Johann Albert Lotz was born in 1820 in Germany where he worked as a master craftsman woodworker. In 1848 Johann moved to the United States, first stopping in New Orleans where he met his wife Margaretha. Shortly after that they moved to Franklin TN and bought a small plat of land from Fountain Branch Carter. There Johann built his showcase home. The house is two stories and features four large columns in the front reflecting the Greek revival style. Inside he built three fireplaces of varying degrees of woodworking to show his skill. He also built a magnificent walnut railing on the staircase with the first post being a piano leg. On the top he carved his name and the year. Everything from the cabinetry and furniture in the home could be used to show potential clients his range of skill.
Johann and Margaretha had five children of their own Paul, Augustus, Matilda, Julius, and Julian. Also living in the home were Margaretha's two children from a previous marriage, Joseph and Amelia. It's a beautiful home and location sadly the family would not be able to enjoy it properly. Years later on April 12th, 1861 the American Civil War began and the Lotz house would be at the center of one of the bloodiest battles.
Before the battle Julius and Julian passed away from either sickness, drowning, or possibly poison by playing in a creek that had been contaminated. Sources are unsure but I believe they were 3 or 4 years old.
The Union army under the command of Major General John Schofield arrived in Franklin around 4:30am on November 30th. They began setting up their position with their backs to the Harpeth River while repairs were done to the bridges that would allow them to cross and continue north to Nashville. They had been moving all night as they tried to reach Nashville before Confederate General John Bell Hood could cut them off from the 30,000 reinforcements that Major General George Thomas had waiting in Nashville. Due to over confidence and a failure of command or orders being followed (it is unclear) the Union army was able to pass by Confederate troops at Columbia and Spring Hill. This set up the two sides for a meeting 12 miles further at Franklin.
On the morning of the battle the family woke to discover thousands of Union troops. The river however was impassible at the time because of recent rain fall and they could not cross until repairs were done to bridges. With no choice the soldiers began fortifying their position and preparing for battle with over 20,000 Confederate troops. The Carter family, hurriedly sent a message for the Lotz family to come to their home and shelter in the cellar.
Almost 12 hours after the Union troops had arrived in Franklin Hood and his army also arrived in Franklin. Some say Hood was angry at his commanders and troops for allowing the Union to pass in the night and so ordered his men to battle immediately. Others say it was not anger but determination to prevent the joining of two large union forces from meeting in Nashville. Either way this would start one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War sometimes referred to as the Gettysburg of the West.
At some point the Confederates broke through the Union line and brutal hand to hand combat began around the Lotz and Carter Houses and gardens. The Union troops were able to hold their defenses and by 11pm both sides were exhausted. Hood and his men pulled back to regroup and rest. Schofield and the Union took this chance to continue their march to Nashville. Technically that left Franklin in Confederate control but it was not a victory. The Confederate side had 6,252 casualties with 1,750 killed. Among them were six of Hood's Generals one of which was Patrick Cleburne who was arguably one of the best division commander's on either side and today has a small park just a block from the Lotz House named for him.
This was the most exciting investigation we have had so far. We left knowing we had good communication and probably one of the best S-Box interactions we will ever have. But beyond the evidence we collected one thing that stands out in our mind is how much the staff and especially Thomas Cartwright love and care for the spirits. It was evident in every interaction Thomas had whether it was the others using dowsing rods trying to communicate with Eula Lee Carothers or with Mark using his GeoPort.
While we waited for the whole group to arrive Meg and I split up and began taking photos inside the home. Meg went upstairs and was taking a series of photos in the "red room". In her fourth photo a figure can be seen in the back of the mirror. In the following video I go through the photos and then attach the real time audio recording.
Later in the night one of the Lotz House employees told us that there are numerous reports of seeing soldiers in that mirror.
After Thomas gave a history and tour of the home we began investigating. I left stationary cameras in the downstairs gift shop, the stairwell, and the upstairs "red room." With those areas covered we went upstairs to the "children's bedroom." There we used our EMF detector to try and communicate with any spirits present.
Every investigation before this we would leave and be like "nothing much happened but we will listen to the recorders and see what we got." Not this one! We had three of the best S-Box interactions we have ever seen! Really I can't see how they can get much better. To explain what we were doing our S-Box or Spirit Box sweeps very quickly through radio stations so that words of sentences heard are across multiple stations. Meg was listening to the S-Box with noise cancelling headphones so that she could not hear my questions. At one point in this first session I thought we were communicating with several Civil War soldiers. I asked what other battles they had been in and after a few moments Meg listed three cities that also had battles. I asked what state they were from and a few moments later she said a state. She couldn't hear me and I was floored by how accurate the responses were. It took every bit of constraint to not stop and tell her how awesome this was going. I uploaded the whole S-Box session on youtube as well as a short version where I took out the long pauses between questions because I realize some people don't have 20+ minutes.
