and historian known for his contributions to healthcare and civil rights.
Tours are available Friday through Monday from 11 a.m. to
2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is $55 for adults and $25 for children
ages six and older.
Group tours are available by reservation with a minimum
of 12 people.
For more information, call 601-334-4104.
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