Alvin Shelby: Mentor of 'Genius'

He teaches music and inspires lives

Alvin Shelby is an acclaimed educator, mentor, and minister of music. (Click on image to enlarge.)

This article profiles Alvin Shelby, a longtime Natchez music educator and mentor whose influence helped shape the career of acclaimed singer, composer, and playwright Heather Christian. It also highlights Shelby’s contributions to music education and his recognition with a 2027 Mississippi Governor’s Arts Award for lifetime achievement.

Download the article here: 
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/417152684_Alvin_Shelby_-_Mentor_of_'Genius'

Jeff Mansell to explore U.S. Colored Troops' ties to Forks of the Road

Presentation hosted by the Natchez Historical Society will feature readings from pension files by local residents

By Roscoe Barnes III
Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
Oct 30, 2026 | 2:46 PM

Jeff Mansell, acting chief of Interpretation and Cultural Resource Management at Natchez National Historical Park. (Click on image to enlarge.)

NATCHEZ, Miss. – When Jeff Mansell embarked on a research journey in 2024 to learn more about the U.S. Colored Troops, he wanted to determine their connection to Natchez when they were enslaved.

“We had hoped that in their pension applications, veterans or their widows would mention the Forks of the Road, and they did,” Mansell recalled.
 
The records revealed not only their ties to Natchez but evocative accounts of their lives before and after gaining freedom.
 
Mansell is the acting chief of Interpretation and Cultural Resource Management at Natchez National Historical Park. He will discuss the pension records of the veterans of the U.S. Colored Troops at the meeting of the Natchez Historical Society on Tuesday, November 10, at the Historic Natchez Foundation, 108 South Commerce Street. His presentation will include “heart-wrenching stories that form the basis of the Park Service's interpretation at the Forks of the Road,” Mansell said.
 
The meeting is free and open to the public. A social will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by Mansell's presentation at 6 p.m.
 
‘RECORDS OF RESILIENCE’
 
Mansell’s lecture is titled, “Records of Resilience: U.S. Colored Troops and the Forks of the Road.”
 
“’Records of Resilience’ is the title that we've given to the pension applications from members of the various regiments of U.S. Colored Troops raised in the Natchez District after the arrival of Federal Troops on July 13, 1863,” Mansell said.
 
He noted the pension records provide “amazing information” about the lives of the formerly enslaved people, during enslavement, post-Civil War, and Reconstruction. 
 
“Many affidavits specifically mention that the veteran or his widow was trafficked at the Forks of the Road,” he said. “The information gleaned from these files will lay the foundation for our interpretation at the Forks of the Road, the second largest market of enslaved people in the Deep South.” 
 
Mansell’s presentation will include a PowerPoint and readings from pension files by local residents. The records contain stories that are “compelling and heartbreaking,” he said, adding he was surprised to discover that he and his team were the first researchers to examine the files since they were originally submitted. He said there is a great wealth of genealogical material found in each record. 
 
REMARKABLE STORIES
 
The pension applications are housed at the National Archives and Records Administration. An intern assigned by Mansell and his staff spent 10 weeks scanning the contents of over 140 pension files.
 
“We focused on the veterans of the 58th U.S. Colored Infantry (USCT) because they were encamped at the Forks of the Road and we knew they were responsible for building Fort McPherson,” Mansell said. 
 
He noted the research shows that each of the pension records tells a remarkable story and the particular struggles that African Americans faced when applying for a pension.
 
“We need to remember, there were no birth certificates, no marriage records for these veterans or their widows. The lack of these documents made securing a pension particularly difficult,” he said. “They do indeed, reflect the resilience of African Americans in pursuing a well-deserved pension. One folder produced a tintype of the veteran, only the second 19th century image we have of a member of the 58th USCT.”
 
Mansell is uniquely qualified to discuss this topic. Over the years, he has delivered numerous lectures at the Natchez Historical Society meetings and programs hosted by the Historic Natchez Foundation, and the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
 
His academic credentials include a master of arts degree in history and historic preservation from Middle Tennessee State University. He also earned a bachelor’s degree in communications, a separate bachelor’s degree in history, and a master of education degree from Mississippi State University.
 
EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR
 
Mansell has worked at the park for 15 years. In 2017, he was honored as the National Park Service’s Employee of the Year for the Southeast Region for the Natchez History Minute Social Media Project. The project was created in 2016 for Natchez’s tricentennial celebration. It featured 366 historical stories written by Mansell and narrated by 366 different people.
 
In July 2026, during a local observance of Julyteenth, Mansell presented “When Freedom Came to Natchez” at Freedom Hall, the former home of a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, at the Forks of the Road Site.
 