Full version:
Short version:
After investigating in a few other rooms we returned to the bedroom where we had such a great S-Box session and tried again. This also did not disappoint. This session was again quite long so I have condensed it in this video. One of the high points of this one was when I asked the soldier if they were here as a hospital. They responded with the word "ether" and then when I asked about their injury they answered "foot" and "they took it". Meg also had the word "sick." Also she heard the phrase "General Hood Killed us." Now before the battle the Union troops moved through the night past where the Confederate army was and were spotted by scouts. According to some accounts Hood says he gave a command to attack but others said no command was given. As I said above overall the battle was a loss and the army of the TN never fully recovered. We also got responses asking for a priest which may have been from a soldier named Willard Tolliver who the staff has identified even researching to find what unit he may have served in.
S-Box Session 2:
Speaking of Hood we also heard a response on the GeoPort that a different group had brought that was possibly about General Hood:
We had a third S-Box session but this time it was at the end of the night and most everyone else had stopped investigating so we played the S-Box out loud since it would not interfere with other investigations and we had several other people in the room with us investigating.
We also made contact with past residents of the house. We were upstairs trying to reach out to Johann Lotz and we received an answer from the Geoport:
And finally in this compilation we possibly made contact with Thomas Carothers.
Since we were making contact with soldiers Meghan decided to read an A.E. Housman poem about soldiers.
Overall this was an amazing experience that has us excited to return. When talking about the paranormal I often say I know I will never have any evidence that will convince a skeptic but this maybe the closest I can possibly come with the photo and S-Box sessions.
Another reason we love the home though was, again, the staff. Everyone we met not only loved the location but they respect and care so much for the spirits that still reside there. I think that helps foster communication.
Rules of the Road trip - 3 highways/directions for 2 hours each and then stop and see where we are and what is there to see/do there.
In February of 2020 we had played this road trip game before: where were they going.
We were dog sitting our Uncle's dog so we loaded her and Gypsy Rover into the car.
We left late at a little after 11am. First we drove to Nashville to pick our first highway. Being near Nashville is a major benefit because we have three major highways that circle the city: I-24, I-40, and I-65. A quick look at a weather map told us that we wanted to aim south and west, we would drive through rain perhaps but it didn't look consistent. So we started on I-40 west towards Memphis. We turned onto I-40 at 11:07am near mile marker 207. Now I have driven this route before so I had an idea that we would end up somewhere near the exits for Jackson because we may not do research before hand but at this point we have been on a lot of road trips and especially in our local area we know pretty well the highways and directions to where we are going. I knew two things for sure on this trip: I didn't want to end up somewhere we had already been and I didn't want to need to go near the Arkansas and Tennessee State line because the Hernando de Soto Bridge which crosses the Mississippi River was closed in May due to cracking in the main support and has caused all traffic to be switched to I-55 to cross the river.
At 1:04 we got off I-40 at exit 87 and jumped on 70 west. The highway was heading south when we first got on it and so we figured it would continue south west however it quickly took a u-turn and began heading north back to I-40. Because of the weather around the area south was better so at 1:17 we yielded 70s remaining time to US45S which branched off of 70 just before it's hook back north.
As we were driving in Jackson we passed a historical marker for "Big Maybelle," Mabel Louise Smith. She was born in Jackson on May 1st, 1924 and began singing Rhythm and Blues professionally at 14. She recorded "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" in 1955 two years before the Jerry Lee Lewis version would become the definitive version. But Lewis credited Maybelle's version as an influence for his. Here is one of her early songs released in 1953.
We also passed through "Historic Bemis." At one point it was a company town in Madison County centered around cotton mill owned by Judson Moss Bemis. Under the direction of his son Albert Farwell Bemis several residential neighborhoods were planned out as well as services for the residents. The process started around 1900 and by 1926 there were Bemis schools, post office, The Bemis United Methodist Church, a YMCA, and an 850 seat auditorium. Around 1965 the company began selling off bits of the town including the homes with the owners being offered financing from the company and within a decade most of the town was sold. In 1977 the town was annexed by Jackson and while there is a Bemis Historic District listed on the National Historic Register the mill and many other buildings have been taken down.
As we continued south we switched stations on the radio to try and avoid commercials and eventually had settled on a local station WFHU 91.5 The Lion. The car display gave a request phone number but when Meg tried to call to request "Greyhound" by Harry Chapin, a superb road trip song, the phone just rang. We tried to text the number but I got a reject response because it was a land line. At one point the DJ began talking about a local shop called Sweetly Ever After that was closing later this month as the owner was retiring to spend more time with her Grandchildren. He urged listeners to check out the shop while they still had a chance. Well, we felt like since we were in the area we should check it out and entered the address. Incredibly it was on our way just about seven minutes ahead on our left. Unfortunately when we arrived the shop was closed. The owner is counting down her days to a happy retirement and the shop is currently open on Thursdays and Fridays. To bad for us because every review I have looked up says the cupcakes are the best. Looking at the company Facebook page it appears that someone is purchasing the business so hopefully the same great desserts will be served going forward under new owners. Maybe some day we will be in the Henderson TN area again and get to try it for ourselves.
For more road tripping and Harry Chapin here is a blog post from last year. Story of a life
We passed a sign for Pinson Mounds State Archaeological Park. Now to stop there would have been way too long of a stop but it is one of those locations we can note to return to at a later date. The site is 400 acres and features at least 30 mounds built between 100-300AD.
As we crossed into Chester county the highway became the "Rockabilly Highway" named for the Rockabilly music. The musical style became popular in the 50s and was a combination of country and western with rhythm and blues and is considered the start of rock music. The whole area is rich in that musical history.
