We often hear people say, “if only the dead could talk, what tales would they tell”? We took a tour of Natchez that was focused on history, culture and people more than the 1,000+ historic buildings of Natchez. Our guide, Rev as he was called, included a visit to the Natchez City Cemetery. I am not a big lover of visiting cemeteries however, this one was quite different. The history of this place dates back to the 1700s even though the placard at the gates state it was established in 1822. Those that are pre 1822 were originally buried in church cemeteries and other family plots. They were disinterred and moved to what is now the City Cemetery thus graves dating to the 1700s. The original land area was 10 acres. Today, it covers 140 acres! And the dead certainly do talk.
The most famous statue in the Natchez City Cemetery is “The Turning Angel” that seems to watch people as they pass by the cemetery at night. When cars pass by on the main road outside of the cemetery's gates at night, the headlight shine on the angel who seems to turn to watch the passersby.
On March 14, 1908, an explosion at the Natchez Drug Company killed twelve employees and destroyed the business. The owner purchased this lot to bury his employees and erected this beautiful angel statue in their memory.
There are many sections in the cemetery that represent how the people of Natchez saw themselves. One of the largest is filled with monuments of the upper class, the wealthy part of society. For the most part, the cemetery is no longer a place of burial. However, the plots that represent the wealthy families to this day remain a place of rest for the remaining descendants of the once insanely wealthy elite. In its heyday, Natchez was home to more millionaires than any other place in our country. Cotton was King. Plantation owners had wealth that is hard for me to even imagine. They had huge plantations and a home in Natchez. It is said that the wife of such a man had only two purposes, to provide him with an heir and to spend as much of his money as possible! The homes in Natchez were a display of wealth. The sky was the limit and she pushed that limit at every turn. So it is not surprising that the monuments they left behind are equally lavish.
There are sections dedicated to the Jewish population, the Irish Catholics, Italian merchants as well. These people represent the “middle class”. They were prosperous but not ridiculously rich. The tombstones tell their stories. One especially sweet one tells of a Southern Lady who went abroad. While there she met a man and fell in love. When time came for her to leave, he had to remain behind but told her “I will come to you my love”. Every letter he wrote ended with those words. Finally he boarded a ship bound for America. When he arrived, he booked passage on two different river boats that would bring him to Natchez. His letters still ended with “I will come to you my love”. During his trip, he caught dysentery and died. She had his body shipped to Natchez where he is buried. The head stone has these words, “You could not come to me but I will come to you my love”. She was later buried beside him.
There are many stories but one of the most mysterious is the headstone that reads “Louise, The Unfortunate”. No one know for sure who she was but it is told that she came to Natchez to meet her fiancé and marry. When she arrived, he either jilted her or was married already. Too ashamed to return home or without enough money to return home, she ended up at Natchez Under the Hill working in a house of ill repute. Over the years, a doctor befriended her and gave her medical attention. When she died, he paid to have her buried and put this enigmatic inscription on the stone.
In all of the cemetery, there are only two people of color buried within its ornate gates. A true reflection of the times. It is said that we die twice. Once when our life expires and once when our name is no longer spoken. Here the dead speak and they are remembered long after they left this world.
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