#Natchez History

[roscoebarnes3]

George Metcalfe and the Bombing of 1965

George Metcalfe

Credit: Courtesy of Ed Pincus Film Collection, Amistad Research Center, New Orleans, LA

-------------

By Roscoe Barnes III

Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com

Aug 22, 2023 | 11:15 AM

He’s remembered for his courage and leadership

NATCHEZ, Miss. – The bombing of George Metcalfe’s car on Aug. 27, 1965, was meant to kill him and cripple with fear the Black community. Instead, it became a tragedy that galvanized the Black community and led to one of the most successful civil rights movements in the South.

“The bomb that shook the earth below Metcalfe’s Chevrolet shook the black community out of its dormancy,” said Jack E. Davis in his book, “Race Against Time” (Louisiana State University Press, 2001).

This week, on the 58th anniversary of Metcalfe’s bombing, local residents remember Metcalfe as a fearless leader who was bold and relentless in his fight for justice and equal opportunities for the Black community.

Denise Jackson Ford knew Metcalfe through her father, Wharlest Jackson Sr., who was a close friend of Metcalfe. Her father, who served as treasurer for the NAACP, was killed on Feb. 27, 1967, when his truck was bombed reportedly by members of the Klan.

"Mr. Metcalfe wanted equal rights for the citizens of Adams County and he stood up to the KKK’s and whites that thought differently" she said. "He wasn’t afraid to speak his mind and was willing to do whatever he could for our city.  Mr. Metcalfe shall be remembered for his courage, pleadings, and sacrifices for orchestrating and organizing the local NAACP here in Natchez."

‘Dangerous time’

As president of the Natchez branch of the NAACP, Metcalfe’s work had resulted in threats from the Ku Klux Klan. Metcalfe worked at the Armstrong Tire and Rubber Company. After completing his shift at noon on Friday, Aug. 27, 1965, he got into his car. When he placed his key in the ignition and turned the switch, the car exploded. Metcalfe suffered burns and a broken arm from the explosion. His right leg was shattered in three places. His right eye was permanently damaged. Although many believe the bomb was planted in the car by the KKK, no one was ever charged for the crime.

Former Natchez Mayor Phillip West said the 1960s were a dangerous time for Natchez. "Metcalfe and many like him made many contributions to Natchez’s civil rights history," he said. "They were living in a dangerous time when African Americans had few if any support from law enforcement and the local government. Natchez was a microcosm of the bigger and more wide-spread problem of racism."

Natchez Alderman Billie Joe Frazier said he was one among many teenagers who participated in the marches. He said Metcalfe played an important role in the Natchez Movement.

“He deserved all the credit for helping to get things started in Adams County,” he said. “It all started at the grassroots level. We were the young people then who took everything to the forefront.”

Impact of bombing

The impact of the bombing was immediate and clear as hundreds of Blacks held rallies and began to March in protest. The protests included boycotts of White businesses, picketing, and armed protection.

"When Klansmen bombed Metcalfe, they intended to kill him and as a consequence so terrify the Black community that the fight for civil rights and equality in Natchez would end," said Stanley Nelson, author of "Devils Walking" (Louisiana State University Press, 2016). "They failed on both goals. Not only did Metcalfe survive, but the attack on him inspired the Black community to fight harder and in a matter of weeks, the demands put forth by the NAACP for change in Natchez were approved by city officials."

Local historian Jeremy Houston said the bombing impacted Natchez in many ways. For one thing, he said, it brought national and local attention to the movement in Natchez.

"It also sparked a sort of revolutionary spirit through the black community in Natchez," he noted. "The bombing brought leaders like Charles Evers, Rev Al Sampson, Dorie Ladner, and William 'Bill' Ware to the forefront of the Natchez movement."

Houston said the bombing also led to the establishment of the Deacons for Defense and Justice in Natchez. The deacons provided armed protection for the civil rights activists and the black community.