Eventually we were reaching Tupelo and we had a decision to make because we were almost at the end of two hours we could take 22 however one direction would bring us to Memphis and the other direction would bring us to Birmingham, both places we had been already. However just three minutes later was 278 west. We opted for the latter highway and turned west towards a town we had never heard of before.... Clarksdale.
As we drove down 278 we crossed over the Tallahatchie River. Immediately the song "Ode to Billie Joe," though it took me a few minutes to think of the title, came to mind. The song is a haunting tune with a few unanswered questions in it. Bobbie Gentry described the song as an example of "unconscious cruelty" and it definitely shows a disconnect of insight into emotions of others.
As we approached our destination we (well Meg) passed time by looking at the clouds and she saw Scooby Doo!
You see it right?
Clarksdale is the county seat of Coahoma County. For thousands of years the Choctaw and Chickasaw people lived in the area until the 1830 Indian Removal Act when they were forced away from their ancestral home to Oklahoma. In 1848 John Clark started a timber business and a trading post. In 1879 the Louisville, New Orleans, and Texas Railway was built through the town and in 1882 the town was incorporated. By 1920 The Illinois Central Railroad also passed through Clarksdale. Many African Americans would use that line to move north to Chicago and other areas looking for better economic opportunities and looking to escape violence and racism like Jim Crowe laws. This movement would become known as the Great Northward Migration which saw six million African Americans move from the south to northern and western cities like Chicago, New York, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia.
Martin Luther King Jr would visit Clarksdale twice first on May 29, 1958 for a meeting of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. In 1962 he returned and Clarksdale was the first stop on a tour of many towns in the region.
The town has also played a large role in the history of blues. Ike Turner was born in Clarksdale and began his musical career there. Duke Ellington, Sonny Boy Williamson, Robert Nighthawk, and Ike Turner all stayed at the Riverside Hotel. Ike reportedly wrote Rocket 88 in room 7.
It is also said that at the Crossroads in Clarksdale Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil to become the greatest guitarist and blues musician to ever live.
For some modern day music Morgan Freeman owns a nightclub in town called Ground Zero, recognizing Clarksdale as ground zero of blues.
Also of interest to us was the Carnegie Library in Clarksdale. Between 1883 and 1929 over 2,500 libraries were built with donations from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.
After driving around Clarksdale we began heading home. We hadn't eaten since breakfast which was awesome because it was zucchini and eggs with the zucchini from our garden and potatoes also from my garden but it was now almost six and we were hungry. The best route home took us up towards Memphis so we looked up breweries there and settled on Ghost River Brewing because they had an awesome symbol and were dog friendly.
They didn't serve food but they did have a food truck: Gandy's Grub Hub we split a quesadilla and ordered our own burgers before splitting an order of fried twinkies.
The brewery was a nice spot with a large outdoor area, private room, yard games, and live music. They did not have flights so we read the descriptions and each ordered a couple of beers. Our favorite was the Grind-N-Shine cream ale which we brought home a crowler of for later. What really sold us on the brewery though was when Meg noticed a shirt behind the bar that said "Made to Wander." What a great slogan to describe the road trip and the whole day.
Last Friday we stopped for a couple of hours at Mt. Olivet one of the oldest and largest cemeteries in Nashville, TN for a brief paranormal investigation. We had planned to be there longer but because of different events during the day we arrived very late. We thought about skipping it and just going back another day but then decided we could use this time to get some basic photos and familiarize ourselves a little and then plan a return.
The cemetery was founded by two Tennessee businessmen, Adrian Van Sinderen Lindsley and John Buddeke, in 1856. A little less than thirty years later Lindsley passed away and was buried at Mt. Olivet. The architecture of the cemetery is Gothic Revival and at one point there was a chapel in that style built by Hugh Cathcart Thompson, the architect of the famous Rhyman Auditorium.
For this investigation we each carried a recorder, Meghan had her Canon rebel DSL camera, I had an infrared camera, the S-Box, and a body camera.
We started the investigation by just pulling over and then splitting up and walking around looking at the different graves. Because it was late I did not try and find some of the more notable burials in the cemetery like Thomas Rhyman, Edward Barnard, and Anne Dallas Dudley. While reading the names on the graves we recognized many of the family names from counties and streets of Tennessee. As we got out of the car we split up with Meghan going to graves to the right of the car and me walking forward further into the cemetery. As I have done in past investigations I pulled out a few of the best captures and also uploaded to youtube a full video of all the EVPs and the S-Box session.
The first EVP that I separated out in to its own clip was what we believe to be a residual haunting of someone saying a prayer.
I also pulled out a clip to compare an EVP that was recorded on both Meg and my recorder.
And the final clip I separated was our favorite and one that made us certain we needed to return. I had parked across from a tall monument for the Weaver- Cole- Cheatham family. Meg had gone there to investigate while I wandered away to some of the larger tombs.
Meg began reading the writing on the graves out load one by one beginning with Dempsey Weaver, 1815-1880. Dempsey was one of the founders of Third National Bank in Nashville and at one time was Treasurer of Vanderbilt University.