He also spoke at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History’s “History Is Lunch” lecture series in February 2024. His presentation, “Enslavement to Enlistment: The 58th Infantry USCT,” was delivered in the Craig H. Neilsen Auditorium of the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson.
 
Mansell believes his November 10 lecture will help the audiences better understand the U.S. Colored Troops and their families.
 
“Each of the stories found in these records is worth telling,” he said. “This is the most important research the park has undertaken, and the stories found within these records need to be told.”
 

Natchez Historical Society and Dr. Robert Prospere to fund Fort Valeur historical marker

Proposed site is on Jefferson Davis Blvd. near the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians

By Roscoe Barnes III
Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
Oct 21, 2026 | 4:45 PM
 

The Natchez Historical Society and Dr. Robert Prospere have agreed to fund a state historical marker commemorating Fort Valeur on Jefferson Davis Boulevard. Lance Harris, executive director of Visit Natchez and former director of the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians, is pictured at the proposed marker site with Fran Trappey, secretary of the Natchez Historical Society. (Click on image to enlarge.)

NATCHEZ, Miss. — The Natchez Historical Society and Dr. Robert Prospere have agreed to contribute a combined $2,850 toward a state historical marker commemorating Fort Valeur, a wooden stockade associated with the 1729 Natchez uprising against French colonial rule.

The marker is planned for a site on Jefferson Boulevard near the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians. The Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) administers the state historical marker program and will review the application for the marker.

The proposed site for a state historical marker commemorating Fort Valeur is in the median on Jefferson Davis Boulevard, across from Camelot Apartments. The location is circled in red. Image source: Google Maps. (Click on image to enlarge.)

Following the November 1729 Natchez uprising, French colonial forces, aided by Indigenous allies, captured the Grand Village of the Natchez and used it as a base for military operations against Natchez people who had taken refuge in a wooden stockade known as Fort Valeur, according to historians.

The monthlong siege resulted in the release of hostages held by the Natchez as a result of a negotiated truce by Choctaw Chief Alibamon Mingo. The conflict ultimately led to the displacement of the Natchez people from their ancestral homeland in February 1730, historians note.

Today, homes and businesses cover the site of Fort Valeur, but in 1730, the area was a battlefield.

The Natchez Historical Society plans to contribute $2,350 toward the proposed marker, while Prospere, a retired dentist, will contribute $500.

“The Natchez Historical Society Board is honored to support this historical marker for Fort Valeur,” said Society President Virginia Benoist. “This is a significant Native American site in Natchez that would highlight an important chapter of the region’s history and offer an opportunity to enhance public understanding of our Native American heritage.”

The idea for the marker originated with Lance Harris, executive director of Visit Natchez and former director of the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians.

“I’m grateful to the Natchez Historical Society and Dr. Robert Prospere for helping bring this project to fruition. The story of Fort Valeur is an important but little-known part of the history of the Notchee people and the development of Natchez. This historical marker will help bring that history to light for local residents and visitors alike. I appreciate everyone whose contributions are helping us share this important part of our past.”

Mayor Dan M. Gibson expressed gratitude to the project’s supporters and highlighted the historical significance of the site.

“Natchez is a city with a rich, complex, and deep story, and every chapter deserves to be recognized,” he said. “Commemorating Fort Valeur allows us to honor our Native American heritage and provide residents and visitors with a more complete understanding of our city’s origins.”

According to Caleb Ellison, MDAH program manager, the application for the marker is scheduled for review by the agency’s board in January 2027. If approved, the marker would be manufactured by Sewah Studios in Ohio and could arrive in Natchez in about six months.

Home with Heroes ends operations

The nonprofit founded by the late G. Mark LaFrancis served veterans and their families

By Roscoe Barnes III
Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
Oct 20, 2026 | 4:36 PM

The late G. Mark LaFrancis, founder of the Home with Heroes Foundation, stands beside a cutout of Lt. Green at the Military Museum and Veterans Welcome Center in August 2023. The foundation operated the museum and welcome center, which closed in 2025. (Click on image to enlarge.)

NATCHEZ, Miss. – The Home with Heroes Foundation, a nonprofit founded in 2015 by the late G. Mark LaFrancis to help veterans and their families, has ended operations, Foundation President Robert Foley announced.

In an October 16 email, Foley informed his board members that the foundation had lost its 501(c)(3) designation and would no longer solicit or receive donations.
 
