With its gorgeous views overlooking the Mississippi River, Natchez is a town that exudes grace and Southern charm. Yet its more than 300 years of history hold tales of intrigue and malice tracing back to the days when this was the wildest port on the Mississippi. With more than one hundred buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Natchez is a historian’s dream come true, and a ghost hunter’s first stop in the state of Mississippi.
Take The Towers of Natchez, an elegant mansion that features dual “towers,” constructed as third-story rooms on the front corners of the house. First built in 1798 during the colonial western expansion of the United States, the original design reflected the West Indies style of architecture, while two later additions in the mid-1800s added elements from the Neo-Classical and Italian Renaissance Revival styles. A fire in the 1920s destroyed the unique tower rooms, but a recent renovation has restored the home to its previous grandeur.
"High on the Natchez Bluff, the Turning Angel stands sentry over five graves, victims of the 1908 Natchez Drug Company explosion that killed eleven Natchez citizens."
Known as one of the finest antebellum homes in Mississippi, The Towers was once occupied by Federal troops who used the mansion as headquarters during the Civil War occupation of Natchez. Many of these soldiers have refused to leave the premises over the years, and haunt the hallways alongside members of the Fleming family, the original 19th century owners. Join a candlelight tour and learn about the tragic loss suffered at The Towers, or spend the night in the bed and breakfast for a chance to see the ghostly apparitions, flickering lights, and slamming doors first-hand.
High on the Natchez Bluff, the Turning Angel greets visitors to the Natchez City Cemetery, turning to watch passersby as headlights light up her face during the drive up Cemetery Road. The Angel stands sentry over five graves, victims of the 1908 Natchez Drug Company explosion that killed eleven Natchez citizens.
Farther back in the cemetery lies Florence Irene Ford, a little girl born in 1861, who died just ten years later of yellow fever. Florence had a deep fear of thunderstorms and would run to her mother, Ellen, for comfort during bad weather. Concerned that thunder and lightning would frighten her child in the afterlife, Ellen placed Florence in a specially designed coffin with a glass window at the head. Steps leading down to the grave ended at a small glass viewing window where Ellen would sit by her daughter’s coffin, singing songs and reading stories until the storm passed. Discover more about Natchez’s haunted history at visitmississippi.org/go/haunted-mississippi/.
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