After Dempsey Meg moved on to his son, Thomas Weaver's family. Thomas was born in 1850 and passed away suddenly in 1911 in Florida. He had followed his father's footsteps working in banking and serving as trustee for Vanderbilt University. He married Mattie Cheatham in 1872. Her maiden name was one of the names we recognized as the county next to us is Cheatham county. From there Meg moved on to the grave of their son Richard Cheatham Weaver, 1895-1913. He was only 18 when he died of an accidental gun shot wound to the abdomen.
Next she moved to the grave of his oldest brother Thomas Shadrack Weaver Jr, 1873-1918. Thomas
It was at these last two graves where Meg recorded an EVP that convinced us we have to go back. As Meg moved to Richard's grave a voice says "Hey read me". When we first listened we questioned whether in 1913 "Hey" would have been used in that way because we think of it as a more modern usage. Meg check out the etymological use of the word and indeed it dates back to the 15th century. And to further confirm the voice was Richard when she moved on to Thomas Jr we hear the same voice say "now come back."
As we were listening to the recordings we read about the family history. The Weaver family owned a home called Seven Oaks which burned down but would have been near the Nashville Airport, and there are Seven Oaks apartments and Seven Oaks Park still in the area. Not only was Weaver a well known name but they had connections to the Cheatham family as mentioned above and also the Cole family who owned Colemere which is now a restaurant and event space called Monelle's at the Manor. We definitely had fun learning about some of the history of these families in Nashville and look forward to returning not just to revisit Richard but to see what else we can learn about Nashville and the people who once lived here.
Here is the full video including several other EVPs and our S-Box session.
Thank you for watching we have some big plans ahead in the next few months and look forward to sharing the results.
Well, well, well post number 100 and it is a long one!
At some point in 2018 my Mom told me that for Christmas she didn't want gifts anymore because she didn't need things she just wanted time spent together. So I started doing what I love to do, planning a road trip. We had driven a little bit of the Natchez Trace Parkway a couple of years ago when our best friend from High School had finished her Medical Program in Jackson, MS. I knew my Mom wanted to drive the whole Trace at some point because it is one of the most beautiful drives and at 444 miles it isn't that bad a trip.
So I worked out a mix of stops that included some of the beautiful examples of nature, major sites and towns along the way, and historical locations along the Trace. Her full Christmas gift was an all expense paid three day trip down the Natchez Trace.
For those who don't know about the Natchez Trace it is a path from Nashville, TN, to Natchez, MS, that has been used by both animals and humans for 9000 years. The years between 1790-1820 saw some of the heaviest foot traffic along the Trace as many different groups used it from Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Natchez Indian tribes, the rough and tough Kaintucks,boatmen who sailed their wares and crops down the Mississippi River to trade and sell in MS and then walked back to their homes as far away as Iowa, to the speedy riders of the early Pony Express, to settlers looking for more land and a future in the southern states of MS and LA, and finally troops marching home during the War of 1812. Eventually steamboats would take over as the best way to travel and the Trace saw less and less traffic. Today the Natchez Trace Parkway follows fairly closely to the old Trace path.
One traveller, Francis Bailey in 1797 said of the Old Trace:
"Surrounded on each side with a deep wall of woods, I enjoyed the serenity of the evening in silent meditation: everything I saw and heard taught me a lesson which required not the powers of oratory to embellish it."
This is going to be a long post because I think we stopped at just about every single stop. They were marked nicely with sign posts identifying each stop and a warning sign about half a mile that noted either a historical marker or nature stop ahead so even stops I didn't have planned beckoned to us.
DAY 1:
The trip began early with breakfast at the Loveless Cafe less than a mile from the 444 mile marker of the Natchez Trace Parkway. The Loveless is well known in Nashville as a great spot for southern cooking and especially the home made biscuits and freshly made jams. I knew a hearty breakfast would keep us going on the drive especially because, since the Trace is a path known for its scenic and natural path, there aren't gas stations or restaurants to easily pull off at during the ride. Most stops involve leaving the Trace and traveling a bit. We did pack a cooler of water, Diet Coke, and YooHoo keeping in mind that we would not be able to easily stop for drinks during the trip.
The next point of interest was just after we got on the Trace when we crossed over the Birdsong Hollow Double Arch Bridge. This bridge is featured on lots of post cards and pictures of the Trace. However driving over it you don't really get to see the architecture of the bridge. But I did make note of it.
There is so much to see along the Trace if you like history and nature that we never really went very far before we had another stop especially in the early part of the trip. Stop three was at mile marker 426.1 at Leiper's Fork when we came to a memorial marker for the troops who used the Trace during the War of 1812. General Andrew Jackson had moved troops North and South along the Trace, to ward off the British forces.
"This Monument memorializes War of 1812 soldiers buried along the Old Natchez Trace, and it honors the service of all brave volunteers who marched on the Natchez Trace during the War of 1812 to help establish American Independence. The Natchez Trace served as an important route to move troops for the defense of the gulf coast region. Tennessee volunteer cavalry under leadership of Andrew Jackson marched down the Natchez Trace to Natchez in 1813. General Jackson marched with his soldiers on their return April 1813. Soldier detachments under Jackson's command again marched on the Natchez Trace in 1814 and following the Battle of New Orleans most of the Americans who fought the battle returned on the Trace. Volunteers marched hundreds of miles often in severe weather with little food and inadequate equipment. Natchez Trace inns served as hospitals. Soldiers who did not survive the marches are buried in unmarked graves along the trace. On General Jackson's return near this point he proclaimed his view of the significance of the victory earned by the soldiers' sacrifices 'Our rights will henceforth be respected.'"
