Preserving our past for future generations comes in a variety of acts, small and large. Most of us engage in it in some form or another.

On the small side, for many people, scrapbooks and family Bibles are convenient collecting points for preserving family history.

Carefully selected clippings and photographs weave a tapestry of family history with what can seem like small, almost insignificant things that can mean so much, decades later.

On the larger scale, preserving history can be much more difficult, but equally important and special.

Residents of the Natchez area may often take for granted the history of our area. Citizens routinely walk or drive past great antebellum mansions and Victorian buildings, each with its own history.

Like the family scrapbook, these historic properties weave a tapestry of the Natchez family’s collective history.

Preserving that history is costly, but is of the utmost importance to our community.

Several projects are under way at the moment to preserve and protect some of our area’s most precious historic properties including projects at Melrose, Magnolia Hall and Stanton Hall.

Each property is important to Natchez’s history and the tourism industry. We are deeply thankful for the volunteers and, in the case of Melrose, the Natchez Park Service’s work to preserve and protect our history for generations to see and enjoy.