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NATCHEZ – A new GoFundMe campaign is raising money to restore the Dr. John Bowman Banks house.

Michael Wilson, a Natchez resident, shared the fund-raising page he created on behalf of Thelma Newsome, who is a staff member at the historic site.

Dr. John Bowman Banks was the first African-American Doctor licensed to practice medicine in the city of Natchez. About 1892, the Banks House was initially built in the Queen Anne Style and was remodeled in the Colonial Revival Style after around 1905.

The Banks House, now a museum, served as headquarters for the NAACP during the 1960s and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The house has sustained water damage due to leaks and is in need of repairs. Donations will be used to help make repairs to preserve the structural integrity of the house and prevent further damage to the historical structure and interior.

The Banks House also holds significance as Natchez’s first site on both the American Civil Rights Trail and the Mississippi Freedom Trail. Dr. John Bowman Banks Museum was established in 2020 to offer a perspective of Natchez history and community life during the early 20th Century and to depict the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s.