Mile marker 423.9 and the Gordon House was our fourth stop of the day. The Gordon House is significant because not only was it the home of John Gordon who in the early 1800s made an agreement with Chief George Colbert of the Chickasaw Tribe to operate a trading post and ferry on the Duck River but amazingly the home is still standing today. John Gordon began operating his ferry in 1803 and despite dying shortly after the house was built his ferry was used for over 100 years until 1896 when a bridge was built across the Duck River replacing the ferry.
Unfortunately the first day of the trip was a little rainy and very muddy so our next stop wasn't fully explored because it would have involved a walk to Jackson Falls in one direction and Baker Bluff in the other. However we were only about forty miles from home so some day when the weather is better we will return. we did get out to walk around a little but didn't go all the way to the main falls. We did stop to admire one of the beautiful trees we kept seeing along the Trace as we drove. We were so early in spring that most trees only had small buds if anything on them but then there were these beautiful purple flowering trees that stood out among the mostly barren trees.
At mile marker 400.2 we came to a stop along the trace Parkway that my Dad would have loved and probably considered his favorite. Reading about it immediately made me think of him. The stop is called Sheboss Stand. During the late 1700s and early 1800s stands or inns were opened at roughly a days journey distance from each other. The Chickasaw tribe who owned the land allowed the operation of Stands as long as the proprietors were Native American. The sign explained that somewhere near the spot we were at Sheboss Stand was operated. The reason for the name was that a woman whose last name was Cranfield operated the inn along with her second husband who was Native American. When travelers would stop and ask him a question he would point to his wife and only answer "She boss." I'm pretty sure that had my Dad heard that story he would have adopted that same answer when ever someone asked him a question and would have pointed to my Mom.
Our next stop again was washed out but would have been at 391.9 for Fall Hallow Waterfall which would have been a roughly hour long walk to the falls. We skipped it and continued to one of the most mysterious locations along the Trace at mile marker 385.9, Grinder's Stand. Here the explorer Meriwether Lewis who along with William Clark had explored the Louisiana Purchase and Pacific Northwest passed away on October 11, 1809 and was buried under curious circumstances. Lewis was traveling to Washington DC, nearly bankrupt, to submit paperwork on his expeditions and writings on his discoveries. It is unknown though suspected that he committed suicide as he had been very depressed at his bankruptcy and his failed political career. Though there are also reports of him being concerned that he was being followed and that some thought they had seen a man run from his quarters after hearing a gun shot. The monument stands in the Pioneer Cemetery over where Lewis was buried but was built in 1848. Also buried around him are early settlers that lived or passed away while traveling in the area.
The monument is a broken column representing the life cut short and along the base all four sides have writing about the life of Lewis:
"Meriwether Lewis born near Charlottesville, VA Aug 18, 1774 Died Oct 11 1809 aged 35 years. An officer of the Regular Army Private Secretary of President Jefferson, Commander of the Expedition to the Oregon in 1803-1806, Governor of the Territory of Louisiana, His melancholy death occurred where this monument now stands and under which rests his mortal remains. In the language of Jefferson his courage was undaunted; his firmness and perseverance yielded to nothing but impossibilities rigid disciplinarian yet tender as a father of those committed to his charge honest, disinterested liberal with a sound understanding and a scrupulous fidelity to truth."
Nearby was some informational plaques about Lewis and his historical importance as well as a compass rose pointing out the distance of some of the locations Lewis had lived and explored in his short life.
Next we stopped at Napier's Mine and the Metal Ford. The location was used to cross the Buffalo River when as long as there hadn't been a heavy rain travelers would be able to cross. It was called metal ford because the stone of the river reminded travelers of stone 'metaled roads.' We marveled at the way the stone changed color and how beautifully clear the water was to allow us to see the differences.
And then we reached our first State Line of the trip as we passed from TN into Alabama.
Our first stop in Alabama was at mile marker 338 at the Wichahpi Commemorative Stone Wall otherwise known as Tom's Rocks. Tom is Tom Hendrix who had worked for over 30 years to build the wall in memory of his great great grandmother's journey. Her name was Tel-ay-nay and she was a member of the Yuchi Tribe who lived along the Tennessee River in the 1800s. She was forced to leave her home along with her family and the rest of her tribe during the Indian removal to Oklahoma in the 1800s. For her tribe the Tennessee River was called the Singing River because according to myth a woman lived in the river and sang to them. According to family stories when she arrived in Oklahoma she said the streams and rivers did not sing to her and she wanted to return home. And she did so alone. His family passed on the stories of her amazing journey to Tom and he was moved to build the wall when he was speaking to an elder who told him "all things shall pass. Only the stones will remain." Unfortunately Tom passed away but the current owners of the property still allow people to visit the wall. When we were there walking among the stones two woman pulled up shortly after us. They were returning visitors and told us how on a previous visit Tom had been outside and stopped to speak with visitors about his family stories and the wall. Wichahpi means 'like the stars' which is appropriate since the stars are so many and of various degrees of brightness and color and so are the rocks. The path is very natural as it curves and changes width. One visitor, Charlie Two Moons, was quoted as saying:
"When they come, some will ask, 'Why does it bend, and why is it higher and wider in some places than in others?' Tell them it is like your great-great-grandmother's journey, and their journey through life-- it is never straight."
