The very definition of living history.

Who Are We?

The Pilgrimage Garden Club of Natchez was formed in 1937 by members of the original Natchez Garden Club, which was established in 1927 in the garden of Green Leaves.  Its stated purpose is to restore and preserve the historical, architectural, and cultural treasures of Natchez and to welcome and entertain visitors through organized pilgrimages.

This has been accomplished for over 80 years by a dedicated group of ladies and gentlemen which has grown from a handful to over 700 members today. 

In 1938 the Pilgrimage Garden Club purchased the magnificent Greek Revival mansion Stanton Hall, which had many uses after its sale by the Stanton family, including as Stanton College for Young Ladies. Today Stanton Hall has been immaculately restored to its former grandeur by the Pilgrimage Garden Club, aided by generous donations of original furniture from Stanton descendants. 

In 1970 Longwood, the octagonal mansion of the Nutt family which remains unfinished because of the Civil War, was donated by the McAdams Foundation to the Pilgrimage Garden Club, which then purchased the surrounding acreage. 

Today both Stanton Hall and Longwood, now National Historic Landmarks and Mississippi Landmarks, welcome thousands of visitors from around the world daily and serve as spectacular event venues. 

Additionally, the Pilgrimage Garden Club organizes Spring and Fall Pilgrimages of its members’ historic private homes. It also serves as a social and educational club, with a pool, regular informative programs, flower shows, social events for members and their children, and opportunities to participate in the preservation of the history of Natchez. 

The History of Natchez

Founded in 1716, Natchez is the oldest city on the Mississippi River.

The first route into Natchez was the Natchez Trace, originally a buffalo trail and later used by Native Americans and early settlers. Flatboat men plied their craft down river to Natchez or New Orleans, sold their goods and boats, and walked or rode wagons north toward home on the Trace. With the advent of steamboat travel in the early 19th century, the Trace fell into disuse. Now administered by the National Park Service, it runs 450 miles between Nashville and Natchez, a green and peaceful route dotted with interpretive exhibits, 18th-century inns, and picnic sites.

Occupied by the mound-building and sun-worshipping Natchez Indians for centuries before the French built a fort and established a settlement here in 1716, Natchez was under British rule from 1763, controlled by the Spanish from 1779 to 1798, and was the site of the state’s first assembly in 1817.

Tobacco and indigo were the initial crops, but the introduction of the Whitney in 1795, combined with the already established institution of slavery, revolutionized cotton production and brought great wealth to Natchez planters and merchants. Much of that wealth produced grand city and country estates ranking among the most beautiful in America. Today, Natchez boasts more antebellum structures than any other city of its size in the United States, with 13 National Landmarks and over 1,000 buildings on the National Resister. Some of those properties have been owned and occupied by the same families for over 150 years.

Natchez is also home to dozens of African-American heritage sites, including historic churches, neighborhoods established by freedom after the Civil War, the boyhood home of internationally acclaimed author Richard Wright, and the Forks of the Road, site of the second-largest slave market in the South. In the 19th century, Natchez was home to John Roy Lynch, the first African-American to hold office in Mississippi and the first to chair a major political party convention; Hiram Revels, first African-American elected to either house of Congress; and Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, a classically trained African-American singer who performed for Queen Victoria.

Downtown Natchez offers great shopping — antiques, unique gifts, and bookstores — plus an exceptional number of casual and fine dining restaurants and a cooking school. In Natchez, where Native American, African-American and European cultures have blended to make Natchez a unique place, we’re proud that progress is a neighbor of the past. We’re easy to find at the lower end of the Trace on the bluffs of the Mississippi River.