Be advised that the NPS has issued alerts for this park.
William Johnson House Reopens!
The first floor exhibit hall of the William Johnson House is now open to the public daily from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. Due to construction, the second floor family living quarters remain closed at this time.
Melrose Mansion Guided Tours
Reservations for guided tours of the mansion must be made on Recreation.gov. The tour is $11.00 and are at 10, 11, 2, 3, and 4; masks are optional. The estate is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The grounds and outbuildings are free.
Natchez Visitor Center Closed
The Natchez Visitor Center is closed for the renovation of the public lobby area. For those seeking visitor information, we direct you to VisitNatchez at the Depot on Boundary Street. Or their website, VisitNatchez.org. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Face masks are now optional
As Covid-related numbers have dipped below the CDC determined High Rate of Transmission in Adams County, Mississippi, face masks are no longer required in all NPS buildings at Natchez National Historical Park. Wearing of face masks is optional.
Discover the history of all the peoples of Natchez, Mississippi, from European settlement, African enslavement, the American cotton economy, to the Civil Rights struggle on the lower Mississippi River.
The Melrose estate, a part of Natchez National Historical Park, is one of the best-preserved estates in the Deep South form the mid-1800s. Melrose helps tell the American stories of an economy based on growing cotton and the world of chattel slavery/
Two story mansion with four columns, first and second story porches and a widows walk on the roof. The mansion is surrounded by lush green grass, trees and shrubs. Behind the mansion is two matching two-story outbuildings that once served as a kitchen and dairy, a brick smokehouse and privy, two octagonal-shaped cistern houses, two white clapboard slave cabins, a carriage house and a stable building.
A white picket gate that leads to a sidewalk with cherry laurel hedges on either side. At the far end of the sidewalk is the back of the Melrose mansion along with the kitchen, dairy, smokehouse, privy and two cistern gazebo buildings.
To the west is the back of the Melrose mansion, which has porches across the entire width of the first and second stories, six evenly spaced columns that stretch from the ground to the roof that appear to be made of stone. To the north is the two story kitchen which has porches across the entire width of both stories and four columns that stretch from the ground to the roof. Next to the kitchen is the octagonal shaped cistern building made of lattice and a small square shaped brick building. To the south is the dairy dairy, another cistern building and privy which all are identical to the buildings on the north. To the east is an open yard with a huge oak tree and beyond the yard are two small wood frame cottages that once served as slave quarters.
A Pair of white wooden cabins. The cabin to the right has three doors spaced across the front with windows between the doors. Each door has a set of steps with handrails. The cabin to the left has two doors evenly spaced with a window to the right of each door.
Wooden building with a wood shingle roof. Across the front of the building going left to right is a boarded window, then a door and next is another boarded window, then another door followed by two boarded windows.
Wood building with wood shingle roof and an attached lean too with a door is on the right side of the building. Three sets of large double doors are evenly spaced across the main part of the building. Centered above the large double doors is a large window with a smaller window on each side.
Driveway leading to the Melrose mansion. The driveway is lined with cherry laurel hedges on the left and to the right of the driveway is the front yard separated by a fence from the meadow beyond.
Greek Revival style mansion with four doric columns resembling stone. The 16,000 square feet mansion has a large front porch and second story balcony. At the center of the house on both levels is a large oak grained door. Each level has four windows with shutters evenly spaced across the front of the house.
Two story brick building with a porch across the front and a balcony across the second story. From the porch is a is tow doors, one to enter the dairy room and the other to enter the laundry room. Between the two doors is a wood rail gate at the entrance to a narrow staircase to take you upstairs.
The William Johnson House connects visitors with the life of a free man of color and his family during the antebellum era. William Johnson, a slave who was freed, started out as a barber and eventually owned several barber shops, rental property, a farm, and timberland; he also kept a lengthy personal diary that offers insights into antebellum southern life and relations between whites and free blacks.
Two story brick house with two dormer windows. The first floor has three evenly spaced wooden doors across the front and the second floor has three windows with shutters evenly spaced across the front.
Located in the former kitchen building for the estate, the Melrose Visitor Center is the visitor contact station at the site. Tickets for the mansion tour are available here. There is also a gift shop and an adjoining exhibit room.
The Natchez Visitor Reception Center is owned, operated and maintained by the National Park Service. The building also serves as the official southern terminus and welcome center for the Natchez Trace Parkway. The Natchez Visitor Center is home to Natchez National Historical Park Headquarters, the Mississippi Welcome Center, and the City of Natchez Visitor Information Services. Currently, the Natchez Visitor Center is closed due to construction surrounding the installation of a new HVAC system.
This visitor contact station at the William Johnson House site is located in the two-and-a-half story brick building known as the McCallum House which is adjacent to the Johnson home. The McCallum House serves as the site's visitor contact station and provides restroom facilities, a small bookstore/giftshop, and exhibits.
Explore one of the best-preserved suburban estates in the Deep South from the pre-civil war era.
Natchez Visitor Center
The Natchez Visitor Center provides information on tours, exhibits, gardens, trails, activities, and events. The experienced staff can help you plan an itinerary for your visit to Natchez National Historical Park and other nearby attractions.
Visit Forks of the Road
From 1833 to 1863, Forks of the Road was the second largest slave market in the Deep South. Tens of thousands of enslaved men, women and children were transported from Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, and the Carolinas to the market at Natchez. The slave market operated from 1833 until the arrival of Federal troops on July 13, 1863.
Visit the William Johnson House
The William Johnson House offers visitors the opportunity to connect with a free man of color and his family during the antebellum era.
See Fort Rosalie
Discover how the town of Natchez came to be as you explore Fort Rosalie.
Natchez Civil War Sites Driving Tour
Take a driving tour of Civil War sites in Natchez. Your voyage will wind you through historic Natchez, highlighting only some of the more important sites relevant to the Civil War and the Federal occupation of Natchez. Unlike some other Southern cities, Natchez emerged from the conflict relatively unscathed and today, contains one of the greatest collections of antebellum architecture in the nation.
Tours
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Walking Tour of the Melrose Grounds
Step back in time as you embark on a tour of the Melrose grounds featuring historic images of the estate.