“The reason for this is because the State of Mississippi chose to send Mark an email instead of an official letter stating that our charter had to be re-registered,” Foley wrote. “As Mark was incapacitated with terminal cancer and ultimately passed away due to his illness, the request for recertification was not brought to our attention.”
 
The foundation’s remaining funds will be distributed to local charitable organizations, Foley wrote. He presented the following accounting of recent fundraising and donations:
 
* Over $5,000 was raised through the Wreaths Across America drive in December 2025.
 
* The foundation spent nearly $500 to host the 100th birthday celebration for U.S. Air Force veteran John “Captain Jack” Kerwin.
 
* In September 2026, the organization donated $2,500 to Sam Minor, the county veterans services officer, to purchase turkeys for the VFW Post 9573 turkey giveaway scheduled for November.
 
* This month, the foundation donated $1,500 to the local VFW Post 9573 to support a recruiting drive and an event the post hosted at the Natchez Balloon Festival.
 
After all checks have cleared, about $1,000 will be donated to the Stew Pot organization, Foley wrote.
 
“I did an unofficial survey over the past summer, and the numbers indicated to me that Stew Pot had the greatest reach to the largest number of Natchez veterans,” he said.
 
Foley closed his email by thanking the foundation’s board members and volunteers.
 
“I wanted to say that working with all of you at the clothing bank and the museum has been a highlight of my life,” he said. “I am truly grateful for all the time and effort that you have put into the Home with Heroes Foundation. I am proud of the work that we have done, and I will never forget my experience working with all of you. I am also sure that Mark would be as proud and honored for all of your efforts.”
 
LaFrancis, a U.S. Air Force veteran, died in June 2024 and is buried at Natchez National Cemetery. His wife, Eileen Mary Maher, died in August 2025, and is memorialized on the reverse side of his headstone.
 
LaFrancis founded Home with Heroes to help, honor, and serve veterans. The organization’s programs included the annual Wreaths Across America observance, outdoor veterans retreats, trips to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans and other military museums, Visit-A-Vet Project for veterans who could benefit from friendly visits, donations to veteran scholarships, and the collection of U.S. flags for retirement.
 
According to Ben Tucker, chairman of the Home with Heroes board, LaFrancis was a prolific fundraiser who helped veterans meet food and clothing needs through the organization’s charitable efforts.
 
For several years, LaFrancis also helped raise funds for the annual Wreaths Across America program. That service will now be provided by VFW Post 9573, according to Gabi Crousillac, the foundation’s vice president.
 
In 2018, Home with Heroes opened the Miss-Lou Military Museum and Veterans Welcome/Information Center in a room provided by VFW Post 9573 at 318 Sgt. Prentiss Drive. The museum later moved to 107 Jefferson Davis Blvd., where it celebrated its grand opening on November 12, 2023. It closed in June 2025.
 
Anyone who contributed items to the museum and would like them returned should contact Robert Foley at rcfoley@yahoo.com.

Courage in the Moment: George Metcalfe survived a bombing attempt, changed civil rights era in Natchez

I’m happy to share my latest article featured in Natchez Magazine (Fall 2026).

(Click on image to enlarge.)

This article examines the life of George Metcalfe (1911-1989), a prominent civil rights leader whose attempted assassination by the Ku Klux Klan helped catalyze a movement that transformed Natchez and Adams County, Mississippi. As president of the Natchez NAACP, he played a pivotal role in one of the most successful local civil rights campaigns in the state.

(Click on image to enlarge.)

The article explores his life, leadership, and lasting impact on the struggle for racial equality.

Publication: Natchez Magazine, Fall 2026 (pages 29-31)

(Click on image to enlarge.)

See the PDF version at this link:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/416409979_Courage_in_the_Moment_George_Metcalfe_survived_a_bombing_attempt_changed_civil_rights_era_in_Natchez

Enslavement in Early Mississippi: People, Labor, and Travel on the Mississippi River

Pictured from left: Brother Rogers, retired MDAH historian; Roscoe Barnes III of Visit Natchez; and Caleb Ellison, MDAH program manager. (Click on image to enlarge.)

I was happy to speak at the “Journey to Colonial Mississippi: An America250 Celebration” on October 1-3 at the Old Capitol Museum in Jackson, Mississippi. The event was hosted by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

My topic was “Enslavement in Early Mississippi: People, Labor, and Travel on the Mississippi River.”
 
See the full presentation at this link:
 
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/415738593_Enslavement_in_Early_Mississippi_People_Labor_and_Travel_on_the_Mississippi_River

ArtsNatchez’s October Artist of the Month rediscovers lifelong passion

After 45 years, Del Loy returns to the canvas
 
By Roscoe Barnes III
Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
Oct 6, 2026 | 12:37 PM

Artist Del Loy works on an oil painting in his studio. Loy's work blends elements of impressionism and realism. Photo courtesy of Del Loy. (Click on image to enlarge.)

