Slave Dwelling Project Comes to Natchez

The widely acclaimed Slave Dwelling Project comes to Natchez April 17 as part of an effort designed to bring attention to the world of the enslaved in the Natchez District.

Educator and interpreter Joseph McGill (pictured) founded the Slave Dwelling Project as a living history lesson. His goal is to spend an evening in every one of the nation’s last remaining slave dwellings, helping raise awareness and preserve these structures for future study and understanding. To accommodate COVID-19 social distancing, Natchez events will be restricted to online presentations by McGill.

McGill will broadcast from the Slave Dwelling Project Facebook Page on Facebook Live at 11 am from the Forks of the Road, site of the second largest slave market in the Deep South. He will also broadcast on Facebook Live at 6 pm from Melrose, a National Historic Landmark and a component of the Natchez National Historical Park. Constructed in the 1840s, Melrose is one of the most significant historic sites in the South. In addition to the Greek Revival mansion and collection of outbuildings, the estate contains two original slave cabins. At 7 pm, McGill will hold a Zoom discussion in which the public may participate. Information about how to register for the Zoom conversation will be shared in the coming weeks at www.slavedwellingproject.org under the Upcoming Events tab.

McGill’s Natchez visit is supported by a grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council and is sponsored by the Historic Natchez Foundation and Natchez National Historical Park.

For more information, call the Melrose Visitor Center at 601-446-5790 or visit www.nps/natc.