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| Cierra Sherman, mistress of ceremony, and Roscoe Barnes III (Click on image to enlarge.) |
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| Pictured from left: Roscoe Barnes III, Ms. Shirley Swain, Ms. Nell Ward, and Deacon Samuel Booker. (Click on image to enlarge.) |
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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.
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ROSCOE BARNES III, Ph.D., is the cultural heritage tourism manager at Visit Natchez.
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| 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.
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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/
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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
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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/
Cierra Sherman, mistress of ceremony, and Roscoe Barnes III (Click on image to enlarge.) On Sunday, February 22, 2026, I had the honor of sp...
