Natchez District
Encyclopedia
The Natchez District was one of two areas, the other being the Tombigbee District
, that were the first to be colonized by British
subjects from the Thirteen Colonies
and elsewhere in what was West Florida
and would later become the Mississippi Territory
. The district was recognized to be the area east of the Mississippi River
from Bayou Sara in the South (presently St. Francisville
, Louisiana
) and Bayou Pierre in the North (presently Port Gibson, Mississippi
). Today, this area corresponds roughly with and includes most of the lands south of Interstate 20 and west of Interstate 55 in the State of Mississippi
in the southwest corner of the state.
The Natchez District was the first plantation area in Mississippi and also the richest area in the Deep South before the Civil War
. One plantation owner by the name of Stephen Duncan was reported to have owned over 1,000 slaves, making him the wealthiest cotton plantation owner in the world then.
The area had been known to the Europeans for many years. The French explorer, Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville
, had passed through the area in 1699 and had christened both the Amite River
and the Tangipahoa River
. In the early 18th century, French colonists began to introduce African slaves and the plantation
system to the area. The first important plantation crop was tobacco
.
In 1774 Britain extended the borders of its new colony of West Florida
from the 31st parallel north
to 32° 22′ north, in part to give colonists access to the fertile Natchez District and the Tombigbee District. By 1776, there was a sizable colony of English-speaking planters there. By a treaty with Spain after the Revolutionary War, the Natchez District became a part of the United States. The area was of great strategic value to the US then because it was the most extreme western and southern limits of the territory claimed by the United States in 1798. In April 1798, the United States created the Mississippi Territory
with Natchez
as its first capital.
It wasn't until the 1790s, after Whitney’s cotton gin
was perfected, that planters in the Natchez District became very wealthy. Between 1785 and 1800 all the tobacco plantations in the district were converted to cotton. The rich loess
soils proved very fertile for cotton cultivation. The planters developed new, more productive strains of cotton, improved cotton gins, and a large scale system using large numbers of slaves and machinery. Many cotton planters became so wealthy that they were able to acquire thousands of acres worked by hundreds of African slaves, on which they built elegant mansions in and around the town of Natchez, and hired overseers to live at and manage their plantations in the countryside.
In 1806, an improved Mexican variety of cotton made it even more profitable. The Mexican variety was crossed with the older black seeded species to make improved varieties that made the State of Mississippi famous. The most famous varieties of all, Belle Creole, Jethro, Parker and Petit Gulf, were bred in Mississippi.
The cotton boom of the early 19th century spread across the Old South from two primary cultural hearths—coastal South Carolina and the Natchez District. From Natchez, the cotton plantation system spread north into the Mississippi embayment
region, and west along the rivers of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas.
Before 1810, Natchez was the only town in the region that was not under foreign control. Because of its strategic importance and its rapid growth as a cotton port, the US government built or improved roads leading to Natchez. The US Army widened the Natchez Trace
into a wagon road and placed it under the care of the Post Master General of the United States, making it one of the earliest federal interstate highways.
Tombigbee District
The Tombigbee District, also known as the Tombigbee settlements, was one of two areas, the other being the Natchez District, that were the first to be colonized by British subjects from the Thirteen Colonies and elsewhere in what was West Florida and later became the Mississippi Territory...
, that were the first to be colonized by British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
subjects from the Thirteen Colonies
Thirteen Colonies
The Thirteen Colonies were English and later British colonies established on the Atlantic coast of North America between 1607 and 1733. They declared their independence in the American Revolution and formed the United States of America...
and elsewhere in what was West Florida
West Florida
West Florida was a region on the north shore of the Gulf of Mexico, which underwent several boundary and sovereignty changes during its history. West Florida was first established in 1763 by the British government; as its name suggests it largely consisted of the western portion of the region...
and would later become the Mississippi Territory
Mississippi Territory
The Territory of Mississippi was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from April 7, 1798, until December 10, 1817, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Mississippi....
. The district was recognized to be the area east of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
from Bayou Sara in the South (presently St. Francisville
St. Francisville
St. Francisville may refer to a place in the United States:* St. Francisville, Illinois* St. Francisville, Louisiana** New Roads-St. Francisville Ferry, crossing the Mississippi River...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
) and Bayou Pierre in the North (presently Port Gibson, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
). Today, this area corresponds roughly with and includes most of the lands south of Interstate 20 and west of Interstate 55 in the State of Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
in the southwest corner of the state.
The Natchez District was the first plantation area in Mississippi and also the richest area in the Deep South before the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. One plantation owner by the name of Stephen Duncan was reported to have owned over 1,000 slaves, making him the wealthiest cotton plantation owner in the world then.
