NATCHEZ, Miss. – Adams County supervisors on Monday concurred with Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson’s request to honor former mayor Butch Brown by asking the state Legislature to name the Seargent Prentiss bridge crossing Liberty Road after him.
Gibson, who met with the county board, also got supervisors to back efforts to seek state and federal funds to replace the city’s aging Canal Street bridge, which the mayor said could be impassable by 2030 because of its deteriorating condition.
Brown, who died in 2023, served as Natchez mayor for three terms. Since the bridge is owned by the state, naming it after the former mayor requires legislative approval. The state Legislature is scheduled to end its annual session in early April.
Brown helped design the decorative span crossing Liberty Road with its black wrought-iron railings and ornate columns. He served as executive director of the Mississippi Department of Transportation in between his stints as Natchez mayor.
“It’s fitting that we honor him by naming the bridge after him,” Gibson told the Adams
County Board of Supervisors.
Getting the state Legislature to do this requires a formal request by the county board along with the Natchez Board of Aldermen.
For replacing the Canal Street bridge, the city last month got $2 million from the U.S. Congress. However, about $4 million more is needed, according to Gibson, who noted the funds are being sought from Congress and the Mississippi Legislature.
“We still have more to raise, but $2 million is a fantastic start,” Gibson said in February when President Trump signed the congressional appropriation. “Keeping Canal Street open is vital to our local economy, and the replacement of this bridge will ensure the vitality of our city for years to come.”
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