This September, Natchez, Mississippi’s Pilgrimage Garden Club will invite visitors to take a deeper look at the people, forces and events that shaped Natchez and the Lower Mississippi River Valley with the second annual James Wade Memorial Symposium, followed by the dedication of a new Enslaved Quarters exhibit at Longwood.
Taking place Saturday, September 26 from 2–5 p.m. at The Carriage House on the grounds of Historic Stanton Hall, “The People, River, and History that Shaped Natchez” will bring together six historians, authors and cultural experts to explore the Mississippi River, the cotton economy, Indigenous history, slavery and other defining chapters of pre-Civil War Natchez.
The symposium is held in memory of the late James McHenry Wade, former curator of Longwood, and reflects an ongoing effort to preserve and more fully interpret the complex history of Natchez and the people whose lives shaped the region.
“Natchez is a destination where history is not simply preserved, but continually explored, interpreted and shared in new ways,” said Lance Harris, executive director of Visit Natchez. “The James Wade Memorial Symposium and the new exhibit at Longwood offer visitors an opportunity to engage more deeply with the people and stories that shaped our city. Programs like these are an important part of ensuring that those who come to Natchez leave with a richer, more complete understanding of our history.”
The afternoon will feature presentations from:
- Stephen Perkins, author and co-founder of ForrestPerkins, on the exploration of the Mississippi River by René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle.
- Becky Anderson, educator and historian at the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians, on the Natchez Indians and their relationship with the Mississippi River.
- Dr. Roscoe Barnes III, cultural heritage tourism manager at Visit Natchez, presenting “Dread and Dreams: The Mississippi River and the Journey of Prince Ibrahima.”
- Lynette Tanner, owner of Frogmore Plantation, presenting “Cotton: White Gold on the River.”
- Carter Burns, executive director of the Historic Natchez Foundation, discussing plantation dependencies and Longwood.
- Douglas Lanfear, Longwood docent and former Rosalie staff member, examining the Longwood dependency building and its evolution from history to interpretation.
Immediately following the symposium, attendees and members of the public are invited to Longwood for the dedication of its new Enslaved Quarters exhibit, located inside the property’s historic dependency building.
The new exhibit expands the story told at Longwood by examining the lives and experiences of the enslaved families who lived and worked on the property. Through interpretation of the dependency building and its history, the exhibit will offer visitors greater insight into the daily lives of the people whose labor was integral to Longwood and the larger plantation system. The dedication ceremony is free and open to the public.
“Telling the complete story of Natchez means making space for the voices and experiences that historically have not always been fully represented,” said Dr. Roscoe Barnes III, cultural heritage tourism manager at Visit Natchez. “The dedication of the Enslaved Quarters exhibit at Longwood represents meaningful progress in that work. By interpreting the lives of the enslaved people who lived and labored here alongside the broader forces that shaped pre-Civil War Natchez, we can help visitors better understand the complexity of our past and the people whose stories are essential to it.”
Admission to the James Wade Memorial Symposium is $25 per person. Tickets may be purchased through Natchez Pilgrimage Tours at NatchezPilgrimage.com or by calling 601-653-0919.
The 2026 program follows the inaugural James Wade Memorial Symposium held in 2025, which explored the history of Longwood and the story of the Egyptian cotton seeds associated with Dr. Rush Nutt and his eldest son, Rittenhouse Nutt.
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