Natchez's Dr. John Banks House is featured on the Mississippi Encyclopedia's home page

 

(Click on image to enlarge.)

I was delighted to see my entry on the Dr. John Banks House featured on the home page of the Mississippi Encyclopedia.

See more at this link: https://mississippiencyclopedia.org/

How Prospect Hill owner helped shape Alcorn State University

Top of the Morning column published in The Natchez Democrat (Wednesday, February 18, 2026, page 4A) 

(Click on image to enlarge.)

Top of the Morning

 

How Prospect Hill owner helped shape Alcorn State University

 

By Roscoe Barnes III

The story of Prospect Hill Plantation is a piece of history that reads like a novel. It is a dramatic story with many twists and turns. It’s a story about slavery and freedom, but it’s also a story about education with ties to Alcorn State University.

It begins with Captain Isaac Ross (1760 – 1836), a planter and a veteran of the American Revolutionary War of South Carolina. When he came to the Mississippi Territory in 1808, he brought with him over 100 enslaved people as well as the freed Blacks who had fought with him in the military. A man of wealth, he bought thousands of acres of land in Jefferson County near Port Gibson and developed what became Prospect Hill Plantation.

Ross, according to some historical accounts, allowed some of the enslaved people to learn to read and write, even though such practice was unusual and illegal in Mississippi at the time.

Given his interest in educating those he enslaved, it is not surprising that he would invest in a college. In 1830, he used his wealth – becoming a major donor -- to support the founding of Oakland College, a private, white men’s-only school near Rodney that was affiliated with the Presbyterian denomination. Its mission, initially, was to prepare men for ministry.

Ross and other contributors were joined by the Rev. Jeremiah Chamberlain (1794 – 1851), who served as the school’s president from 1830 to 1851. Chamberlain was murdered in 1851 in front of his home at the college. He was killed by George Briscoe, a local planter, who beat him and stabbed him in his chest. Briscoe killed him reportedly because Chamberlain opposed slavery and did not support southern rights, according to historical accounts. Other accounts suggest he and the faculty had expelled a student for giving a pro-states' rights or pro-secession speech on campus.

When the Civil War broke out in 1861, the school began to struggle as its students and faculty joined the military to fight in the war. In 1862, the school closed, with the Union Army occupying its campus during the war.

In 1871, the state of Mississippi purchased the campus for the purpose of establishing a new educational institution. This marked the formal end of Oakland College as an entity.

The state reopened the school as Alcorn University. It was founded specifically to educate the descendants of formerly enslaved African Americans, making it the first Black land‑grant college in the United States. The school was named in honor of Mississippi State Governor James Lusk Alcorn (1816-1894).

In 1871, Hiram Rhodes Revels became the first president of the school. He took the position after becoming the first African American to serve in the U.S. Congress. Revels served as president until 1873. He was reappointed in 1876 and remained in the position until 1882.

In 1878, the school was named Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College, which reflected its new mission as a federally recognized land‑grant college. Alcorn A&M College remained the name until 1974, when Mississippi officially granted the institution university status and renamed it Alcorn State University. This change reflected its growth in academic offerings, infrastructure, and statewide significance.

When we talk about Prospect Hill and its connection to Alcorn, it’s important to confront the full picture. Slavery remains a dark and indelible chapter in Mississippi's history. The story of Isaac Ross and the Prospect Hill Plantation delivers hard facts and painful truths about that era.

The wealth extracted through the forced labor of enslaved people at Prospect Hill helped fund Oakland College, which, over time, became the site of a historically Black land-grant university.

That transformation, however, does not soften or erase the cruelty of slavery or the profound suffering endured at Prospect Hill. That reality remains painful and unchangeable.

 ---------------

ROSCOE BARNES III, Ph.D., is the cultural heritage tourism manager at Visit Natchez.

Black History Month program at Alcorn State University

I'm here with Marsha Belton, MLIS, Technical Service Director at the J.D. Boyd Library at Alcorn State University. (Click on image to enlarge.)

On Wednesday (2/11/2026), I had the pleasure of speaking at a Black History Month program at Alcorn State University. My topic was "Prospect Hill Plantation and Alcorn State University: Where History Shaped Higher Education." The man on the screen is Isaac Ross, the original owner of Prospect Hill Plantation.

(Click on image to enlarge.)

