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.
 

Untangling the birth date of Wharlest Jackson Sr.

Top of the Morning column published in The Natchez Democrat (Friday, October 2, 2026, page 4A) 
 

(Click on image to enlarge.)

Top of the Morning

 

Untangling the birth date of Wharlest Jackson Sr.

 

By Roscoe Barnes III

 

If you’ve done any reading or research on Wharlest Jackson Sr., the civil rights leader who died when his truck was bombed by the Ku Klux Klan on February 27, 1967, you have probably noticed different dates given for his birth. If you visit Minor Street at the site where his truck exploded, you’ll see a historical marker presenting 1937 as the year he was born.
 
Unfortunately, there’s quite a bit of conflicting information about the birth year of this important figure in Natchez’s civil rights history. This discrepancy is reflected not only on the marker, but also on his headstone and various websites.
 
In this column, I examine a discrepancy in the historical record concerning Jackson's date of birth and the information currently displayed on the historical marker honoring him.
 
Here are the different dates:
 
* The historical marker on Minor Street lists his birth year as 1937.
 
* The Find a Grave page lists his birth year as 1929.
 
 * His headstone at Natchez National Cemetery lists his birth year as 1930.
 
* The Veterans Legacy Memorial page also lists 1930.
 
In September 2025, I discussed these conflicting dates by phone with Denise Jackson Ford, Jackson’s daughter. She told me that her father’s birth certificate lists his year of birth as 1929, while his death certificate lists 1930.
 
According to Ford, his actual birthday was December 7, 1929, based on the birth certificate. Ford also explained the discrepancy on the historical marker on Minor Street. She said that 1937 was the birth year of her mother, Exerlena, and that it was mistakenly placed on the marker as Wharlest’s birth year.
 
If Wharlest was born on December 7, 1929, then he was 37 years old when he was killed on February 27, 1967, and not 36, as reported in some accounts.
 
Surprisingly, a number of highly respected sources continue to report that Jackson was 36 years of age when he died. One example appears in PBS Frontline's American Reckoning project. An article accompanying the documentary describes Jackson as a "36-year-old Korean War veteran and father of five." Another example appears in the 2015 Guardian article, “Families' wounds stay open as decades-old racist killings are left unsolved.” The article states: “Wharlest Jackson Sr died at 36 when a bomb went off under his car in 1967. His family is one of dozens still fighting for justice after tragedy.”
 
The age of 37 is also supported by the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. In an overview of the case, the department describes Wharlest as a 37-year-old African American man who had recently been promoted to a new position at Armstrong Tire and Rubber Company. The department notes that the bombing occurred around 8 p.m. on February 27, 1967.
 
Wharlest had left the plant after working overtime on his day shift and had driven about six blocks when his pickup truck exploded. The FBI believes the bomb or other explosive device had been placed under the driver’s seat area outside the truck frame, according to the Justice Department.
 
The birth certificate information provided by Wharlest’s daughter, combined with the Justice Department’s account of the case, provides strong evidence that Wharlest Jackson Sr. was born on December 7, 1929.

--------------

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

Dread and Dreams: The Mississippi River and the Journey of Prince Ibrahima

(Click on image to enlarge.)

I was honored to speak about Prince Ibrahima at the Pilgrimage Garden Club Symposium held Saturday, September 26, 2026, at The Carriage House in Natchez, Mississippi. The program was held in memory of James McHenry Wade, curator of Longwood. Its theme was “The People, River, and History that Shaped Natchez.”

My presentation examines the Mississippi River as both a passage into bondage and a pathway toward freedom in the remarkable life of Prince Ibrahima, the West African Muslim prince who spent 40 years enslaved on a plantation near Natchez. His story reveals the river’s complex and often contradictory role, as a force that carried enslaved people into captivity and later became part of his journey toward liberation.

See the full presentation at this link:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/414916514_Dread_and_Dreams_The_Mississippi_River_and_the_Journey_of_Prince_Ibrahima

(Click on image to enlarge.)

Wonderful time at 2nd Annual Pilgrimage Garden Club Symposium in Natchez, Miss.

