Haircut Day, Sightseeing & the River Still Rising4/3/2008

I have to mention when we came back this afternoon we noticed a lot of orange cones near a concrete walking path that goes along the river for about 2 miles. Mom went for a walk and when she came back she noticed a group of men looking at the cones so she asked what was going on and I guess because of the flooding along the Mississippi and the speed and strength of the current the bank along in front of the campgrounds is "sloughing", or eroding to us laymen, so they don't really want anyone walking in that area. The river is forecast now to rise and extra foot and a half over earlier predictions and maybe more depending on the amount and location of the 3-6" of rain in the Ohio Valley. Down the road from the campgrounds at the Vidalia Conference and Convention Center, which is right on the river, they have already placed a 100' long by 20' wide visqueen sheet and weighted it down with sandbags to keep the river back. The sandbags are Another off shoot of the flooding is they might have to move The Isle of Capri gambling riverboat if the water gets much higher because the passengers will not be able to get off and on. They already have it sandbagged and I will try to get pictures later this week.
Well anyway we left at 8:00 this morning to take Muffy and Raggs to the groomer as they have gotten really shaggy and with the weather turning warmer here it was really bothering them. So it was off to Bubbles and Bows for a haircut. We dropped them off and then went and did 2 caches located on the campus of Copiah-Lincoln Community College, better known as Co-Lin, one in a tree on campus and the other 100' back in the woods behind the college. We left there and drove around to see a few of the historical places we had missed.
We started in downtown Natchez and the first building we saw was the Rose Hill Missionary Baptist Church which has the oldest black Baptist congregation in the state, with origins dating to 1837. This 1908 building replaces the first wooden church and contains a 1912 Moller pipe organ. Randle Pollard was the first offical pastor, serving from 1867-1890.
Next it was Holy Family Catholic Church which was the first African-American Catholic church in Mississippi. The church is an example of 19th-century Gothic Revival architecture with Queen Anne detailing.
Then it was on to Jefferson Street Methodist Church which was the first Methodist congregation in Natchez formed in the early 1800's, and the first building was constructed in 1807. The first Sunday School south of Philadelphia, PA was organized here in 1829.
Next it was Kyle House which is the only territorial period building in Mississippi associated with the free African-American. The house was built for Nancy Kyle who had a relationship with a white merchant named Christopher Kyle. As you can see the house is not as grand as the plantation homes as it is a simple, frame house and is indicative of the style of homes in which many families who lacked the prosperity of the plantation owners lived in.
Forks of the Road was next which is an intersection of three roads and was the site of the South's second largest slave market in the 19th Century. Enslaved people were also once sold on city streets and at the landing at Natchez Under the Hill. By the 1830's this market and the Algiers Market in New Orleans were the two busiest slave markets in the South. Natchez slaves were freed in July 1863, when Union troops occupied the city. The Forks of the Road market then became a refuge for hundreds of emancipated people. They are having a face lifting ceremony this Saturday when they are going to unveil and dedicate the interpretive signs at the site.
Next went saw The Briars Bed and Breakfast Circa 1818 which was voted "Best Secluded Bed and Breakfast" in Mississippi. It sits on top of the Bluff overlooking the Mississippi on 19 acres of land and has a varied terrain of brick walks, boardwalks, gazebos and ponds. It has many gardens with thousands of daffodils, over 1200 azaleas, roses, camelias, flowering trees, hydrangeas, day lilies, annuals and tropical plants, ancient pecan trees, live oaks and magnolias. The elegant antique-filled home and dependency buildings contain 15 spacious bedrooms each with a private bath. This was the site of the marriage of Jefferson Davis and Varina Howell in 1845.
Then we stopped at the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians which was the site the Natchez Indians inhabited in AD 700-1730, with its culture at its zenith in the mid 1500's. Between 1682 and 1729 the Grand Village was their main ceremonial center, according to historical and archaeological evidence. French explorers, priests, and journalists described the ceremonial mounds built by the Natchez on the banks of St. Catherine Creek, and archaeological investigations produced additional evidence that the site was the place that the French called The Grand Village of the Natchez Indians. During the period the Natchez occupied the Grand Village the French explored the region and began to make settlements. Relations between the French and the Natchez were cordial at first, but deteriorated as various disagreements and episodes of violence arose in 1716 and again in 1723. In 1729, a pro-English element within the tribe led the Natchez to attack the French colonial platations and military garrison at Fort Rosalie. The French retaliated in such force that the Natchez were forced to abandon their homeland. On this site archaeological remains indicate that the Natchez Indians built at least 4 houses in succession on this spot. Artifacts associated with these houses date them all to the early French Colonial period (c. 1682-1730). The houses probably belonged to members of the tribal nobility who served the Great Sun. The floor plans indicate that the four houses were aligned at an angle of approximately 30 degrees east of north, which is similar to the alignment of the Temple Mound. In contrast, the Great Sun's Mound was set square with the cardinal directions (north, south, east & west). The reason for the 2 different building alignments at the Grand Village remains a mystery. The house of the Tattooed Serpent, a high ranking Natchez tribal official and younger brother of the Great Sun, might have stood on this site. The site was not quite what we expected as it did have several Ceremonial Mounds and a reconstructed Natchez Indian house but other than that there wasn't much to see.
Then we stopped at Old South Winery, founded in 1979, and that was a BIG mistake. By the time we left we had tasted about 7 or 8 different wines and were feeling kind of good and we had bought 4 different bottles of their wine, a white and 3 roses. Their wine is made from Muscadine grapes and are known as American wild grapes, a native species that grows only in the hot, humid southeastern United States. Unlike bunch grapes, muscadines are resistant to most fungal and bacterial infections due to the production of antioxidants by the plants. Muscadines have a fruity, delicate aroma and taste. The thick skins and numerous seeds can frustrate the modern grape eater who is spoiled by thin-skinned, seedless grapes! Muscadines are used for a variety of food products: wine, fresh fruit, jams, jellies, pies, and nutritional supplements. Supposedly these grapes do have certain content that are good for you and do promote some health benefits. Very good by the way and you should try it if you like good wines.
I guess today was haircut day for everybody as I then dropped Mom off at penny's and she got her ears lowered too. We still had time before the dogs would be done so we went into downtown Natchez and had lunch at Magnolia Grill which was very good and it was located on the bank of the Mississippi. Then it was time to pick up Muffy and Raggs and boy were they glad to see us and really they cut them to short but it will grow out. On back to the RV and I did the 2 logs from our 2 caches we did today and Mom went to the pool and sat outside and read. We had dinner and Mom talked to Myra and now I am doing the blog and Mom is watching TV. Well time to say good night to one and all and we love you.anchored to the shore and submerged along the bottom of the sheet. There is also a subterranean concrete wall along the riverfront which will protect it from getting to eroded.


Picture List:1,2,3,4,-Grand Village of the Natchez Indians, 5,6-The Briars Circa 1818, 7-Old South Winery, 8-Rose Hill Missionary Baptist Church, 9-Jefferson Street Methodist Church, 10-Kyle House Circa 1820, 11-Mary Dixon Town House Circa 1850, 12-Fat Mama's Tamales Restaurant, 13-Forks of the Road, 14-Holy Family Catholic Church.