Prince Ibrahima Unveiling by Roscoe Barnes, III, Ph.D. - President of the Mississippi Historical Society

Photos by Bobby Dennis, Director of Natchez Museum of African American Culture

Abdul Rahman Ibrahima Sori, the African prince who spent 40 years enslaved on Thomas Foster’s plantation, now has a historical marker that commemorates his life and legacy.

The marker was unveiled Friday, October 24, near Historic Jefferson College, on the corner of Jefferson College Street and Highway 61 North.

Over 50 people turned out for the event that was hosted by the Natchez Historical Society, the organization that sponsored the marker acquired through the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

Michael Morris, historian and director of the Two Mississippi Museums, served as the guest speaker. He said the story of Ibrahima is one of the most important in American history.

“There are many connections between Ibrahima and Jefferson College, the state’s first institution of higher learning and Mississippi’s birthplace,” he said. “Understanding this story is key to understanding nineteenth century Mississippi. I’m thankful to the Natchez Historical Society for sponsoring this marker to recognize Prince Ibrahima.”

The ceremony attendees included descendants of the prince, historians, MDAH staff, and Alderwoman Valencia Hall, among others.

“What a historic day to honor a man forgotten by the very city that enslaved him, yet by today’s actions he will live in perpetuity,” said Hall after the ceremony. “What a testament to the power of humanity where the descendants of not only Prince Ibrahima were present for this historic moment, but the descendants of Dr. Cox and Mr. Foster standing together as One. A true testament of what it means to bridge races, religions and ethnicities into one through time and healing. Live on Prince Ibrahima!”

Karen Hill, past president of the Natchez Historical Society, shared opening remarks at the event. She said the story of the prince is fascinating and deserved recognition.

“This is the first historical marker honoring the prince. … Many people in this area are familiar with him while others know very little about his life” she said. “His story is one of tragedy and triumph.  If this event stirs interest in him and much more, we have succeeded.”

Hill said the day’s ceremony promoted a sense of community, something that is good for everyone.

David Dreyer, local historian and genealogist, commented on the location of the marker. “We come here today to mark the place where a seemingly improbable meeting occurred,” he said. “Two-hundred-and-eighteen years ago in 1807, Abdul Rahman, the enslaved son of King Ibrahima Sori of Futa Jallon, an independent nation in West Africa, came to the marketplace here to sell sweet potatoes and recognized a man he met 26 years earlier in 1781 at his father’s home in Timbo because he had a patch over one eye.”

The ceremony also featured remarks by Adams County Supervisor Warren Gaines, District 5; and Cheri Young Burkhalter, descendant of Dr. John Coates Cox, whose name appears on the marker.

Dr. Artemus Gaye, a descendant of the prince, was scheduled to speak, but could not attend the event. His remarks were presented by Dr. Roscoe Barnes III, cultural heritage tourism manager at Visit Natchez and president of the Mississippi Historical Society.

Rev. Clifton Marvel, pastor of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, gave the invocation and benediction.

“This historical marker of the prince is a testimonial on these grounds here at Jefferson College that freedom comes with responsibility,” said Gaye. “Freedom has in its letters: Fidelity, Respect, Earnestly, Encouragement, Duty, Obligation, and Mutuality.”

For Gaines, the ceremony was a proud moment. “It’s an honor to be here and be part of this,” he said, adding Ibrahima’s story is one of hope and resilience. “It’s an honor to have this (marker) in my district and in Adams County.”

Gaines said many of Ibrahima’s descendants live in his district.

Burkhalter, the 4th great-granddaughter of Cox, said she loves the story of how Cox and Ibrahima met.

“I follow God, and I read the word,” she said. “God’s hand is so clear in this story it is amazing. What are the chances that Dr. Cox’s life would be saved (in Africa), and what are the chances that Prince Ibrahima would at least be able to die as a free man in Africa. I love the kindness and respect shown by two generations of two families.”

Speaking further, she said, “In this crazy world full of greed and cruelty, two generation of two families tried to do the right thing. They were a good, descent, respectful, loving people, and I just love that.”

Marker honoring Prince Ibrahima to be dedicated Oct. 24

 Marker honoring Prince Ibrahima to be dedicated Oct. 24

A historical marker honoring Prince Abdul Rahman Ibrahima (1762-1829) will be dedicated at 11 a.m. Friday, October 24, near Historic Jefferson College on the corner of Highway 61 North and Jefferson College Street. The ceremony is being organized by the Natchez Historical Society, the sponsor of the marker that was acquired through the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

Michael Morris, director of The Two Museums in Jackson, will be the guest speaker at the ceremony.

Ibrahima was a Muslim prince from West Africa who spent 40 years enslaved on Thomas Foster’s plantation near Washington before gaining his freedom. The marker will be the first in the Natchez-Adams County area that pays tribute to Ibrahima.