"The black community came together socially, politically, and economically," Houston explained. "After the bombing, the black community of Natchez organized the greatest economic boycott or protest in the state of Mississippi. The black community at that time damn near hurt the white community economically by not shopping in their establishments."

In short, Black unity and organization towards a common goal showed that "white supremacy can be strangled and thrown in the Mississippi River," Houston said.

Metcalfe’s legacy

Neither the bombing nor his injuries dampened Metcalfe’s courage. He and others like him laid the foundation on which Natchez’s progress would be built and experienced for generations to come.

“I can say this wholeheartedly, if it wasn’t for George Metcalfe, Natchez would’ve been a different place for someone like me to grow up,” said Houston.

Houston said Natchez can do a better job of commemorating Metcalfe. He honored him regularly through his company, Miss Lou Heritage Group and Tours, from 2016 to 2020, he said. “I will continue to educate and tell everyone who I encounter in this life about how George Metcalfe stood up for equality for his people in Natchez, Mississippi. Without George Metcalfe there’s no new generation of Natchez leaders to lead us into the 21st century.”

Nelson was impressed by the bravery Metcalfe showed after his recovery. "When I think of Metcalfe, I think of his amazing courage. After a year of recovery from his wounds, he returned to work at Armstrong Tire," Nelson said. "This was where the attack on him was perpetrated, and this is where the Klan leader who ordered the attack worked. I believe very few of us would have the courage to do that. He didn't run and he didn't hide."

[blackfolksintime]

Natchez, Mississippi... (1940)

[eyepool]

The Natchez Sun, as the monarch was known, inhabited a village in which he appeared to wield unlimited power. His every movement was greeted by elaborate rituals of deference, bowing and scraping; he could order arbitrary executions, help himself to any of his subjects’ possessions, do pretty much anything he liked. Still, this power was strictly limited by his own physical presence, which in turn was largely confined to the royal village itself. Most Natchez did not live in the royal village (indeed, most tended to avoid the place, for obvious reasons); outside it, royal representatives were treated no more seriously than Montagnais-Naskapi chiefs. If subjects weren’t inclined to obey these representatives’ orders, they simply laughed at them. In other words, while the court of the Natchez Sun was not pure empty theatre – those executed by the Great Sun were most definitely dead – neither was it the court of Suleiman the Magnificent or Aurangzeb. It seems to have been something almost precisely in between.

—David Graeber & David Wengrow, The Dawn of Everything

[mikemcbridephotography]

[bomberqueen17]

Big Easy

I am on vacation this week in New Orleans. There are many reasons for this but mostly they're not about me. I'm just here for the ride. Hilariously the one thing I found on on my own that I was like "oh i gotta do that while we're here" is also the thing that has been recommended to me by literally everyone i've spoken to including the Lyft driver from the airport, which is the WWII Museum, and conversely the more people recommend it the more I'm like :/ I might not enjoy this that much. WWII history was a childhood hyperfixation of mine but I've found the shit I was into about it is not the stuff other people like about it. This museum features a movie narrated by Tom Hanks so I feel like it's going to mm emphasize the bits I don't care about a lot. BUT I am going to go and I am probably going to devote a whole day. The upside of this is that probably Dude will not be deadly bored by it. He does tend to have the issue of not being into what I'm into sometimes... but this will probably be fine.

My hip is doing okay, the one I've been physically therapizing for ages? But what's popped up is that as the bad hip heals, the "good" hip starts giving me trouble-- I have prettty bad sciatic nerve problems on that side, and I didn't notice them so much because the cartilage tear on the bad side hurt enough to distract me. But lately it's like-- a little electric current of Badness inside the back of my right knee. No fun. But I've been doing physical therapy exercises for about fifteen weeks now (I just counted), three times a week, so I'd damn well better have seen some improvement LOL.

But mostly I can walk around, and I have a better idea earlier on whether walking is going to be good for me or not, so idk it's progress.