Pictured here, from left, are Roscoe Barnes III, cultural heritage tourism manager at Visit Natchez; Becky Anderson, educator and historian at the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians; Dr. Maurice Nutt; and Dr. Terrel Williams, president of the Pilgrimage Garden Club. Anderson also spoke at the symposium. (Click on image to enlarge.)

On Saturday, September 26, 2026, I had the privilege of speaking at the Pilgrimage Garden Club Symposium, held in memory of the late James McHenry Wade. The theme was “The People, River, and History that Shaped Natchez.”

I was especially honored to meet Rev. Dr. Maurice J. Nutt, a Catholic priest and the great-great-grandson of Haller and Julia Nutt of Longwood.

It was a wonderful afternoon of sharing stories about the people and history that have helped shape Natchez.

Civil War slave trade topic of Tuesday meeting

Top of the Morning column published in The Natchez Democrat (Sunday, September 20, 2026, page 4A) 

(Click on image to enlarge.)

Top of the Morning

Civil War slave trade topic of Tuesday meeting

By Roscoe Barnes III

As the Civil War drew to a close, the trafficking of enslaved people continued.

Despite the many twists and turns of the American economy and changing landscape of cotton and the political upheaval across the country during the Civil War, human trafficking through the domestic slave trade continued right up to the end of the war.

To better understand the impact of chattel slavery, and the people caught up in the system, including the enslaved and the enslavers, Dr. Robert K.D. Colby has written a book that sheds new light on the subject.

Titled, “An Unholy Traffic: Slave Trading in the Civil War South” (Oxford University Press, 2024), the book explores the survival of the domestic slave trade during the Civil War. Colby uses wartime slave commerce to examine the endurance of Confederate nationalism, economic and social life during the war, and the contested onset of African American freedom.

Colby will discuss these issues – and others -- at the Tuesday, September 22, meeting of the Natchez Historical Society. The meeting will begin with a social at 5:30 p.m. and Colby’s presentation at 6 p.m. at the Historic Natchez Foundation at 108 S. Commerce St.

The event, part of the Grace MacNeil Lecture Program, is free and open to the public.

“An Unholy Traffic” is Colby’s first book, and it is especially relevant to Natchez because of the city’s history with the Forks of the Road, which was the second largest slave market in the Deep South during the antebellum period, as well as the role that the Mississippi River played in the domestic slave trade.

Natchez’s antebellum wealth was closely tied to the system of chattel slavery, making the city an important place from which to consider the larger story Colby tells.

The remarkable story of Prince Abdul Rahman Ibrahima may also come to mind when discussing the slave trade in Natchez. Ibrahima, a Muslim prince from West Africa, spent 40 years enslaved by Thomas Foster Sr. in the Natchez area before gaining his freedom in 1828.

Colby is associate director of the Center for Civil War Research and assistant professor of history in the Department of History at the University of Mississippi. Before taking this position at Ole Miss, he was a postdoctoral fellow in the Center for American Studies at Christopher Newport University.

Colby is a native of Virginia. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Colby’s book has been recognized as a significant contribution to the study of American history during the Civil War. It won the John L. Nau Book Prize from the Nau Center for Civil War History at UVA and also received the Nonfiction Award from the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters.

“An Unholy Traffic” makes a powerful argument that suggests the slave trade provided a way for Confederates to keep their armies in the field.

Caroline E. Janney, author of “Ends of War: The Unfinished Fight of Lee's Army after Appomattox,” notes that Colby’s book presents a story that is centered on the persistence of the slave trade during the Civil War.

“Never believing that their cornerstone institution might be imperiled, both individual enslavers and the Confederate state continued to buy and sell the flesh of men and women up to and sometimes after the moment of defeat,” Janney writes. “This is essential reading for anyone wanting to understand both the grip slaveholding held on Confederacy and vice versa.”

For Natchez residents, Colby's work offers more than a study of the Civil War era. It provides a deeper understanding of how slavery continued to shape lives, economies and communities even as the Confederacy neared collapse, making his upcoming presentation particularly relevant to a city whose history is deeply intertwined with that story.

