Natchez — The William Dunbar Chapter of MSSDAR met on Sept. 14 at Benoist-Stier Home, the home of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Benoist.

Natchez National Historical Park Superintendent Kathleen Jenkins delivered a talk titled “Fort Rosalie: New Developments at an Old Fort.”

She explained that the Natchez Indians, who were mound builders, were also agricultural and had cleared nearly 2,000 acres by the time the French came to the area. In addition to trading furs for the European beads, the Natchez Indians traded with the French other captured Indians who were sent to the Carribbean area to be exchanged for African slaves to be brought to the new world.

Fort Rosalie was originally built by the French in 1716, but it was burned by the Natchez Indians in 1729. Two hundered of the 700 French living in the area of the fort were killed. Women and children were taken, and the French retaliated by killing and scattering the Natchez Indians.

After the French and Indian War of 1763, the Brittish took possession of the fort. Most of the soldiers stationed at the newly built Fort Panmure were Scots. The American Revolution later allowed the Spanish to move in.

Natchez became the heart of the Spanish District, and the Spanish Dons laid out the town which today makes up the present downtown of Natchez.

The Treaty of Lorenza was signed in 1795, but the Spanish refused to leave until 1798. The Mississippi Territory was established and Natchez was the center. Few areas can lay the claim to having been controlled by American Indians, French, English and the Spanish.

The National Park Service is in the process of purchasing the Visitors Center and hopes to have the Historical Fort Rosalie Park ready by 2016.

Jenkins announced that Ken Burns documentary about 58 National Parks will be airing on PBS starting Sept. 27.

The series will run for two hours a night for six consecutive nights. The Natchez Park Service will be showing this series at the visitor’s center for those who would like to see this on the big screen. The public is welcome on a first come, first serve basis.

The next meeting of the William Dunbar Chapter will be at 3 p.m. Oct. 12 in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Johnny Dale IV.

Bruce Lewis, chairman of the board and immediate past president of Ducks Unlimited will speak about “ Conserving and Restoring America’s Wetlands and Waterfowl Populations.”