So far I have had a few bites of a shrimp po'boy (in the Atlanta airport, where we ordered something else and the waitress didn't hear us and just brought better food, no regrets on our part), some amazing gumbo, a bit of really good crawfish etouffe, and a really good Hurricane cocktail, and have seen the steamboat Natchez going up the MIssissippi with a brass band playing on it. Oh yeah there was a live band at the baggage claim? Apparently there were Many Doings in the French Quarter last night because of Cinco de Mayo, our Lyft driver was explaining they'd barricaded a bunch of the streets and she was delighted they'd moved one barricade because otherwise she could not have dropped us at our hotel. But by the later evening when we were out and about it wasn't quite so crowded but there were police cars and sirens and apparently some kind of disturbance a couple blocks away from our hotel. We kept walking because whatever it was was Not Our Business.

I'm mostly here for the food. I brought mostly me-made clothes. I was wearing a nice button-up shirt to fly in, and i sat at the gate during our layover and hand-bound two of the last three buttonholes on it (I'd cut and overcasted them at home but ran out of time). Relaxing and chill, honestly.

There are a couple of fabric stores I want to visit but apart from that I have zero agenda. Maybe Dude came up with something. I think he's mostly been researching restaurants.

I did not expect this, though: I know the names of so many of the places here from the news coverage of Katrina, and when I saw the Superdome in person i started crying, and had to explain to the driver that I'd been an airport bartender during that time and so had been stuck in front of huge TVs with 24h live coverage, and I'd had a bunch of online friends living there and I didn't realize until this moment how much it scarred me, so I could only imagine for the people here, and she talked about how she'd been a cleaner in an apartment complex at the time (I'd sussed that she was my age or older so I figured she'd remember it as well as I do, because to my shock that was 20 years ago now) and how many people had just left and never come back, had abandoned their possessions and just never came back for them because the power didn't come back on for two or three months.

She said "Now I know, when they tell you to evacuate, you get the hell out."

She also complained that nobody knows how to act, because it's all tourists. Which, fair.

... Anyway, anyone with recs for New Orleans feel free to tell them to me, I'm just here for the food and the vibes.

[aviationgeek71]

Sunset Over the Y Bridge

It's funny to hear residents of Zanesville, Ohio, call the Y Bridge, "world famous," when most of the world has never even heard of Zanesville; however, to their credit, it's a very unique and beautiful bridge. It's so unique, in fact, that Amelia Earhart once quipped that Zanesville is "the most recognizable city in the country" because of how easy it was to identify from the air.

This marvel of engineering was first proposed by the Ohio General Assembly in 1812. Their charter was to build a bridge connecting the towns of Putnam, Natchez, and Zanesville, all of which resided on different banks of the confluence of the Licking and Muskingum rivers. These towns eventually combined to form the city of Zanesville.

While the bridge was finally opened to traffic in 1814, the original limestone and wood structure has been rebuilt many times throughout history because of flooding between the two rivers. The fifth iteration of the bridge was completed in the Fall of 1984 and still stands today.

As the sun continued its descent, shadows gradually encased the beautiful history of my surroundings. Only the sounds of local traffic and the friendly banter of fishermen kept me company.

The final moments of color were my beacon to leave. Since it's hard work chasing sunsets, 😉 it was time for a cherry stout from the local Y Bridge Brewery. 🍻

[kemetic-dreams]

Choctaw

Horatio Bardwell Cushman wrote in his 1899 book “History of the Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Natchez Indians”: “The tradition of the Choctaws . . . told of a race of giants that once inhabited the now State of Tennessee, and with whom their ancestors fought when they arrived in Mississippi in their migration from the west. … Their tradition states the Nahullo (race of giants) was of wonderful stature.

Cushman said “Nahullo” came to be used to describe all white people, but it originally referred specifically to a giant white race with whom the Choctaw came into contact when they first crossed the Mississippi River. The Nahullo were said to be cannibals whom the Choctaw killed whenever the opportunity arose.