--------------

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

Jim Abbott, 'Paper Man,' and My Start in Journalism

A 1984 summer job at The Enterprise-Tocsin gave me my start as a news reporter and led to an unexpected mention in my former editor's memoir.

I'm pictured with David Rushing, center, and Jim Abbott. (Click on image to enlarge.)

I drove up to my hometown of Indianola on Wednesday, September 9, to see my friend Jim Abbott and celebrate the publication of his memoir, "Paper Man: Chasing the Truth in the Mississippi Delta" (2026, Nautilus Publishing), at the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center. About 70 people attended the event, where Abbott was interviewed and reflected on his career in journalism in the Mississippi Delta.

 
Abbott is the former editor and publisher of The Enterprise-Tocsin. When he hired me as a reporter in 1984, he gave me my first job in journalism. I last saw him in the 1990s, so I was absolutely excited to see him again Wednesday. He is now 82.
 
I was also happy to see David Rushing, who was managing editor at the E-T. He and Jim took me under their wings and showed me the ropes of community journalism in general and investigative reporting in particular. I will always be grateful to these two men who gave me my start in journalism.
 
I was especially surprised — and honored — to discover that Jim mentions me in his book. He writes about the investigative stories I reported for the E-T during the summer of 1984, including the stories that earned a first-place award in investigative journalism from the Mississippi Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest.
 
Jim’s account brought back some wonderful memories of my first summer as a newspaper reporter.

The page from "Paper Man" in which Jim writes about my first summer at The Enterprise-Tocsin. (Click on image to enlarge.)

Katherine Parker finds beauty from above

ArtsNatchez's September Artist of the Month to exhibit her aerial photography

by Mississippi Monitor | Sep 8, 2026 | Capital/River
By Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D., Visit Natchez 

Photographer Katherine De'Na Parker, ArtsNatchez's Artist of the Month for September, poses with her aerial photograph of Longwood, one of her favorite pieces in the September 12 exhibit. (Click on image to enlarge.)

NATCHEZ, Miss. -- Katherine De’Na Parker has had a camera in her hands for as long as she can remember.
Born in New Orleans, she grew up in Slidell, Louisiana, and later Ellisville, Mississippi.
 
"My first camera was one of those little film point-and-shoot cameras we had in the 1980s," she recalls. "My mother was constantly telling me, 'Don't open that! You're going to expose the film!' Of course, I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. I just wanted to know what was inside."
 
Since then, Parker has become a professional photographer known throughout Natchez for her bright smile, creative flair, and keen eye. She moves strategically from place to place at special events, photographing scenes and capturing portraits of individuals, families and groups.
 
When she's not taking photographs professionally, she uses her camera to create art.
 
Parker is ArtsNatchez Gallery's Artist of the Month for September. Her photography will be on display Saturday, September 12, at the gallery at 425 Main St. She will greet visitors during a free reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Refreshments will be served, and the event is open to the public.
 
‘Still in awe’
 
Parker says she was honored to be recognized for her photography, and she is still in awe. "There are so many extraordinarily talented artists associated with ArtsNatchez, and I am still very new to seeing myself as this kind of artist," she says.
 
Photography came naturally to her before she realized it could also become her art.
 
"To have ArtsNatchez recognize me as its September Artist of the Month, especially at this stage of that journey, is incredibly meaningful,” she says. "I am thankful to ArtsNatchez for giving me the opportunity to share work that, until now, largely existed inside my camera and my archives."
 
Although known for her work in public relations and studio photography, Parker says her specialty is aerial photography and capturing people, places and things in their most natural environments. She enjoys shooting images that depict movement while presenting candid storytelling about her subjects.
 
Most of the work represented in the ArtsNatchez exhibit comes from moments when she was either in a hot air balloon, an aircraft or on the river. “I love being in hot air balloons, helicopters, boats or aircraft and photographing the world while I am moving through it” she says. “There is nothing quite like it. People have actually asked whether some of my aerial photographs were taken with a drone. I tell them, ‘No. That was me trying not to drop my Canon out of a hot air balloon.’”

