Natchez Things to Do

The 'big house' is a West Indies Creole plantation house with early Greek Revival details. It was built in 1833 by slave labour under the direction of Louis Metoyer. The tree that you see from the back view of the house is 175 years old. The crosses that you see on the back lower level are actual grave markers.
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The story of origins begins with Marie Therese Coincoin who was born in 1742, a slave in the household of Louis Juchereau de St Denis. She became the Matriarch of 4 Black and 10 Franco-African children. Upon St Denis’ death she was sold to Thomas Pierre Metoyer and his wife who later freed her and gave her a number of land grants forming Melrose Plantation.

The Metoyers built the buildings on the plantation, clearing the land, building fences and roads as they went. At the turn of the century Melrose became the home of John Hampton and Cammie Garrett Henry. A black woman, Clementine Hunter was once the cook at Melrose, she went on to become one of Louisiana’s most celebrated primitive artists.
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Beau Fort Plantation is a beautiful 1790 Plantation home and also a B&B. It was built on the former site of Fort Charles in an early Creole-style. There is an 84ft gallery and covered rear patio. It is open year round for both accommodation and tours.
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There are lovely antiques and family heirlooms scattered within the home as well as “Steel Magnolias” memorabilia and artwork by Clementine Hunter. Exquisite gardens surround the property. It is open 1-4pm daily for tours.
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In the late 1930s New Orleans artist Alberta Kinsey, one of the many artists and writers invited to the Henry home, left behind paint brushes and tubes of paint. Miss Cammie found them and began painting. She described her painting process in the introduction to The Joyous Coast - A Fable - Cane River, Louisiana, which she illustrated:
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“I never have been much for navigating the highways. I spent all my free time at painting. I often would get up at nights and mark off a picture and paint it. Sometimes I would be asleep and see a picture cross my mind, then I would woken up, get out of bed and mark it off. Nobody ever taught me one thing about painting. I just worked it all out gradually by myself.” Since she could not always afford canvas, she often painted on nontraditional surfaces, including window shades, bottles, cardboard, and brown paper bags. There are many of her paintings exhibited through the Melrose Home.

Clementine Hunter (Louisiana’s most famous folk artist and the daughter of a former slave) was born on Hidden Hill Plantation in Natchitoches, Louisiana. She was a self-taught artist and became internationally known for her images of life in the Cane River country. As a young girl, Hunter went to work for John Hampton Henry and his wife, known as Miss Cammie (1886-1988), on Melrose Plantation.
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African House was built in 1800 was a slave-fort and provision house. The lower story is of baked brick and the upper story is made from thick hand-hewn cypress slabs with eaves that slope almost to the ground. The house has been called the only structure of Congo-like architecture on the North American continent dating back to colonial times.
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Yucca House was built in 1796 as the original colonial residence. This was the original main house at Melrose and was the most used residence of very notable American authors and historians in the south. They were invited by Marie Therese Metoyer to come and stay as long as they like as long as they produced work. The sills and uprights are of virgin cypress, the walls of mud mixed with moss and deer hair.
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This little cabin use to house the slaves of the plantation. It became Miss Cammie's room for her looms for weaving. Other than her big loom, there was also a small childs one where she taught her daughter to weave.
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