[jdrwanderer]

“Black History Month Parade”

Natchez, Mississippi

Leica M6

Ilford Fp4+

[myhauntedsalem]

The King’s Tavern

Natchez, Mississippi

Built in the late 1700s, The King’s Tavern is one of the oldest buildings in the state. The restaurant and bar has a rich and somewhat disturbing history. A man named Richard King bought the building years after it was constructed. The story goes that he hired a young girl name Madeline to be a waitress and then had an affair with her. When King’s wife found out, she had the girl killed. It’s said that Madeline’s spirit now haunts the tavern.

Then, in the 1930s, three mummified bodies were found in the tavern’s chimney. Some say that these are the bodies of those murdered by the Harpe brothers, who are often referred to as America’s first serial killers. The Harpe brothers were known customers at the restaurant.

So one of the infamous brothers known as Big Harpe was staying at King’s Inn one night, spending a wad of stolen cash from a robbery a few days before.  Also staying there, in one of the attic rooms, was a young woman with her new born baby.  She had tried relentlessly to quiet the fussy infant but to no avail.  Finally Big Harpe had had enough of the endless squalling.  He marches up the stairs to the attic room, bursts through the door and snatches the infant from its mother.  He then grabs the baby by its feet and swings it with all of his might into the adjacent brick wall. The baby of course died upon impact.  Both the infant and the mother’s crying can be heard on the upper levels of the Tavern from time to time.

Today, visitors to the restaurant report heat coming from the fireplace even when it’s not lit, shadowy figures, doors shutting inexplicably, and noises that sound like a crying baby.

[oklahomahistory]

The Chickasaws

The Chickasaws  The power of this tribe, too, far exceeded its small numbers. The Chickasaws included at most forty-five hundred men, women, and children during the time of their southeastern residence and interaction with Europeans and white and black Americans. Like the Choctaws, Creeks, and Seminoles, the Chickasaws spoke a Muskhogean language. Their homeland included western Kentucky and Tennessee, northern Mississippi, and northwestern Alabama. The Chickasaws were at least as closely related to the Choctaws as the Seminoles were to the Creeks. The Chickasaws and Choctaws formed a single tribe until sometime prior to Spaniard Hernando DeSoto’s 1540 discovery of them. The tribe’s very name probably means “they left as a tribe not a very great while ago.“ But the Chickasaws possessed a much keener commitment to the art of war than the Choctaws, and they were feared by the latter (despite the Choctaws’ numerical superiority), other tribes in their region, and even eventually Europe’s most powerful nations. As Britain and France competed for control of North America-and in particular the lower Mississippi River and Valley and the Gulf ports to the south-in the early 1700s, the French cultivated the Choctaws as native allies, and the British did the same with the Chickasaws. So troublesome did the Chickasaws become to French efforts in the region, their governor of Louisiana declared in 1735 that the tribe’s “entire destruction … becomes every day more necessary to our interests and I am going to exert all diligence to accomplish it.” From 1720 to 1763 several French armies marched into Chickasaw country from southern Louisiana and Mississippi to conquer the tribe. Choctaws, white militia, and black slaves supported the armies. All these efforts failed, and the tribe remained unvanquished when France surrendered its claims on the continent to the victorious British after losing the Seven Years War-including its North American theater, the French and Indian War-to them. Horatio Cushman in his 1899 chronicle History of the Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Natchez Indians, noted how, contrary to the Chickasaws’ long conflict with the French European powers, “neither the Choctaws nor Chickasaws ever engaged in war against the American people, but always stood as their faithful allies.’ Read the entire Oklahoma story in John J. Dwyer’s The Oklahomans: The Story of Oklahoma and Its People volume 1 of a 2-part series on the 46th state and the people who make this state very special.

[filmdiagnostic]

Origin ★★★★★

Ava DuVernay's cinematic adaptation of the book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents endeavours to bring Wilkerson's profound insights to a wider global audience. Leveraging her extensive experience in creating impactful documentaries like "13th" and "When They See Us," as well as her directorial prowess demonstrated in "Selma," DuVernay masterfully translates the book's narratives onto the screen.

