NATCHEZ &045; It took $2.25 million and three years of research and construction by Park Service staffers, friends and contractors to restore the house of free black diarist William Johnson.

But at long last, the National Park Service will hold the house’s grand opening Feb. 26, officially naming it as part of the Natchez National Historical Park. The grand opening ceremony will be held at 9 a.m. in the Natchez Convention Center due to unpredictable weather, said park Superintendent Keith Whisenant.

A ribbon cutting will then be held at the house on State Street, with tours to follow. Several Park Service dignitaries will be on hand,

including agency Director Fran Minella.

The ceremony is being held in conjunction with this year’s Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration, which will explore the lives and times of free black people in the antebellum South.

Whisenant said the William Johnson House will be a valuable addition to the park, which also includes the antebellum house Melrose and part of the site of Fort Rosalie. &uot;It brings to Natchez an example of the history of Natchez that’s not just from a white planter perspective,&uot; Whisenant said.

&uot;It brings in the history of middle-class merchants (and is) also a fuller telling of the African-American story.&uot;

A soft opening of the house was held in late September, but much larger and detailed exhibits will be displayed in the building this time around, Whisenant said.

Those will include a touch screen with quotes from Johnson, a tactile exhibit for the blind, original court papers from the Johnson murder trial and historic paintings of Natchez.

From the time public hearings were first held on the restoration about three years ago, it has taken $2 million to restore the house and $250,000 to build exhibits.

Along the way some hurdles, including recovery of artifacts from the &uot;footprint&uot; of another house below the Johnson House foundation, had to be overcome. But Whisenant said he thinks &uot;the public will be impressed by the results.&uot;

In the foreseeable future, with funds available, the Park Service would like to place more exhibits in the kitchen annex behind the house, he said.