For me it was a peaceful place and you could feel the power, love, and dedication in his task.
After this we reached our first trip off the trace at mile marker 320 we exited at the Buzzard Roost Spring where Levi Colbert a Chickasaw Chief had once owned and operated a stand for travelers and we headed to Tuscumbia, Alabama and the birth place of Helen Keller built in 1820 by Helen's Grandparents David and Mary Fairfax Moore Keller.
Here I got to see the well that Ann Sullivan famously used to introduce seven year old Helen to language. As she poured water from the pump into one of Helen's hands she traced out the word water in her other hand.
We left Helen Keller's home to drive along Andrew Jackson's military road, one of the larger roads that were built in the 1800s and eventually took the place of the Natchez Trace. The military road was commissioned in 1815 to be a shorter and more direct path between Nashville and New Orleans making what had been a month long journey possible in 17 days. We passed by the Coldwater Stage Coach Stop which would have served as a rest stop for travelers on the military road.
We drove a town over to Florence, Alabama to see a home designed by famed American architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
And the birthplace of W.C. Handy referred to as the "Father of Blues" because he brought blues music to a much larger audience and greatly increased its popularity. Reading quotes from Handy it is clear that he found music in everything from nature to the sounds made by those around him. One of my favorite songs is Walking in Memphis and in the song the singer asks W.C. Handy to "look down over me."
That was our last stop for the day and we spent the night at the Wyndam Microtel in Florence. As we checked in we asked the staff if there was any place they recommended to get a bite to eat. They asked what we were looking for and we said local cooking, not a chain. They recommended a nearby place called Momma Jean's. So we finished checking in and put my Mom's dog in the hotel room to rest and we headed back out.
The food was country cooking and we all ordered some version of a meat and three (meat and three sides). The food was really good and just what we needed after a long day of driving. We had gone 120 miles on the Natchez Trace Parkway on the first day and were exhausted.
DAY 2:
We started day 2 by visiting two of the oldest sites on the Natchez Trace. The first was Bear Creek Mound at mile marker 308.8. The mound was built by Native Americans and housed a temple on top of it. This site dates back to 8000-7000 BCE.
Twenty miles later at 286.7 we came to the Pharr Mounds, the largest and most important archeological site in north eastern Mississippi. Pharr Mounds are not as old as Bear Creek, dating to around 1200 AD, it is a series of eight dome shaped mounds used by the Chickasaw people to bury their dead. Bear Creek was flat on top to hold the temple as opposed to the domes of Pharr.
At 278.4 we reached Twenty Mile Bottom and a beautiful view. Also a cool thing was starting to happen. When we had left Nashville as I said before there were mostly barren trees with really just that one early flowering tree really standing out. Well now even though we really hadn't gone very far we were starting to see more and more greens, like a variety of them. The new growth of the different trees gave a varied assortment of greens. Now I realize we were also starting to see more pines as well but even the grass and bushes were showing more signs of green.
A few miles later at 269.4 we reached a different time period in the history of the Trace. A short walk brought us to the graves of 13 unknown Confederate soldiers. The soldiers had died nearby while troops moved along the Trace and they were buried. It is not known when they passed as there were several different times when troops moved around the area.
Three miles later at 266 we reached the Natchez Trace Headquarters. Here there is a gift shop and lots of information about the Trace including a roughly 20 minute movie about the different people and events of the Trace. We watched the video already recognizing several points of interest from our travels and we picked up our National Parks Passports and stamps for the Parkway. Now I can use the passport book to pick different National Parks for the three of us to visit in future road trips.
At 259.7 we reached our second trip off the Trace as we left the Trace to visit Tupelo, Mississippi. We first came to a monument to all those who died during the Battle of Tupelo in the Civil War.
The battle of Tupelo was fought in July of 1864 and was a Union victory that assured Sherman's supply lines would be safe as he marched towards Atlanta.
Our next destination in Tupelo was the birth place of Elvis Presley. Though I wouldn't describe any of us as huge Elvis fans I wasn't going to be this close to the birth place of a musical legend and not stop. Looking at the small home he was born in and the 1939 Plymouth that his father had used to carry the family and all their belongings to Memphis in the middle of the night really made the quote displayed with a picture of Elvis in his Memphis mansion living room striking:
"We have come a long way from Tupelo."
That house, built by his father, was where on January 8th, 1935 one of the most iconic American musicians of all time was born. All around the Visitor Center were stories and quotes from neighbors, friends, and family about Elvis and his childhood. Of course one such story was when Elvis got his first guitar. Apparently for his birthday Elvis' mother had brought him to the Tupelo Hardware store owned by F. L. Bobo. Elvis had his heart set on either a bicycle or a rifle. However his Mother was concerned about the danger of a rifle and Elvis being injured on the bike. Mr. Bobo recommended a guitar and handed one to Elvis. Realizing he had no other option Elvis took the guitar. One thing I noticed on the boards was that his desire for a bicycle did not go away. One card from a friend mentions lending Elvis a bike to ride, another one says that Elvis had asked to switch his guitar for his friends bike.