One of the film's strengths lies in its ability to vividly portray pivotal moments in the history of resistance to oppression, transcending geographical boundaries. Through compelling scenes, viewers are introduced to characters like August Landmesser, whose defiance against the Nazi regime serves as a poignant example of individual resistance. Landmesser's story, alongside others like the undercover research conducted by Harvard anthropologists in Natchez, Mississippi, adds depth and context to Wilkerson's exploration of caste dynamics.

Furthermore, the film delves into the harrowing experiences of marginalized communities beyond the US, such as the Dalit caste in India. Through visceral scenes depicting the dehumanizing practices endured by the Dalit community, the film sheds light on the universality of caste-based discrimination and oppression.

One of the film's most compelling aspects is its exploration of Wilkerson's own journey as she delves deeper into the subject matter. As Wilkerson grapples with the complexities of caste systems, her revelations serve as a lens through which viewers gain a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of systemic oppression worldwide. Wilkerson's realization of the parallels between Jim Crow laws in the American South and the anti-Semitic policies of the Nazi regime underscores the film's central thesis: that caste is a pervasive and insidious force that transcends geographic and cultural boundaries.

By weaving together these diverse narratives with Wilkerson's personal insights, DuVernay crafts a multi-layered exploration of caste that resonates on both an emotional and intellectual level. Through its meticulous attention to historical detail and its powerful portrayal of individual experiences, the film offers a compelling examination of the enduring legacy of caste-based oppression and the ongoing struggle for justice and equality.

[coywolfdog]

*sniffs you excitedly*

• Roan - 21 y/o - it/wolf - transsexual creature

• white - south USA - living on stolen Choctaw, Natchez, and Ofogoula land

• intersex and genderweird - feragenus (link) - m-spec, aroace, and polyamorous

• northwestern wolf/coyote/feral dog holothere - whitetail deerhearted - spotted hyena therian

• hard of hearing - cane/powerchair - no, you can't know my medical history

• brainweird in various ways - autistic abt nature

• cripplepunk - beastpunk (link) - amatopunk

• plural host - trauma endo - @evergreensys

• DNI: basic dni (link), anti good faith identities, anti neopronouns, pro ship/anti anti, radqueer (not the same as rad inclus!)

• Do not reality check me! I do not care if you think you're helping; you're not, you're a stranger, and I don't need helping. leave psychotic people alone before you make shit worse

* I've changed names several times. If you know me by something else, that's fine too!

** Credit to @mmadeinheavenn for the teeth dividers, and @chocoperrito for the bone divider!

[vampysquid]

11 and 22, please?

11. Something you want to do again next year?

Do more gaming livestreams for charity! Through several streams, both on my own and with a team, I helped raised around $8500 for charities last year, which feels amazing! LBGTQIA+ teens, veterans with PTSD, and sick children. It felt wonderful to be able to help them all!

22. Favorite place you visited this year?

I found myself completely under the spell of Natchez, MS after I visited there in April. It’s a gorgeous time capsule of a place with a very troubled past, and the town it’s one of the few places I’ve visited that really owned up to that past. Where tourist plaques would talk not only about the giant antebellum home, but also show a picture of the newspaper ad the owner placed about their runaway slaves. I read a really interesting book about the place too and as a literal crossroads in the South it had quite a history. I’d like to go back someday and wander around more and learn more about beyond what I read.

Anyone else?

[roscoebarnes3]

Humanities Council is a friend of Natchez

By Roscoe Barnes III

The theme song for the NBC show, “Golden Girls,” begins with the words, “Thank you for being a friend. Travel down the road and back again. Your heart is true, you're a pal and a confidant.”

