Historic Downtown Natchez

Natchez sits on a high bluff above the Mississippi River. A traveler wrote in 1807 that the town begins at the top of a climb of 100 to 150 feet (about 30 to 45 m). During the American Revolution, all of Natchez consisted of the riverside area known as Under-the-Hill, with about 20 buildings; it later gained notoriety for its gambling dens and dance halls. Up in Bluff Park lie the remains of Fort Rosalie, which the French founded in 1716; the second fort was built in 1730–34.

The 75-acre (about 30 ha) Natchez Bluffs and Under-the-Hill district has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1972. Natchez National Historical Park includes Melrose, a Greek Revival house built in the 1840s for John T. McMurran, and the William Johnson House of 1841. Johnson was a free Black man whose diaries (1835–1851) document life in the town. Check in advance which houses are open to visitors.