The Stanton House Tour
This is one of the most opulent antebellum mansions to survive in the South.
Most of the elegant buildings in Natchez are of the Greek Revival period.
Beautiful care and upkeep has been provided by the Pilgrimage Garden Club.
The house across the street hasn't had the best of care
but it typical of many of the old houses.
Yes, it is tilting that much!
No money was spared in the building of this house.
Many mirrors were imported from France in the early 1800's
Some are in original condition,(bad) and the ones here have been restored.
The ceiling fixture here is made from plaster and horsehair
(sometimes human hair)
The upstairs hallway is 72 feet long and 15 feet wide.
All the wallpaper has been hand-painted by a famous artist,
and you could buy some yourself for $40,000.
The detail is incredible.
After the owners died, the garden club had turned the place into B&B for a time.
The step/chamber pot is here for antiquities sake.
Horse and Buggy ride tour
Go, Clyde (he has to be bribed with carrots first)
He is a Haflinger horse, outperforms his working partners, and he always likes to be in front of the other buggies.
He is half Haflinger and half Arab - very energetic.
Kind of a fun ride!
Thanks, Clyde!
Yes, it has gotten much wider now.
They say it is 1 mile wide and 1 mile deep.
Well, probably not that deep.
St. Ann's Church
The super-rowdy 'neighborhood' of Natchez in on the river front, and was frequented by gamblers, river pirates, highwaymen, and prostitutes.
Jim Bowie and his knife were made famous here in Natchez when he was involved in a brawl that broke out between two dueling parties on a sandbar in the river.
He was shot twice, stabbed with a cane sword, but killed the attacker and maimed another with his knife.
Short version is: He got into a gun fight but won it with his knife!
Later he recovered in Natchez and moved to Texas, fought in the Alamo
where he died.
This is the now famous "Jim Bowie Knife"
We enjoyed browsing The UNDER-THE-HILL SALOON
The oldest continuously operated saloon on the Mississippi River.
The very high ceiling is covered in folded up dollar bills,
tis a contest to get it up and get it to stick with only a thumbtack.
The bartender was nice to demonstrate.
Then they ring the bell for all to cheer!
This African Face Mask didn't fare so well
We met a nearly toothless local gentleman who stopped us and explained the shortage of dentists in the old days. He said that his parents lived across the river in rural Louisiana. When they needed to see a dentist they had to ride horseback to get to the river, take a ferry and then come to the 'Painless Dentist" here above the saloon in Natchez, Mississippi.
