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NATCHEZ — Wednesday, April 9, the 140th anniversary of the date the first African American doctor in Natchez and in the State of Mississippi received his medical license, was the launch date of a fundraising campaign to restore the roof of his Natchez home.

Built in 1892, the Dr. John Bowman Banks house at 9 Saint Catherine St. holds a lot of history. Not only was it the doctor’s home, but it also served as the NAACP headquarters in the civil rights era. It hosted notable figures such as Booker T. Washington — a friend of Dr. Banks’s, Charles Evers, George Metcalf, Wharlest Jackson and the Deacons of Defense.

“Wow — the history.  If these walls could talk,” said Mayor Dan Gibson during a presentation at the launch of the fundraising campaign at the house on Wednesday.

Gibson said $15,000 needed to be raised immediately to address water leaks from the roof, which have made the upstairs of the house where the NAACP headquarters was located unavailable for tours.

Today, the house holds a museum that is open for tours by appointment. Call 601-807-2537 to learn more. Thelma Newsome, while offering a tour of the museum, said the house had been restored by the grandson of Dr. Banks, Frank Robinson, before it had been conveyed to Rose Hill Missionary Baptist Church.

Restoring the roof without replacing its historic metal roof is important, Newsome said.

Gibson also presented a Key to the City posthumously to Dr. Banks, which he gave to the leaders of the Banks House Museum on Wednesday.

“We are excited to know that this house is here in our city and I predict that, in time, it is going to become a top tourist destination because I know of no other place like it,” Gibson said.

Tax-deductible donations can be made out to the Banks House Museum and mailed to P.O. Box 501 Natchez, MS 39121.