Her exhibit
 
Parker’s upcoming exhibit is titled “Reflections and Movement,” which aptly describes her body of work, some of which is already on display at ArtsNatchez. 
Much of the collection consists of aerial photography featuring architecture, wildlife, the Mississippi River and iconic Natchez landmarks. Among the featured works is an aerial view of Longwood, along with images of hot air balloons and their reflections.
 
Two of these pieces are titled "Reflection From My Balloon." They are different sizes, but they come from the same extraordinary experience, Parker says.
 
“My pilot was able to steady our balloon over a body of water long enough for me to photograph the reflection of our own hot air balloon below us,” she recalls. “You can see the balloon reflected in the water, but you can also see what appears to be the grass beneath the water. It gives the photograph an almost three-dimensional quality.”
 
Other photographs on display include inverted balloons. One of her favorites is the aerial photograph of Longwood, which allows one to see the top and sides of the structure and parts of the surrounding property.
 
“You can also see areas associated with the people who were enslaved there, and that part is difficult for me emotionally,” Parker says. “Longwood is beautiful architecture, but it is also history. History is not always comfortable. That property has stories within it that are beautiful, painful, complicated and important.”
 
Her inspiration
 
Parker was inspired by her mother to become a photographer. She says her mother pursued many creative endeavors over the years, including photography and modeling.
Parker began shooting professionally more than a decade ago while attending college. Her credentials include an associate degree in journalism from Jones County Junior College and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Southern Mississippi. She also completed graduate courses in corporate communications at Mississippi College.
 
In Parker’s view, a photograph is a tiny piece of history, and that’s one of the things she likes about her work – and her art. As a photographer, you capture a moment that will never happen exactly that way again, she says.
 
When it comes to cameras, Parker describes herself as a “Canon girl.” Her primary camera is a Canon EOS R mirrorless camera. Thanks to this camera, and the talent behind it, her work continues to grab attention while generating compliments.
 
“I am still getting used to people's reactions,” she says. “I have heard people describe my work as phenomenal and beautiful. I have found myself thinking, 'They're talking about my photograph. Mine? Wow, God. Just, wow!' That still blows me away.”
 
ArtsNatchez Gallery is open daily at 10 a.m. For more information, call 601-442-0043.

Natchez honors civil rights leader George Metcalfe

This historic event was held on the 61st anniversary of the bombing of George Metcalfe’s car by the Ku Klux Klan at the very site where the bombing occurred.

By Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D., Visit Natchez

by Mississippi Monitor | Sep 3, 2026 | Capital/River

This marker, approved by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, was dedicated by the City of Natchez on August 27, 2026, the 61st anniversary of the Ku Klux Klan bombing of George Metcalfe's car. (Click on image to enlarge.)

 
NATCHEZ, Miss. -- The City of Natchez recently unveiled a historical marker honoring the life and legacy of civil rights leader George Metcalfe (1911-1989), whose car was bombed by the Ku Klux Klan on August 27, 1965. Metcalfe survived the attack but suffered severe injuries. No one was ever charged in connection with the bombing.

Metcalfe was president of the Natchez NAACP and a leading advocate for civil rights and economic opportunity. He led a voter registration drive that added over 8,000 Black residents to the local rolls. His activism made him a target of white supremacist violence during one of the most turbulent periods in Mississippi's civil rights struggle.
 
"Mr. George Metcalfe and many others sacrificed so much for our freedom," said Mayor Dan Gibson. "The best way we can honor them is by moving forward together, setting aside old divisions, and making sure our community is built on kindness and understanding."
 
About 60 people attended the ceremony on Thursday, August 27, 2026 – the 61st anniversary of the bombing. They gathered at the site of the bombing at the intersection of Kelly Avenue, Brenham Avenue, and South Concord Avenue, on the west side of the former Armstrong Tire and Rubber Company.

Metcalfe was employed at the Armstrong plant and had just gotten off work when he sat in his 1955 Chevrolet sedan. When he turned the ignition, a bomb planted inside the vehicle by members of the Klan exploded.

Community members pose beside a Mississippi historical marker honoring civil rights leader George Metcalfe at the site of the August 27, 1965, bombing that nearly claimed his life. The marker, approved by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, stands near the former Armstrong Tire and Rubber Company in Natchez. Photo by Albert L. Jones (Click on image to enlarge.)