This event is free to the public. For more information, call 601-492-3004 or send email to [Roscoe@visitnatchez.org](mailto:Roscoe@visitnatchez.org).

Ready for Tourists: Fall is in the air.

 My little cottage is on tour this fall.  It was built around 1890, so I'm dressing for the time.  I decided to decorate the table for Halloween since most of my tours will be in October.

Natchez Historical Society: Nellie Jackson: Myths and Legends.

 The September 23, 2025 program about local madam, Nellie Jackson, was standing room only.

To learn more about Ms. Jackson, go here.

To see a documentary about Ms. Jackson, go here.

Untold Stories about Nellie Jackson's Will and More

 

Untold Stories about Nellie Jackson's Will and more

Untold Stories about Nellie Jackson's will and more... Four speakers -- attorneys Rusty Jenkins, top left; Joe Meng, bottom left; Brent Bourland, bottom right; and former mayor Tony Byrne, top right -- will speak at the Historic Natchez Foundation, 108 Commerce Street, on September 23, 2025, beginning with a social at 5:30p.m.     A Natchez fixture for decades, there was more to Nellie than her bordello. This will be an evening with stories and high-level perspective about community, respect for others, and the reason Natchez is a special place.   The program is free to the public.  For more information, call 601-431-7737 or send email to info@natchezhistoricalsociety.org.

The Last Man Hanged in the Old Jail in Natchez

When my father was alive and I was living in California, one of my favorite things when visiting was when Daddy would ask, "You want to take a drive around town?"

That was code-speak for, "Let's go all over town, and I'll tell you tales about the people who lived in those old houses."  It was a treasure trove of juicy gossip, and as a Southerner, gossip is one of my favorite pastimes.  Especially gossip about people and things long gone.

He showed me houses my great, great, great, great grandfather built.  Not just mansions for the wealthy, but also smaller houses around town that few know he built.  He was most noted for having been the contractor who built Stanton Hall for Frederick Stanton in 1856. 

Stanton Hall

Born in 1926, Daddy was probably the only person left who knew those things.  

He told me all about the Rhythm Club Fire, a tragedy that may have been responsible for halting the African American music scene there for generations. Two hundred nine people were killed when the overcrowded club, a dance hall that catered to the black community, burned. It is still the fourth deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history and is responsible for many of the fire codes that exist today, such as doors that open out instead of in, requirements for the number of exits, occupancy limitations, and interior finish standards. 

Having occurred in the Bible Belt, where dancing was often considered a sin, many people believed the tragedy was an assignment of God’s judgment, and much of the music that made Mississippi the birthplace of Blues music was left in the Delta in the central and northern part of the state, although Ferriday, Louisiana, just across the river, still had the Chitlin Circuit during the Jim Crow era where artists like Ray Charles, BB King, Little Milton and Irma Thomas performed.  It was here where childhood cousins Jerry Lee Lewis and Jimmy Swaggart would sneak over and hang out at the window listening to the music and rushing home to see if they could master it.

Along with scores of lives, April 23, 1940, was also the night the music died in Natchez. 

"I was 12 years old," Daddy said, ..."and I can remember it like it was yesterday.  I woke up that morning and the whole town smelled like burning flesh.  I rode my bike over there.  It was horrific."

Everyone in town -- both Black and White -- personally knew people who'd perished in the flames.  Much has been written about the Rhythm Club Fire - songs, documentaries, studies, etc.

Natchez Burning by Howlin' Wolf

Gene Gilmore: The Natchez Fire:  includes photos

Rhythm Nightclub Museum 

"You see that house there?  That's where (name redacted) lived.  During the war, (I'm not sure if he was referring to WWI or WWII) she'd get all dressed up and hang out at dances for the soldiers."

She never married, and although coming from a prominent family and possessing an IQ that would outshine some of the most brilliant minds, became a recluse, and what we at the time called a bag lady.  She could be seen, dirty and disheveled, pushing a grocery cart around town.  Unbeknownst to most, the cart contained court records from the 1700s and 1800s that she was transcribing.  Thanks to her, those records exist today. Her house had been consumed by overgrowth and rats, and our kind mayor ended up giving her a key to the courthouse and supplied a cot for her to sleep on.

"Nobody knows this, but she had a baby.  He's an old man now and lives in New Orleans." 

I'm sure he's long dead now, too.

Don Estes, who ran the cemetery for years and knew ALL the stories, told me he'd gone to visit her in the nursing home shortly before she died.  The woman who was sitting for her, asked her, "Tell Mr. Estes where the baby is."

"I hid it under the front-porch stairs," she replied, deep in the throes of Alzheimer's.

We drove past the old Natchez jail.

