Intersection of State and South Wall streets
Natchez Trails
The domed Federal-style Adams County Courthouse appears in Audubon's 1822-1823 painted landscape of Natchez. Built in 1817, this courthouse is the oldest in Mississippi. It was remodeled in 1925. Actions at the courthouse impacted all of Natchez life. Its historic records include valuable information on marriages, deaths, property sales, land records, and court proceedings. Before the Civil War, the property auctioned by the sheriff in estate sales on the courthouse steps included enslaved people.
This 1866 photograph shows Union soldiers sitting on the steps of the Mercer House after the 1863 occupation of the city during the Civil War. Merchant and planter James C. Wilkins built the house about 1815. He served as a territorial representative (1798-1817) and a delegate at the state constitutional convention in 1817. The house later became the Natchez town home of wealthy cotton planter William Newton Mercer.
The Baptist Church built two church buildings on the southeast corner of State and South Wall, neither of which survives. The First Baptist Church, pictured above, replaced the antebellum Wall Street Baptist Church, which started a separate chapel for African Americans in 1854. This chapel evolved into the Rose Hill Baptist Church on Madison Street and is the oldest African American
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Many of the wealthiest Natchez planters and slave owners also were attorneys with offices near the courthouse. Several of them maintained offices in a line of buildings across from the courthouse known as Lawyers Row which became run-down housing before its demolition in the mid-1900s.
Erected by City of Natchez.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Mississippi - Natchez Trails series list.
Location. 31° 33.589′ N, 91° 24.321′ W. Marker is in Natchez, Mississippi, in Adams County. Marker is on State Street near South Wall Street, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 306 State Street, Natchez MS 39120, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. William Johnson House (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named The William Johnson House (a few steps from this marker); Adams County Confederate Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Intersection of State and South Canal streets (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Texada (about 300
More about this marker. Located in front of Adams County Sheriffs Building.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 2, 2018. It was originally submitted on March 1, 2018, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana. This page has been viewed 330 times since then and 43 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 1, 2018.
