A National Road

A National Road. . , (Marker #1) , A National Road , Natchez in the extreme south-western corner of the United States was threatened by Spain in 1800 and later by France and Great Britain. , , President Jefferson in 1801 decided that a road from Nashville to Natchez was necessary for the safety and welfare of the nation. , , “This road being completed, I shall consider our southern extremity secured, the Indians in that quarter at our feet and adjacent province laid open to us.” , James Wilkinson , , (Marker #2) , The Natchez Trace Parkway , This Parkway, a unit of the National Park System, commemorates the Natchez Trace (1800 - 1820). , , Along the Parkway there are historic structures, Indian mounds, roadside exhibits, nature and history trails and museums which help to illustrate the history of the Trace. , , (Photo Captions) , Old Natchez Trace - Worn by a century and half of traffic, the Old Natchez Trace is now a sunken tree-lined road in places 30 feet deep. , , Mount Locust - From the original three rooms this house grew with the family and region, and by 1836 was the “Big House” of a medium sized-plantation. , , Emerald Mound - The second largest temple mound in the United States. Erected by the predecessors of the Natchez Indians between 1300 - 1600 A.D. , , The high bluff is a deposit of loess, windblown topsoil, through which the Old Natchez Trace cuts deeply in many places. , , (Marker #3) , The Old Trace , The Trace quickly became an important highway and mail route which made communication between Natchez and Washington, D.C., fairly safe and rapid. , , (Drawing Captions) , Troops marched over the Trace in 1803 when war seemed near, and again in 1812 at the outbreak of the war with Great Britain. , , Swift Postriders could carry the mail between Nashville and Natchez in less than 10 days. , , Ohio Valley pioneers floated their products to Natchez or New Orleans in flatboats and returned home afoot or on horseback over the Trace. , , After 1820 steamboats carried most Natchez traffic. Parts of the Trace were then abandoned, other parts used as local roads. , , (Marker #4) , Old Natchez District , The Old Natchez District was a settled area 500 miles from the nearest American settlement, Nashville. In 1798 it became part of the United States. , , POPULATION IN 1800 , United States 5,308,483 , , Old Natchez District , Freeman 5361 , Slaves 3489 , Total 8850 , Town of Natchez 500 , , Natchez became a French colony in 1716. It was connected with the Choctaw Nation by an Indian trail. , , The British held the District, 1763-1779, and established permanent settlements. They called this trail, later the Natchez Trace, the “Path to the Choctaw Nation.” , , Spain conquered Natchez in 1779 during the American Revolution but made no serious attempt at colonization. They called this trail “Camino de Cumberland a Natches.” , , When the Americans came in 1798, they improved the Indian trail to facilitate direct communication with Nashville. They later called it the Natchez Trace.