The area had been known to the Europeans for many years. The French explorer, Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville
Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville
Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville pronounced as described in note] Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville pronounced as described in note] Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville pronounced as described in note] (16 July 1661 – 9 July 1702 (probable)was a soldier, ship captain, explorer, colonial administrator, knight of...
, had passed through the area in 1699 and had christened both the Amite River
Amite River
The Amite River is a tributary of Lake Maurepas in Mississippi and Louisiana in the United States. It is about long. It starts as two forks in southwestern Mississippi and flows south through Louisiana, passing Greater Baton Rouge, to Lake Maurepas. The lower of the river is navigable...
and the Tangipahoa River
Tangipahoa River
The Tangipahoa River originates northwest of McComb in southwest Mississippi, and runs south through Lake Tangipahoa in Percy Quin State Park before passing into southeast Louisiana. Its mouth opens into the northwest region of Lake Pontchartrain....
. In the early 18th century, French colonists began to introduce African slaves and the plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
system to the area. The first important plantation crop was tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
.
In 1774 Britain extended the borders of its new colony of West Florida
West Florida
West Florida was a region on the north shore of the Gulf of Mexico, which underwent several boundary and sovereignty changes during its history. West Florida was first established in 1763 by the British government; as its name suggests it largely consisted of the western portion of the region...
from the 31st parallel north
31st parallel north
The 31st parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 31 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Africa, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America and the Atlantic Ocean.Part of the border between Iran and Iraq is defined by the parallel....
to 32° 22′ north, in part to give colonists access to the fertile Natchez District and the Tombigbee District. By 1776, there was a sizable colony of English-speaking planters there. By a treaty with Spain after the Revolutionary War, the Natchez District became a part of the United States. The area was of great strategic value to the US then because it was the most extreme western and southern limits of the territory claimed by the United States in 1798. In April 1798, the United States created the Mississippi Territory
Mississippi Territory
The Territory of Mississippi was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from April 7, 1798, until December 10, 1817, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Mississippi....
with Natchez
Natchez, Mississippi
Natchez is the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. With a total population of 18,464 , it is the largest community and the only incorporated municipality within Adams County...
as its first capital.
It wasn't until the 1790s, after Whitney’s cotton gin
Cotton gin
A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, a job formerly performed painstakingly by hand...
was perfected, that planters in the Natchez District became very wealthy. Between 1785 and 1800 all the tobacco plantations in the district were converted to cotton. The rich loess
Loess
Loess is an aeolian sediment formed by the accumulation of wind-blown silt, typically in the 20–50 micrometre size range, twenty percent or less clay and the balance equal parts sand and silt that are loosely cemented by calcium carbonate...
soils proved very fertile for cotton cultivation. The planters developed new, more productive strains of cotton, improved cotton gins, and a large scale system using large numbers of slaves and machinery. Many cotton planters became so wealthy that they were able to acquire thousands of acres worked by hundreds of African slaves, on which they built elegant mansions in and around the town of Natchez, and hired overseers to live at and manage their plantations in the countryside.
In 1806, an improved Mexican variety of cotton made it even more profitable. The Mexican variety was crossed with the older black seeded species to make improved varieties that made the State of Mississippi famous. The most famous varieties of all, Belle Creole, Jethro, Parker and Petit Gulf, were bred in Mississippi.
The cotton boom of the early 19th century spread across the Old South from two primary cultural hearths—coastal South Carolina and the Natchez District. From Natchez, the cotton plantation system spread north into the Mississippi embayment
Mississippi embayment
The Mississippi Embayment is a physiographic feature in the south-central United States, part of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain. It is essentially a northward continuation of the fluvial sediments of the Mississippi River Delta to its confluence with the Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois. The embayment...
region, and west along the rivers of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas.
Before 1810, Natchez was the only town in the region that was not under foreign control. Because of its strategic importance and its rapid growth as a cotton port, the US government built or improved roads leading to Natchez. The US Army widened the Natchez Trace
Natchez Trace
The Natchez Trace, also known as the "Old Natchez Trace", is a historical path that extends roughly from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee, linking the Cumberland, Tennessee and Mississippi rivers...
into a wagon road and placed it under the care of the Post Master General of the United States, making it one of the earliest federal interstate highways.
External links
- http://www.tennessean.com/williamsonam/news/archives/05/03/68951816.shtml
- http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~pmullins/chapter05.htm
- http://ocean.otr.usm.edu/~aloung/afram.html