The marker, approved by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, is posted in the triangle near the location where Metcalfe’s car was parked when the explosion occurred.
 
The ceremony drew people from across the Natchez community, including elected officials, educators, military veterans, and church leaders. Speakers included Alderman Billy Joe Frazier and Mississippi State Rep. Robert L. Johnson III. The Rev. Neddie Winters, former president of Mission Mississippi, served as the keynote speaker.
 
Stories and reflections
 
The audience heard stories and reflections from those who knew Metcalfe personally, as well as from individuals who recognize the significance of his contributions to the Civil Rights Movement in Natchez and beyond.
 
Gibson and Winters discussed Metcalfe’s legacy and emphasized the power of love when facing hate.

“My prayer today is that this will be a day of healing and a day of reconciliation,” said Gibson. “Becoming reconciled not only to the challenges we face in today’s world, but also to those things from the past that happened beyond any of our own ability to control.”
 

The Rev. Neddie Winters delivers the keynote address during a ceremony honoring civil rights leader George Metcalfe. Photo by Albert L. Jones (Click on image to enlarge.)

Winters expressed his admiration for Metcalfe and the courage he demonstrated in his civil rights activities. “George recognized the moment and the opportunity he had to do something, and he had the courage in that moment to do what he could do with what he had,” Winters said. “He looked at his circumstances. He looked around, and in that moment he seized it.”

 
Frazier said it was a shame that Metcalfe, a World War II veteran, had served his country and came home where he was nearly killed. “He was in the war and didn’t get so much as a scratch on him,” he said. But he came home to fight for freedom that was denied because of the color of his skin, he added.
 
In Johnson’s view, the Klansmen did not plant the bomb in Metcalfe’s car merely because he was Black. “They stuck a bomb under it because Metcalfe and Wharlest Jackson Sr. took positions and money that they thought that an African American person should not have.”
 
Array of speakers
 
The program, which lasted just over an hour, featured an array of speakers that included Frances Bailey and Paul Bacon, eyewitnesses to the bombing; Jeremy Houston, author and local historian; Denise Jackson Ford, daughter of slain civil rights leader Wharlest Jackson Sr., and Wharlest Jackson Jr., his son; Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis, president of the Natchez NAACP; and Bobby Dennis, director of the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture.
 
Houston was in the Marines when he read Jack E. Davis’ book, “Race Against Time,” and saw the stories about Metcalfe and other leaders in the Natchez movement. When he completed his military service and returned home, he began meeting with the leaders who were still around to learn more about Metcalfe and the civil rights history.
 
“I really appreciate George Metcalfe,” Houston said. “I wouldn’t be who I am, and I wouldn’t be able to stand up before a lot of people who I stood up before without him and Wharlest Jackson.”
 
Arceneaux-Mathis acknowledged the contributions of Metcalfe and others in the movement and urged the audience to keep fighting and voting. She said the NAACP is striving to add 16,000 people to the voting rolls.
 
Bailey and Bacon, who were teenagers at the time of the attack, described in detail Metcalfe’s suffering after the explosion. Both said he was conscious and calling for help.
 
‘Plea for help’
 
“This day will forever be with me,” said Bailey. “The memories of the pain of this man and his plea for help.”
 
Denise Jackson Ford said she was grateful that her father became an instrument in helping Metcalfe form the NAACP here along with others, including her mother, the late Exerlena Jackson. “My dad did not sacrifice his life for 17 cents raise here at Armstrong Tire and Rubber Company,” she said. “He sacrificed his life because he had a family with five children and didn’t want my mother to work because of her illness.”
 
Her brother, Wharlest Jackson Jr., expressed fond memories of Metcalfe. “George Metcalfe was like a dad to me,” he said.
 
Dennis grew up during the time of the bombing. “Now I can recognize some of the lessons that have driven me in my life in growing up through the sacrifices that this man made,” he said.

Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson delivers opening remarks during a ceremony honoring civil rights leader George Metcalfe. Photo by Albert L. Jones (Click on image to enlarge.)