NATCHEZ, Miss. -- Del Loy stopped painting in his early 20s to focus on his family and his career. Forty-five years later, he felt an urge he could not ignore: an unmistakable and unrelenting desire to pick up a brush and start painting again.
 
Since following that urge, he has found recognition and a ready audience for his work, while rediscovering a joy he once knew.
 
“A blank canvas invites me to explore,” Loy says. “While a sketch, photo reference, or live setting offers inspiring motifs, expressing emotion with pigment and texture is what drives my art.
 
“Whether building layers over time or getting it down all at once, painting is about interpreting the subject through composition and color. The goal is to inspire viewers to share my vision and enjoy the experience.”
 
Loy is ArtsNatchez Gallery's Artist of the Month for October. His paintings will be on display Saturday, October 10, at the gallery at 425 Main St., with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Refreshments will be served, and the event is open to the public.
 
Loy is an oil painter whose work blends elements of impressionism and realism. “I primarily do landscapes,” he says. “I do fine art. I enjoy doing Mississippi and Texas landscapes.”
 
Loy’s work as an impressionist is inspired in part by Claude Monet, whose image – and quotes – appear on the Del Loy Studio Facebook page.
 
On Saturday, visitors will see a selection of Loy’s work, including paintings of the Natchez Bluff with a steamboat in the background and various Mississippi landscapes. His centerpiece will be a large 36-by-52 painting of Stanton Hall, created specifically for this event.
 
Early career
 
Loy was born in Malvern, Arkansas, near Hot Springs. His family settled in Monroe, Louisiana, for a number of years before they moved to Natchez. Loy was in the 11th grade when he arrived in Natchez.
 
Loy says he grew up working in grocery stores. His father owned the Lewis’ Market chain, which grew from four stores in the Miss-Lou area to seven during his tenure.
 
After graduating from Natchez High School in 1971, Loy attended Gulf Coast Bible College in Texas, now Mid-America Christian University in Oklahoma City, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Christian ministry.
 
After completing his studies, Loy entered the ministry as a pastor. He served in California and Texas. He also engaged in church planting.
 
“I ministered for about 10 years and moved back to Natchez,” he says. “I went back to work for the family supermarket business and retired in 2020. Then I picked up my brushes again after 45 years.”
 
He and his wife Renae moved to Brookhaven five years ago to be near their son and family. Loy paints from his studio behind his home.   
 
Brown paper sacks
 
Loy is a self-taught artist who began drawing at an early age. “As a kid, I drew all the time on anything I could get my hands on,” Loy recalls. He recalls drawing on the backside of brown paper grocery bags. While in high school, he served as president of the art club.
 
Loy was 20 when he completed his first oil painting, and he still remembers the subject: a magnolia blossom. He next painted a portrait of his sister, Rhoda Gatson.
 
He painted for two or three years and then stopped.
 
“We started having kids and I put it aside. Family and career took over,” he says. But even then, he never lost interest in the arts. “When I was not painting, I was going to museums and reading books about art,” he says.
 
When asked what he likes most about painting, he says it comes from the soul.
 
“It’s something I should have done all my life. It’s something I feel compelled to do,” he says. “I spend 4 to 6 hours a day in my studio painting.”
 
Loy is a productive artist who skillfully juggles multiple projects at any given time. He explains how this is done in a note he shared on Facebook: “I work on up to five pieces at a time. While paint dries on one, I'll work on another.”
 
Awards and recognition
 
Since he returned to painting, Loy’s work has generated high praise. “The reaction from audiences has been quite good,” he says, noting he has sold several paintings since July and has sold many more through Facebook.
 
Loy is a member of the South Mississippi Art Association. In 2025, his entries in SMAA juried shows won two first place prizes in oil painting and in watercolor, one second place, and one honorable mention.
 
He held a solo exhibition of thirty-seven paintings at the Lucile Parker Galleria on the William Carey University campus in Hattiesburg in the fall of 2025 and will be the featured solo artist in Hattiesburg’s Festival South in 2027.
 
Loy says he’s pleased with his progress. Now in his early 70s, he hasn’t slowed down. In fact, his outlook may be summed up in a meme he posted on his Facebook page, which states, “Never underestimate an old man who still paints in his 70s.”
 
The quote makes Loy chuckle.
 
ArtsNatchez Gallery is open daily at 10 a.m. For more information, call 601-442-0043.