After leaving Elvis' birthplace our last stop in Tupelo was some lunch at the Neon Pig Cafe proud home of the "best smash burger in the USA." Described as "house grind includes benton's bacon + filet + ribeye + sirlon + new york + benton's bacon bits + cheddar cheese + quick pickles + pickled onion + hoisin + comeback + ciabatta." And man was it good!
We returned to the Trace for our next stop at Black Belt or Black Prairie. Long ago the area had been under the ocean and shells and marine organism deposited to form limestone. Once the ocean retreated the limestone was exposed to all types of weather and resulted in a dark and rich soil now considered excellent pasture land.
Our next stop was Tockshish, in 1801 the second post office along the Trace was opened up. This served a relay station where post riders could switch tired horses for rested ones. After al they had a harsh schedule to keep too. They had a travel time of five days from Nashville and were expected in Natchez seven days after leaving Tockshish.
At mile marker 233.2 we stopped at Witch Dance a stop inside the Tombigbee National Forest. As the story goes in this location Witches used to gather for ceremonies and dances. Where their feet touched the ground the grass would wither and die and no grass would grow again. Looking around I saw several spots of dead grass around the new spring growth. Did witches once dance here and stop grass from growing? I hope not or else I'll never look at bald spots in my yard the same way again.
We didn't go much further before we reached the Bynum Mounds built by the Chickasaw to honor their dead. As we were driving we had seen signs for the Indian Mounds tour, a path that would take travelers through Alabama and Mississippi to visit all of the long standing memorials to the Native Americans who once lived in the area. An informational plaque near these mounds quoted Tribal Anthropologist LaDonna Brown:
"Being a modern Chickasaw .... and knowing that the mounds and this civilization were created by my ancestors ... it gives us a sense of belonging."
Then we reached a monumental moment in the trip mile marker 222- the half way mark of the Natchez Trace Parkway. We were a little sad that there wasn't a good spot to pull over near the post to take a picture with but still were able to get a picture of the post alone.
I'm glad we took our time with the Trace and we were able to pull over and take in the nature and all the different aspects of the history of the Trace. For example we passed Line Creek which served as a boundary between the Choctaw and Chickasaw Native American Tribes. We also passed Pigeon Roost which marked the spot where millions of migrating passenger pigeons, now extinct, once settled.
We then pulled over at stop for Jeff Busby Park. While serving in the US congress representing Mississippi on February 15, 1934 Busby introduced the bill authorizing a survey of the Old Trace in preparation for the road becoming part of the National Park System. We stopped to enjoy the beautiful overlook all around us and took a picture of my Mom's convertible looking like a page out of a travel magazine.
And that brought us to the last stop of the day at 180.7 and French Camp. Louis LeFleur started a stand here in 1812 at the time called "Frenchman's Stand" which he operated with his wife Rebecca Cravatt, niece of Choctaw Chief Pushmataha. Now a small town has developed centered around a Christian school which got its earliest begins in 1885 when an all girl high school was started with forty students. Later that year a school for boys was opened and was called French Camp Academy. In 1915 the two schools were combined under the name French Camp Academy. Most of the businesses in the historic downtown seem to be in service of the school and helping to cover expenses. The town also has some of the old buildings preserved for visitors to see as well as the coach of Louis Lefleur's son Greenwood Lefore, he changed the spelling of the last name.
We had our own cabin called the Buford Cabin dedicated on May 29th, 2004 in honor of William Burford a graduate of French Camp Academy class of 1937. The plaque at the door explains:
"This cabin is dedicated to the glory of God in memory of William Milton Burford. Bill considered growing up in French Camp as one of life's greatest blessings. Through that experience, he grew into a man of faith, integrity, hard work, optimism, and humor. His life and the twinkle in his eye warmed those around him like a ray of sunshine. No matter how far away life took him, French Camp always held a treasured place in his heart."
Also in French Camp was the Council House Cafe and from what I saw online we needed to try the potato soup and we did! I also had the FAMOUS Big Ed's BLT which the menu noted travelers rave over up and down the Trace. The description was crispy bacon, lettuce, tomato, and the one-and-only Council House spicy garlic mayonnaise.
Some of the other businesses in the historic downtown besides the Bed and Breakfast and Council House Cafe are a small gift shop, Christian radio station, and a planetarium called the Rainwater Observatory.
DAY 3:
After breakfast in the dining room of French Camp Bed and Breakfast we left to continue our drive South along the Trace and spring became even more apparent. Day 3 weather was beautiful, day 2 was as well, and we were able to drive the whole way with the top down. Just like Line Creek served as a boundary marker we found a line of trees at mile marker 128.4 that marked the Upper Choctaw boundary as determined by the Treaty of Doak's Stand.
Our next stop was a splendid view of the Pearl River so named by Pierre Le Moyne in 1698 when he sailed into the river and found pearls.
