Thanks to the visitors' bureau multiple walking tours are offered and the well-disposed tourist may choose from a variety that caters to everyone's interests.
After I overdosed with the beautiful antebellum houses I decided to switch to another tour, the St. Catherine Street Trail, that takes the urban wayfarer to the backside of the town in the direction of the slave market. The riches of the people who lived in the nice houses close to the river were produced by the ancestors of the people who lived here before and who live here now. Here we find not only the rich history of slaves and former slaves, but that of free people of color, of mixed marriages that were not allowed but happened anyway, and of houses given to the dark-skinned offspring of white fathers. And of the Civil Rights Movement in Natchez and related events. Apart from that we find gas stations and pawn shops, churches and a women's hall of fame, small cabins and tract houses, and very friendly people who wave at the foreign tourist who is the only one walking in the area.
The path was packed with information boards – it seemed as if there was one in front of every other house – that I did not stop to read them all. I just gained an impression of the location and of the events unfolding throughout history.
The Forks of the Road is the end of the trail. Beyond there are no sidewalks.
No comments:
Post a Comment