Columbus
Set along the largest of the points in Mississippi’s Golden Triangle, Columbus is a tiny town bursting at the seams with a vibrant antebellum past. The petite city claims to be the birthplace of the nation’s Memorial Day, which began after five women met to decide how to honor the war-buried Confederate soldiers at Friendship Cemetery. In a spontaneous moment, the women began placing flowers on the Union and Confederate soldiers’ gravesites, thus beginning Confederate Memorial Day, which has become known as our nation’s Memorial Day.
Along with a visit to the cemetery, groups have lots to see in this antebellum town.
“Columbus has three National Register Historic Districts with over 650 properties on the National Register of Historic Places,” said Nancy Luke Carpenter, CEO and executive director of the Columbus Cultural Heritage Foundation and the Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We have virtually every style of architecture, and the antebellum mansions of Columbus are impeccably maintained and as resplendent as ever.”
Natchez
Natchez is the oldest continuous settlement on the Mississippi River, dating back to 1716 — check out the town’s 300-year celebration in 2016 — and is now home to one of the most extensive collections of preserved antebellum mansions in America. Once regarded as the wealthiest city in America, Natchez has numerous antebellum homes that made it through the war relatively unscathed.
Today, trained and certified local tour guides offer historic house tours 365 days a year for groups to hear the tales of the city and learn about the legends that lived in the halls of each mansion.
“One unique way visitors are invited to explore Natchez’s history is during our spring and fall pilgrimages,” said Jessica Cauthen, recent Ole Miss graduate and public relations director for the Natchez Convention and Visitors Bureau. “During this time, 24 privately owned antebellum homes open their doors to the public, with hosts and hostesses dressed in period costumes portraying characters from each home’s history. I also recommend the Historic Natchez Tableaux. The tableaux depicts life in the Natchez area from 1716 up until the Civil War and is put on entirely by volunteers from the community.”