Natchez announces ‘Kick Back at NAPAC’ Black History program

By Roscoe Barnes III

Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
Feb 12, 2026 | 3:05 PM

The "Kick Back at NAPAC" program will be hosted by Rose Hill Missionary Baptist Church. (Click on image to enlarge.)

NATCHEZ, Miss. — This year’s Kick Back at NAPAC program will celebrate retired Black educators over the age of 80. The annual event, presented in recognition of Black History Month, will be held 5:30 p.m., Thursday, February 19, at Rose Hill Missionary Baptist Church at 607 Madison Street.

“Celebrating our Black Educators” is the theme for the program, which will be hosted by Rose Hill Missionary Baptist Church. It is free and open to the public.

NAPAC Executive Director Bobby Dennis said the program will include a panel discussion that he will moderate to highlight the contributions of the retired educators. The panelists will include Zandra McDonald, superintendent of the Natchez-Adams School District, and retired educators Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis, Thelma Newsome, Cleveland Watts, and Larry Jackson.

The Rev. LeRoy White, pastor of Rose Hill Missionary Baptist Church, will present opening remarks.

“Our educators have helped shape the history of our community. It will be a great opportunity to highlight those who during difficult times contributed so much,” he said.

The panel discussion will be followed by a presentation of an Angel Award to each of the senior retirees. The honorees include:

Estelle Banford, Melissa Bolden, Betty Bowser, Roland Bowser, Artis T. Simmons Butler, Camille Carter, Mildred Carter, Mildred Dunham, Lillian Clarke Edney, Nancy Green;

Renza Grennel, Pearl H. Groom, Leola Harris, Peggy Hickombottom, Larry Jackson, Bessie Jenkins, Joyce Johnson, Lillian Johnson, Wilbur Johnson, Marjorie Kinds;

Mable King, Fred Marsalis, Mildred Mitchell, Lorene Mock, Clara Pinkney, Laura Price, Bonita Reed, Evelyn Smith, Mary C. Smith, Mary Stanton;

Flora Terrell, Elnora Washington, Cleveland Watts, Jacqulyn Williams, Jenette Wilson, Willie “Bill” Woods, Willie “Coach” Woods, Clementine Youngblood, Eva Love, Jimmy Love, and Audrey Irving Dean.

The Kick Back at NAPAC program is supported by Walmart, Concordia Bank, Regions, and United Mississippi Bank.

For more information, call 601-445-0728.

See more at this link: https://listenupyall.com/2026/02/12/natchez-announces-kick-back-at-napac-black-history-program/

Natchez to dedicate second historical marker honoring Prince Abdul Rahman Ibrahima

Silver Street dedication marks the site where Prince Abdul Rahman Ibrahima arrived in Natchez enslaved and later departed as a free man.
 
Submitted Content
The Natchez Democrat
February 12, 2026

(Click on image to enlarge.)

NATCHEZ, Miss. — Natchez will soon dedicate the city’s second Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) historical marker honoring Prince Abdul Rahman Ibrahima (1762–1829), an African nobleman who was enslaved in the Natchez area for about 40 years before ultimately regaining his freedom.

The marker will be dedicated on April 8 during a public ceremony on Silver Street near the Under-the-Hill docks. The event is free and open to the public.

“I am so grateful for the continued progress we are making in better telling all of the great stories of Natchez,” said Dan Gibson, Mayor of Natchez. “The story of Prince Ibrahima is one of those remarkable stories that for many years has gone largely untold. But gradually many are learning this story. There are even books and documentaries on it — Prince Ibrahima is a big deal. His is a story of love overcoming hate and of courage overcoming fear. I am excited that this marker will soon grace our riverfront, and I encourage all lovers of freedom to learn more about this amazing man and his amazing story.”

The location was intentionally selected as the place where Ibrahima first arrived in Natchez as an enslaved man and later departed the city as a free man with his wife, Isabella. The dedication date marks April 8, 1828, the day the couple left Natchez following Ibrahima’s emancipation, creating what organizers describe as a powerful “full circle” moment in the city’s history.

Born into royalty in Futa Jallon in present-day Guinea, Ibrahima was a scholar and military leader before being captured in battle and sold into slavery. Transported to Mississippi, he spent decades enslaved before an international campaign involving the U.S. government and global advocates led to his release and return to freedom.