And then we came to one of the stops I had been looking forward to the most: the Cypress Swamp at mile marker 122. Here we saw baldcypress trees and water tupelo, plants that take root in the dry summers and then can survive submerged for the rest of the year. As we took the twenty minute walk around the swamp we listened to the sounds of birds singing and marveled at the still reflections of the trees on the water. Walking slowly we also got to see some of the residents of the swamp including a snake, small lizard, turtles, and finally an alligator.
After leaving the swamp we had long stretch of uninterrupted driving so Meghan used my phone to take a time lapse out the top of the car.
And then we took another trip off the Trace to explore some of the sites in Jackson, Mississippi. The first stop was the Boyd House or Oaks House. This was home to James Boyd who served as Mayor of Jackson several times. The house built in 1853 is one of the few buildings that survived the Civl War undamaged.
We stopped for lunch at the Pig and Pint, recommended by our friend who had lived in Jackson for awhile. She highly recommended the fried green tomatoes. So I ordered the Fried Green Tomato Sandwich with a side of mac and cheese.
And then we drove to the Mississippi Petrified Forest. Which was cool but not what i was expecting, I let my imagination get the better of me. Without knowing anything about it and just hearing the name I expected to find trees standing up from the ground that had been turned to stone. I don't really know how I thought that happened. The forest consisted of pieces of petrified wood surrounded by tall pine trees. It was amazing to touch and feel the ancient pieces of wood, some from tree species that are now extinct.
Next we returned to the Trace and passed the Battle of Raymond Memorial a battle that was a Union victory and convinced General Ulysses Grant of the need to take Jackson in order to be successful at the Battle of Vicksburg and to gain control of the Mississippi River.
All along the Trace we had seen signs pointing to the Old Trace but I had passed them because I had planned to stop at mile marker 41.5 to get out and actually walk along the old or sunken trace.
Later at mile marker 10.3 we reached Emerald Mound the second largest Native American Mound in the United States covering over 8 acres. The flat topped Mound was built and used between 1300-1600 by the Mississippians predecessors of the Natchez Tribe and had secondary mounds on top of it as well as a temple.
That was our final stop along the Trace and we entered the city of Natchez and headed to our bed and breakfast for the night Aunt Clara's Cottage part of the Devereaux Shields homes.
After settling in with we left to get dinner at The Camp restaurant in Natchez. The area where the restaurant is located is right along the Mississippi in an area called Under The Hill. We pulled up just in time for a beautiful sunset over the Mississippi.
We sat out back in their beautiful beer garden.
DAY 4:
We had a few stops planned in Natchez but not many since we had a long drive back home. First was a visit to St. Mary Basilica. The Basilica was designed and completed by James Hardie in 1882 in the Gothic revival style.
We stopped at City Hall to see a monument to a beloved city pet "Tripod the cat." Tripod had a four year term in city hall from June 1979 - October 1983. Tripod hung around city hall and employees began feeding him and soon he had a cat bed and a permanent home in City Hall. Although there is a story of one Alderman, Hall Wilson, who either didn't like or was allergic to cats. During a meeting he motioned for the cat to be banned from City Hall. The motion did not have a second and so did not pass. A second Alderman, Al Graning, then motioned for Hall to be banned from City Hall.
Our final stop in Natchez was at the donut shop for a sweet treat for the road.
Next we got a little lost and ended up making a beautiful discovery. Windsor Ruins is one of the most written and talked about places in Mississippi however it was a fifty minute detour of the Trace and I had chosen to skip it on this trip. Apparently that wasn't to be. We found ourselves at on a small winding road and soon right in front of the ruins.
We also saw a majestic bald eagle just a few miles away from the ruins. He was eating at the side of the road but as the car approached he took off into the sky. It was an unexpected and wonderful surprise.
Our trip took a sad turn as we drove through the flooded Mississippi Delta. On both sides of the highway we saw flooded fields, streets , and houses from rain waters flowing South. This was probably the same rain and flood that had caused the Cumberland to spill into Riverfront Park in Nashville. The Duck and Tennessee River had also flooded in several places throughout TN and further South as well. On the GPS the map showed green for fields but all we saw was water.
Our destination was Onward, Mississippi the birth place of the Teddy Bear. In 1902 Teddy Roosevelt was in Mississippi and during a black bear hunt he had been unsuccessful. Apparently a bear cub was captured and chained up so that Roosevelt could have a successful hunt. Teddy refused to shoot the bear. On November 16th the Washington Post ran a comic strip by Clifford Berryman called "Drawing the Line." Toymakers in NY saw the comic strip and began work on a new toy "Teddy's Bear" which became the Teddy Bear sometime around 1906.
We then turned North and headed to Oxford, MS where William Faulkner, creator of Yoknapatawpha County, is buried. The first work by Faulkner I ever read was a short story called Barn Burning. The first full novel I read was Go Down Moses and it left me completely confused at times but also left me wanting to read more.
A short distance away we reached downtown Oxford where there is a statue of Faulkner sitting on a bench holding his pipe as if in a conversation with someone.
From Oxford we drove a few more hours back to Florence, AL where we spent another night in the Wyndam Microtell before finishing the drive the next morning.
What a great trip it was a lot of fun and really a beautiful drive. I feel like it is one we will be taking again. We certainly need to return to Natchez sometime, later this year there is a hot air ballon festival and we might try to see that.