Other participants in the ceremony included the Rev. Dr. Chad Caldwell, associate pastor of First Presbyterian Church Natchez, who delivered the invocation, and the Rev. Clifton Marvel Sr., pastor of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church, who gave the benediction. Tony Fields, minister of music at Zion Chapel A.M.E. Church, sang the national anthem. Dr. Roscoe Barnes III, cultural heritage tourism manager at Visit Natchez and immediate past president of the Mississippi Historical Society, served as the master of ceremonies.

 
 

George Metcalfe: May he never be forgotten.

 

(Click on image to enlarge.)

KNOE 8 News coverage of ceremony honoring George Metcalfe

Reporter Shahid Evans, left, and Dr. Roscoe Barnes III
(Click on image to enlarge.)

Reporter Shahid Evans of KNOE 8 News provided excellent coverage of our ceremony honoring civil rights leader George Metcalfe on August 27, 2026. The ceremony was held at the site where Metcalfe’s car was bombed by the Ku Klux Klan on August 27, 1965, outside the former Armstrong Tire and Rubber Company in Natchez.

Click here to see Evans' reel on Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1DbgD2jQ6G/

Civil rights leader George Metcalfe honored

 

(Click on image to enlarge.)

On Thursday, August 27, 2026, we honored George Metcalfe at the site where his car was bombed by the Ku Klux Klan on August 27, 1965. He survived the attack but suffered severe injuries. No one was ever charged with the crime. This marker is posted on the west side of the old Armstrong Tire and Rubber Company in the triangle at the intersection of Kelly Avenue, Brenham Avenue, and South Concord Avenue, in Natchez, Mississippi.

Pilgrimage Garden Club to host symposium on Pre-Civil War Natchez history

Presentations will explore cotton and the Mississippi River, followed by dedication of new Enslaved Quarters Exhibit at Longwood

By Roscoe Barnes III
Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
Aug 24, 2026 | 12:11 PM

Terrel Williams, M.D., president of the Pilgrimage Garden Club, announces plans for the James Wade Memorial Symposium slated for September 26 at the Carriage House. (Click on image to enlarge.)

 

NATCHEZ, Miss. -- The Pilgrimage Garden Club will host an afternoon symposium Saturday, September 26, examining the impact of the Mississippi River, cotton, and key events that shaped Natchez before the Civil War.

Held in memory of the late James McHenry Wade, former curator of Longwood, the program is titled “The People, River, and History that Shaped Natchez.” It runs from 2 to 5 p.m. at The Carriage House on the grounds of Historic Stanton Hall at 410 N. Commerce St. Admission is $25.
 
Following the symposium, a dedication ceremony will be held at Longwood at 140 Lower Woodville Road for the new Enslaved Quarters exhibit, located in the property’s historic dependency building. Admission is free.
 
Dr. Terrel Williams, president of the Pilgrimage Garden Club, said the exhibit will highlight the history of the enslaved families who lived and worked at Longwood and explore how dependency buildings – historically known as slave quarters – can provide invaluable insight into their daily experiences.
 
The symposium will focus on the explorations of La Salle, the transformation of the cotton industry following Eli Whitney’s invention of the cotton gin, and the importance of preserving these stories and historic resources for future generations.
 
The symposium brochure highlights the significance of the Mississippi River, stating it has long shaped the history of Natchez, serving as a vital source of settlement, commerce, and conflict.
 
 “This program explores how the river fueled the cotton economy and plantation system while profoundly influencing the lives of the enslaved people whose labor sustained it,” the brochure notes.
 
The publication states that through these interconnected stories, attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the region’s complex history and the ongoing efforts to preserve and interpret these narratives.
 
“Together, these topics offer a deeper understanding of the history, culture, and legacy of Natchez and the lower Mississippi River Valley,” said Williams.
 
In addition to Williams, who will serve as emcee, the symposium will feature presentations by six speakers:
 
* Stephen Perkins, author and co-founder of ForrestPerkins in Washington, D.C., will discuss “The Discovery of the Mississippi River by Rene’-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle.”
 
* Becky Anderson, educator and historian at the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians, will discuss “Natchez Indians on the Bluff of the Mississippi River.”
 
* Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D., cultural heritage tourism manager at Visit Natchez, will discuss “Dread and Dreams: The Mississippi River and the Journey of Prince Ibrahima.”
 
* Lynette Tanner, owner of Frogmore Plantation, will discuss “Cotton: White Gold on the River.”
 
* Carter Burns, executive director of the Historic Natchez Foundation, will discuss “Plantation Dependencies and Longwood.”
 
* Douglas Lanfear, Longwood docent and former staff member at Rosalie, will discuss “Longwood Dependency: From History to Interpretation.”
 
Williams will deliver the symposium's welcome, opening remarks, and closing remarks.
 
Tickets to the symposium can be purchased at NatchezPilgrimage.com or by calling Natchez Pilgrimage Tours at 601-653-0919.
 
In 2025, the Pilgrimage Garden Club held its first James Wade Memorial Symposium, which focused on Longwood and the donated ostrich eggs that Dr. Rush Nutt and his eldest son, Rittenhouse Nutt, used to smuggle Egyptian cotton seeds out of Egypt.

ArtsNatchez donates $500 in art supplies to local classrooms

By Roscoe Barnes III
Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
Aug 21, 2026 | 1:01 PM

ArtsNatchez Gallery recently donated $500 worth of art supplies to two classrooms in the Miss-Lou area. Posing with the donated supplies, from left, are Judy Uzzetta, Armand Saiia, Katherine Parker, Connie Burns, art teacher Wilshonda Johnson, Joe Johnson, art teacher Amanda Coley, Sheri Perry-Brown, Michelle Bryant, and Carolyn Weir. (Click on image to enlarge.)

NATCHEZ, Miss. -- ArtsNatchez Gallery recently donated $500 worth of art supplies to two first-year art teachers and their classrooms in Natchez and Vidalia.

The supplies were presented at the gallery to Amanda Coley, an art teacher at Vidalia High School, and Wilshonda Johnson, an art teacher at Natchez Middle School.
 
Both teachers said they were grateful to ArtsNatchez and look forward to sharing the supplies with their students.

“This donation means the difference between actually teaching students to create art like artists and just teaching art theory with no hands-on experience,” said Coley. “This donation means that students can immerse themselves in the creative process while learning to utilize different mediums.” 

Johnson expressed her gratitude for the gift and the impact it would have on her classroom. She said the supplies will provide her students with opportunities and creative ways to express themselves.
 
“Your generosity gives my students the tools to explore, experiment, and express their artistic voices with confidence and joy,” Johnson said. “I’m truly grateful — your support doesn’t just supply our classroom, it fuels every bold, brilliant masterpiece they’re ready to create.”
 
The donated items include drawing paper, mixed media paper, and watercolor paper, along with chalk pastels, drawing pencils, colored pencils, canvases, and acrylic paint. The teachers also received pens, erasers, sharpeners, and watercolor for the middle school classroom.
 
“The students are going to love it,” said Johnson, flashing a big smile. “They ask every day, ‘When are we going to paint?’”
 
ArtsNatchez member Carolyn Weir said the donation reflects how the generosity of local artists can become something tangible for two area classrooms to help the students prepare for the new school year.
 
“Both teachers had recently reached out to the community through Facebook, asking for help stocking their new art classrooms,” Weir said. “Like many public-school art teachers, they face the challenge of creating meaningful art experiences for their students with very limited classroom supplies and often must purchase materials themselves or rely on donations.”
 
Thankfully, said Weir, ArtsNatchez was in a position to help because of a fundraiser that began two years earlier. She noted the nonprofit organization hosted a special event in 2024 during which proceeds from donated artwork sold at the event were earmarked specifically for providing art supplies to local students.
 
The gallery held those funds until it found the right opportunity to put them to use, she said.
 
According to Weir, school art programs, elementary through high school, are an important focus for ArtsNatchez.
 
“Supporting artists has always been central to the mission of ArtsNatchez Gallery, but that mission extends beyond the professional artists whose work hangs in the gallery,” she said. “We believe in supporting the next generation of artists begins in local classrooms. By helping teachers provide students with access to art materials and creative opportunities, ArtsNatchez hopes to encourage young people to explore their creativity and discover the value of making art.”
 