The new marker builds on ongoing efforts to expand and deepen interpretation of African American history in Natchez through public history initiatives, education, and community-led storytelling. The dedication will complement February programming and look ahead to additional heritage initiatives planned for spring 2026.

“This marker allows us to more fully tell Prince Ibrahima’s story in the very place where his journey in Natchez began and ended,” said Dr. Roscoe Barnes III, cultural heritage tourism manager at Visit Natchez and president of the Mississippi Historical Society. “It is an important addition to how our city showcases its history and a meaningful step in how we recognize the people that shaped this city.”

Additional details about the dedication ceremony and related programming will be announced closer to the event.

See more at this link: https://www.natchezdemocrat.com/news/natchez-to-dedicate-second-historical-marker-honoring-prince-abdul-rahman-ibrahima-e8b00e0b

Natchez meeting on the Witness: The Freedom Memory Project

 

(Click on image to enlarge.)

Our committee recently held a highly productive meeting with John Travis Spann and Mimi Bishop of the Mississippi Humanities Council. We're working on an exciting history project for Natchez.

-------

Mississippi Humanities Council:

MHC's Witness: The Freedom Memory Project is taking off, and our staff have been traveling around the state to promote the program. The deadline for our 2026 cohort is March 1, so apply today!

To learn more about Witness and how MHC can help your community create new sites of memory that preserve and share the local history of the Civil Rights Movement and the broader struggle for freedom in Mississippi, visit 

https://www.mshumanities.org/program/witness-the-freedom-memory-project/

Visit Natchez Announces Black History Month Programming for February 2026

ListenUpYall.com/Natchez, MS USA
Jan 29, 2026 | 12:57 PM

The Dr. John Bowman Banks Museum, which is commonly called The Dr. John Banks House, was the home of Natchez's first Black physician. The home was also the headquarters of the Natchez branch of the NAACP during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. It is located at 9 St. Catherine St. In 2023, the property became the site of the city's first Freedom Trail marker. (Click on image to enlarge.)

NATCHEZ, Miss. — Natchez, Mississippi, one of the oldest continuous settlements along the Mississippi River, announces a diverse lineup of events, exhibits, tours, and cultural celebrations planned throughout February 2026 in observance of Black History Month.

“As a city deeply shaped by African American history and culture, Natchez is proud to offer meaningful programs that honor the people, stories, and legacies that continue to define our community,” said Roscoe Barnes III, cultural heritage & tourism manager at Visit Natchez. “From faith-based traditions and youth programming to immersive cultural showcases and historic sites, these events invite residents and visitors alike to engage with Black history in thoughtful and inspiring ways.”

In addition to February programming and looking ahead to spring 2026, Natchez will dedicate a new historical marker honoring Prince Abdul Rahman Ibrahima, an African nobleman enslaved in the Natchez area for more than 40 years before regaining his freedom. The marker will be dedicated April 8, 2026, with a ceremony from 10 a.m. to noon on Silver Street near the Under-the-Hill docks.

The location was intentionally selected as the area where Ibrahima first arrived in Natchez as an enslaved man and later departed the city as a free man with his wife, Isabella. The dedication date marks April 8, 1828, the day the couple left Natchez following Ibrahima’s emancipation, creating what organizers describe as a powerful “full circle” moment in the city’s history.

Zion Chapel’s Founder’s Day

Sunday, February 8, 2026, 9:30 a.m.

The public is invited to attend the annual Founder’s Day program at Zion Chapel A.M.E. Church, located at 28 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. in Natchez. Presenters from the congregation will share the history of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and its founder, the Reverend Richard Allen (1760–1831), who was born into slavery and later became the denomination’s first bishop. For more information, call Norma West at 601-807-0454.

“For My People: A Celebration of African American Culture through Literature”

Saturday, February 14, 2026, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

The NAACP Youth Council will host the second annual “For My People” celebration at the NAPAC Museum at 301 Main St. Designed for children ages four – 14, the program will feature storytelling, book readings, drawing activities, and interactive fun that highlights African American culture through literature. Donations are encouraged. Guests are invited to bring a friend and celebrate together. This program is organized by Angela B. Brooks. For more information, call 601-445-0728.

Greater St. James Baptist Church Annual Black History Program

Sunday, February 15, 2026, 3 p.m.