"They used to hang people in that jail," my father mused.  

Inside was (and still is) a trap door that was triggered by a lever the jailer would pull.

"Sometime in the 1930s or 40s, people had lost their taste for hangings, and they had a man to hang.  But nobody wanted to do it," he said.

"In desperation to find someone, they went out and got this old wino who hung around town," They tied a bottle of liquor to the lever and brought him up and told him, 'You can have that bottle if you pull the lever.

"And that's how the last man was hanged in the old jail."

I don't know who the prisoner was or what he'd done to meet such a fate, and trying to find records on it is nigh impossible.  Many of the old records are stored in an old metal warehouse down by the river.  It's leaky and not climate controlled and if you could even find it, it's probably destroyed by water and mold and rats and roaches.  

The old Natchez Jail, built in 1891

The jail is open for visitors, who can still go upstairs and see that trap door and its lever.  So many stories in a small Southern town, many of which are lost to the ages.  Yes, you can learn things from your elders. 

After a time, I'd bring a small tape recorder with me on those rides, and hide it under some magazines or trash in Daddy's truck.  If he knew he was being recorded, he wouldn't talk.  I encourage you all to listen to those tired, old stories your grandparents and parents talk about because after they're gone, you'll wish you'd paid more attention, gotten the names right, and the stories.  Because every time a person dies, a library burns down.

For further reading:

The Night the Music Died in Natchez

Smoot's Grocery: Bringing the Blues Back Home



 

Dr. Christian Pinnen to discuss Race and Slavery in Colonial Natchez on April 22

Dr. Christian Pinnen, professor in the Department of History at Mississippi College, is coming  to Natchez to talk about the colonial Natchez District in an attempt to resurrect the stories of the enslaved and the role Atlantic Africans played in shaping the region.  Dr. Pinnen will present his lecture, "Race and Slavery in Colonial Natchez” at the Tuesday, April 22 meeting of the Natchez Historical Society at 108 S. Commerce St. The program is free to the public.  It will begin with a social at 5:30 p.m. and the presentation at 6 p.m.

As European settlers began to explore the lower Mississippi Valley and displace Native American people to build settlements, the Europeans knew that they needed to generate profits to make it a worth while enterprise. Most, specifically in Natchez, believed that the key to success was rooted in the ability of settlers to purchase enslaved Africans and utilize their forced labor in their endeavor to build wealth. While the labor practice of racial slavery was well established in European colonial efforts, local settlers had to make sense of the African people among them in social and legal settings. Using Natchez as a lens, this talk explores how legal concepts around slavery create racial categories in Natchez.

Dr. Pinnen’s research focuses on the American borderlands and the legal landscapes that gave rise to definitions of blackness and whiteness in the face of maturing slave societies. He specifically investigates the colonial Natchez District in an attempt to resurrect the stories of the enslaved and the role Atlantic Africans played in shaping the region.  

He has published two books: Complexion of Empire in Natchez and Colonial Mississippi.  While Colonial Mississippi provides an exhaustive overview of Mississippi’s colonial past, Complexions of Empire in Natchez specifically investigates how the various definitions of race in Europe and the Americas influenced the way that slavery and the law developed in Natchez and, by extension, the colonial southern borderlands.

Dr. Pinnen has won national and international research fellowships from the German Historical Institute, the LSU and University of Texas Libraries, and has presented his research in Europe and the US. He was selected as the Mississippi Humanities Teacher of the Year in 2019, and Complexion of Empire in Natchez won the 2021 Book of the Year Award from the Mississippi Historical Society. In 2024, he was named the Humanities Scholar of the Year by the Mississippi Humanities Council and Distinguished Professor of the Year at Mississippi College.

The April 22 program is funded in part by a grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council, through funding by the National Endowment for the Humanities.  For more information, visit natchezhistoricalsociety.org or call 601-431-7737. Emails may be sent to info@natchezhistoricalsociety.org  

Pilgrimage Garden Club First-Annual Gold Scramble, March 29.

 For tickets, go to:  https://www.pilgrimagenatchez.com/

Elodie Rose Scrapbook, March 9th, 1882

 I've been going through my great grandmother's scrapbook, which begins in 1882.  In it, I found the obituary of her little boy, Joseph Neibert Carpenter Grafton, who died at 4 years old.  Later, I found clipping of his birth and what a beautiful baby he was.  

After Captain Thomas Rose's (her father) suicide, she and her sisters sold firewood out of a wheelbarrow to make ends meet.  With Elodie and Mr. Carpenter's daughter, Camille, best friends, Carpenter took pity on the family and bought them a house on Washington Street, furnished it and took care of them for the rest of his life.  So that explains a Carpenter name in the Grafton family.

Lots of clippings about social events of the day as well as obituaries of people who were important to her.