ArtsNatchez Gallery is located at 425 Main St. It is open daily at 10 a.m. For more information, call 601-442-0043.

Neddie Winters to keynote event honoring George Metcalfe in Natchez

The Rev. Neddie Winters will keynote an Aug. 27 Natchez ceremony dedicating a historical marker to civil rights leader George Metcalfe.
 
Roscoe Barnes III
The Natchez Democrat
August 19, 2026

Neddie Winters, former president of Mission Mississippi, will serve as keynote speaker at the marker dedication ceremony honoring George Metcalfe on Thursday, August 27, in Natchez. (Click on image to enlarge.)

NATCHEZ — The Rev. Neddie Winters, former president of Mission Mississippi, Jackson, will serve as the keynote speaker for the dedication of a state historical marker honoring the late George Metcalfe. The ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 27, at the intersection of Kelly Avenue, Brenham Avenue, and South Concord Avenue, on the west side of the former Armstrong Tire & Rubber Company.

The event is hosted by the City of Natchez and Visit Natchez. It is free and open to the public.

Metcalfe was the president of the Natchez NAACP when his car was bombed by the Ku Klux Klan on Aug. 27, 1965, in the triangle area near the plant. That single act of violence became a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement in Natchez, galvanizing the Black community and helping spur a sustained campaign for voting rights and desegregation.

Metcalfe was targeted by the Klan because of his leadership in the Black community and his courageous civil rights activities. He successfully led a voter-registration drive that resulted in more than 8,000 African Americans registering to vote.

He and the NAACP called on the Natchez city administration to denounce white supremacist groups like the Klan and to end police brutality. They also urged the city to hire Black employees and to desegregate swimming pools, parks, and other public facilities. Metcalfe also led a delegation which confronted the school board with a signed petition calling for the desegregation of the public school system.

Winters said he is honored to participate in the Aug. 27 program and to speak about the legacy of Metcalfe.

A native of Tunica, Winters is a nationally recognized leader in racial reconciliation and healing.

“He is known for his passionate advocacy for building beloved communities through dialogue, understanding, and shared action,” said Dr. Felicia M. Bowens, executive assistant to the president of Mission Mississippi. “Under his leadership, Mission Mississippi became a statewide catalyst for conversations and collaborations that bridge racial divides.”

She noted Winters has dedicated his life to fostering oneness across racial, cultural, political, and denominational lines.

Winters served for many years as president of Mission Mississippi, a pioneering organization committed to racial reconciliation through Christian relationships and community engagement.

In addition to his public speaking and leadership, Winters serves as an adjunct professor at Belhaven University, where he teaches “The History, Theology, and Practice of Christian Reconciliation.”

Winters is a graduate of Alcorn State University, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Agriculture. He holds a master’s degree in public finance management from American University’s Kogod School of Business.

In addition to Winters, the ceremony will feature remarks by Mayor Dan Gibson and Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis, president of the Natchez NAACP.

Other participants will include Dr. Roscoe Barnes III, cultural heritage tourism manager for Visit Natchez, who will serve as master of ceremonies and introduce the keynote speaker.

The invocation will be given by the Rev. Dr. Chase Caldwell, associate pastor of First Presbyterian Natchez, and the benediction will be given by the Rev. Clifton Marvel Sr., pastor of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church

Historical reflections will be shared by Alderman Billy Joe Frazier; local historian Jeremy Houston; Frances Bailey and Paul Bacon, eyewitnesses to bombing; Denise Jackson Ford, daughter of Wharlest Jackson Sr., and Wharlest Jackson Jr., his son.

Thelma Newsome, representative of the Dr. John Bowman Banks Museum, will read a letter presented by Alderwoman Felicia Bridgewater-Irving. Bobby Dennis, director of Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture, will give the closing remarks.

For more information, call 601-492-3004.

 

New panels at Natchez National Historical Park preserve stories of the enslaved

I enjoyed my visit with KNOE 8 News reporter Shahid Evans!

See video at this link: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1BfiAfsapn/