For more than two decades, Greater St. James Baptist Church has hosted annual Black History Month programs. The 2026 event will feature a guest speaker, music by the church choir, lessons on African American history, and refreshments. The program will be held at 549 Lower Woodville Road in Natchez and is free and open to the public. For more information, call Earline Kinnie at 601-392-9345 or Deacon Elbert Lyles at 601-597-9570, or email elbert.lyles@yahoo.com.

“Great Achievements in Education: Celebrating our Black Educators”

Thursday, February 19, 2026, 5:30 p.m.

The City of Natchez will host a Black History program that will celebrate education while honoring the retired Black educators over the age of 80. The program will be held at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, February 19, at the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture at 301 Main St. Mayor Dan Gibson said the program will include a panel discussion moderated by NAPAC Executive Director Bobby Dennis to highlight the contributions of the retired educators and share stories of inspiration. “Our educators have helped shape the history of our community. It will be a great opportunity to highlight those who during difficult times contributed so much.”

The panel discussion will be followed by a presentation of an Angel Award to each of the senior retirees. For more information, call 601-445-0728

Reign of Royalty: A Celebration of African Kings & Queens

Sunday, February 22, 2026, 3:30 p.m.

Pretty Girls with Brains, Inc. will present “Reign of Royalty: A Celebration of African Kings & Queens” at the historic Frazier Cultural Center. This immersive 75-minute cultural showcase celebrates Africa’s most influential rulers through dance, fashion, music, and traditional cuisine. The program highlights historic kingdoms including Mali, Egypt, Nubia, Ethiopia, and the Zulu Nation, offering audiences a vibrant exploration of the heritage that shaped the African diaspora. Families are encouraged to attend and wear African attire. For more information, contact Bettye Bell at 601-334-4104 or bcmbell@yahoo.com.

“Celebrating Black History: Honoring the Six Boys who attended the Steve Harvey Mentorship Camp”

Saturday, February 28, 2026, 3 p.m.

The public is invited to an exciting new program that celebrates the achievement of the boys who attended the Steve Harvey Mentorship Camp. The event is sponsored by Seeds of Change Resource Foundation. It will be held at the Natchez City Auditorium at 207 Jefferson Street. “It isn’t where you came from; it’s where you’re going that counts,” said Dr. Carolyn Myers, director of Seeds of Change. She calls on the public to “Come support these boys who made history.” This celebration is free. For more information, call 601-870-6343.

The Enslaved Journey by Rev’s Country Tours

Entire month of February 2026

In observance of Black History Month, Rev. Tracy A. Collins will offer cultural heritage tours throughout February focusing on the history of slavery and the path to freedom through the Civil Rights Movement in Natchez. Tours are available by request or appointment. For more information, visit www.revscountrytours.com.

Legacy of the Rhythm Night Club

Entire month of February 2026

The Rhythm Night Club Memorial Museum will offer tours throughout February highlighting the lives and legacies of African American club patrons affected by the tragic 1940 fire. In addition to these stories, visitors can view newly acquired artifacts, including an Acrosonic piano, vintage Coca-Cola memorabilia, and an original “Rhythm Nite Club” sign. Admission is half price during Black History Month. For more information, visit www.rnconsitemm.org.

New Vision Media Presents the 4th Annual Black History Art Exhibit

Entire month of February 2026

The 4th Annual Black History Student Art Exhibit will feature artwork by Natchez–Adams County students throughout February at the WTYJ Studio Lobby, located at 20 E. Franklin St in Natchez. Hosted by New Vision Media, the exhibit highlights African American lived experiences and contributions to history. The exhibition is free and open to the public. For more information, call Leon Hollins or Malcolm Inniss at 601-446-9911 or visit www.natchezradio.com.

Explore Natchez’s African American History Year-Round

Visitors are encouraged to explore Natchez’s historic sites, including the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture at 301 Main St., which tells the full story of African Americans in Natchez from slavery to the present. Guests can also visit the Dr. John Bowman Banks Museum, located at 9 St. Catherine St., a pivotal site in the local Civil Rights Movement and home to Natchez’s first Freedom Trail marker. In addition, visitors can view the site of Natchez’s first historical marker honoring Prince Ibrahima, unveiled in October 2025 near Historic Jefferson College. The marker commemorates Abdul Rahman Ibrahima, an African prince enslaved in the Natchez area for 40 years before gaining his freedom.

See more at this link:

https://listenupyall.com/2026/01/29/visit-natchez-announces-black-history-month-programming-for-february-2026/