As corny as these words may seem, they express the gratitude that I have for Mississippi Humanities Council and its contributions to Natchez. The council has been a friend, but even more, it has been an essential partner to Natchez, helping us to grow as we strive to tell our full history.

The council has provided many opportunities for our institutions to succeed in their areas of expertise. These institutions are telling stories, providing lectures, having dialogue, and discovering history that is preserved, presented, and publicized throughout the year. This is all being done, in part, by the resources provided by the council.

The success is no surprise when you consider the council’s mission, which is to “create opportunities for Mississippians to learn about themselves and the larger world and enrich communities through civil conversations about their history and culture.”

Just recently, the council and its board members paid a visit to Natchez for a two-day retreat. They met on Thursday and Friday, June 8 and 9, at Historic Natchez Foundation. During their stay, they conducted business and dined at local restaurants. They also toured some of our historical sites, such as Melrose, Rhythm Night Club Memorial Museum, and the Dr. John Banks House, where they held a reception.

Over the years, Dr. Stuart Rockoff, the council’s executive director, and his team have been staunch supporters of Historic Natchez Foundation, Natchez Historical Society, Visit Natchez, and Natchez National Historical Park. They also support the annual Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration. But that isn’t all. In 2021 and 2022, the council approved six grants for three of our museums.

Here's a list of other things the council has done over the last two years in its support of Natchez:

* In August 2021, John Spann, the council’s program and outreach officer, came to Natchez and spent the day meeting with the staff of Visit Natchez and directors of three museums: Rhythm Night Club Memorial Museum, Dr. John Bowman Banks Museum, and the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture.

* Spann returned in July 2022 to lead a symposium on the subject of “Freedom.” The event drew a large audience.

* In May 2022, the council, along with Visit Mississippi, approved our application to have Natchez listed on the Mississippi Freedom Trail and the U.S. Civil Rights Trail.

* In October 2022, Rockoff spoke at the monthly meeting of the Natchez Historical Society, where he gave a talk on the Jewish history of Mississippi.

* In 2022, the council brought the traveling Smithsonian exhibit “Voices & Votes: Democracy in America” to Co-Lin in Natchez.

* The council also provides support through its Speakers Bureau, of which our very own Jeremy Houston and Galen Mark LaFrancis are members.

This list does not include the webinars, Zoom calls, and phone calls the council used to provide guidance on grant funding.

As noted on its website, the council is “a private nonprofit corporation funded by Congress through the National Endowment for the Humanities to provide public programs in traditional liberal arts disciplines to serve nonprofit groups in Mississippi.”

By supporting us in our efforts to promote the humanities here in southwest Mississippi, the council is doing what it does best, which is exactly what it was created to do.

In the book of Proverbs, we’re told, “There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (ESV). Mississippi Humanities Council, I’m happy to say, has been and continues to be such a friend.

 ----------------

Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D., is the cultural heritage tourism manager for Visit Natchez.

Note: This column appears on the op-ed page (4A) of The Natchez Democrat (June 14, 2023).

[steamship-historical-society]

It's #BlackHistoryMonth so why not consider using some of these lessons in your classroom? Lessons include: Black Sailors in the Age of Sail, Mississippi Steamboats: Enslavement and Freedom, Desegregating the SS Columbia, and The Black Star Line. Learn more at https://shiphistory.org/tag/black-history/ or click the link in our Instagram bio. Stay tuned! We have a brand new lesson coming soon on the Floating Freedom School! Image: The Natchez at dock, SSHSA Archives. https://www.instagram.com/p/CoKwH0iMbZg/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[90363462]

The Legend Of Ben Montgomery: From Enslaved Man To One Of The Richest Merchants In The South

Montgomery’s story is a testament to Black resilience and ingenuity. He was one of the most influential Black men in all of American history. Are

Source: creative services / iOne Digital

History is a very fickle thing. Although it’s a constant reminder of how far we’ve come, some of our most captivating stories have been lost in the abyss of time. But this is Black folklore, the time machine of storytelling, and our mission is to uncover the stories from our past that are steeped in Black excellence. One of those tales is the story of Ben Montgomery, the former slave who purchased his master’s plantation to build a utopia for Black people escaping the harsh realities of Jim Crow. Montgomery’s story is another great testament to Black resilience. He was one of the most influential Black men in all of American history.

