One of the most successful pieces of the ongoing Natchez Tricentennial programming has been the free weekly Monday night speaker series titled Natchez Legends & Lore that is organized by the Tricentennial Ethnic & Social History Committee. All sessions begin at 5:30 pm; attendance each week has been between 60 and 150 people.

Each week a local expert — sometimes a history professional, sometimes not — shares the stories of a different piece of Natchez history. The session lasts about an hour.

In addition to this variety of stories, another goal of this committee is to get Natchez folks out visiting different parts of the community where they may not have been before. In April we will do this by hearing from four different speakers at four different Natchez churches.

Today, Mimi Miller of the Historic Natchez Foundation will reflect on the town’s historic churches — featuring churches with both black and white congregations. This talk with be held at First Presbyterian Church on the corner of State and South Pearl streets.

On April 11, Judy Wiggins, a retired professor of English from Copiah-Lincoln Community College, will discuss Edith Wyatt Moore, a journalist who made Natchez her home and authored many of the original narratives about Natchez history for use in early Pilgrimage tours. Wiggins’ talk will be at Grace United Methodist Church on Fatherland Road just off Seargent S. Prentiss Drive.

On April 18, Monroe and Betty Sago, who own and operate the Rhythm Night Club On Site Memorial Museum, will present a program titled “The Ties that Bind” that echoes the 2016 theme of the annual Rhythm Night Club anniversary commemoration at noon on the following Saturday. Their talk will provide information on the tragedy that claimed 209 lives on April 23, 1940, as well as their museum efforts. The Sagos’ presentation will be held at Zion Chapel AME Church at the corner of Jefferson and North Rankin streets. Because of its proximity, Zion Chapel was very involved in the recovery efforts after the tragedy.

On April 25, Dr. Betty Baldwin Cade, a retired educator and co-chairman of the Ethnic & Social History Committee, will share a talk titled “Moving from Forgiveness to Healing” that follows on her recovery work last year with the 50th anniversary of the civil rights Parchman Ordeal. Cade’s talk will be held at Word of Faith: Ambassadors Worship Center on South Shields Lane, just off Seargent S. Prentiss Drive, where she serves as co-minister. Look for the big red roofs.

The Tricentennial Ethnic & Social History Committee extends many thanks to the gracious host institutions who have provided hospitality for this series. There are still four months of the 2016 Legends & Lore series whose venues have not yet been set. If your establishment is interested in hosting, please contact Kelin Hendricks at the Natchez Tricentennial Office by calling 1-800-647-6724 or emailing kelin@natchezms300.com.

 

Kathleen Bond is superintendent of Natchez National Historical Park and co-chairman of the Tricentennial Ethnic & Social History Committee.