MORE: The Legend Of O.T. Jackson And The Black Ghost Town Of Dearfield, Colorado

Benjamin Montgomery was born a slave in Loudon County, Virginia, in 1819. When he was 17, he was sent to a slave market in Natchez, Mississippi. Natchez was one of the largest domestic slave markets in the Deep South. It was known as the epicenter of American capitalism in the mid-19th century. The market operated for almost 30 years and tens of thousands of Black people were transported from Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, and the Carolinas to the Natchez market to be sold–but all slave owners were not created equal.

Benjamin Montgomery was purchased by Joseph Emory Davis at the Natchez market in 1836. Joseph Davis was the older brother of future Confederate president Jefferson Davis. The Davis family owned several plantations in Mississippi, including the Brierfield plantation and the Hurricane plantation in Davis Bend. Joe Davis took a different approach to manage his slaves than most other plantation owners in the deep south.

Davis didn’t believe in punishing his slaves with violence and mistreatment. Instead, he developed a system of self-government for his slave community. No slave living on the plantation in Davis Bend could be punished without being tried and convicted by a jury of his peers. If a slave happened to be convicted by his or her peers, Davis was usually very lenient when it came to handing down punishments. He also made sure his slaves live better than most in the antebellum south. Slave cabins were well-built, food was rarely rationed, and slaves were left to govern themselves. But don’t be confused, it was still slavery. Joesph Davis owned more than 300 slaves and never once freed any of them. No matter the conditions, people did not want to be owned by other people.

Ben Montgomery was originally from Virginia, which at the time was mostly a city environment compared to Mississippi’s isolated woodlands. When he first arrived at the Hurricane Plantation at Davis Bend he tried to run away seeking freedom, but was tracked down and returned to his owner. In 1793, congress passed the first-ever Fugitive Slave Act, which allowed local governments to seize and return escapees to their owners. It also imposed penalties on anyone who helped slaves hide or escape.

When Montgomery was caught and returned to Davis, he was not punished. Historians believe that instead of violence, Davis chose a diplomatic route and talked to Montgomery about why he was so unhappy. Their conversation impressed Davis and the two developed a mutual understanding that Montgomery would be allowed to flourish as a human being, as many slaves in the south were not afforded the same luxuries.

Regardless, Ben took full advantage. He learned to read and had access to the plantation library. Eventually, he began working as an office clerk for Davis, who was also an attorney. Montgomery wrote letters as well as legal briefs for his owner. He also learned land surveying and construction plans, designing special levees that protected the plantation during floods–they are still holding to this day. But Montgomery didn’t stop there. He was also the architect of several plantation buildings including the garden cottage, which became the Hurricane plantation library.

Montgomery was a true renaissance man–a person with many talents or areas of knowledge. Not only was he an office clerk and architect, but he also became a skilled mechanic who regularly maintained steam engines that operated the cotton gins and invented a boat propeller to improve the paddle wheels of river steamboats. His boat propeller invention was so efficient that his owner Joesph Davis tried to patent it under Montgomery’s name. U.S. law prohibited slaves from owning patents and it was ultimately denied.

Montgomery’s skill set wouldn’t stop there. Davis regularly rented out his slaves to work on other plantations. This allowed Montgomery to save up money and in 1842 he purchased a store on the Hurricane plantation. His store sold dry goods, wood, chickens, eggs, and even vegetables produced on the plantation. His store was so successful that he was able to maintain his own line of credit with wholesalers in New Orleans and Mississippi. His store was popular among whites and blacks, with some customers spending more than $1,000 worth of goods every year.

Source: Photo 12 / Getty

By the start of the Civil War, Montgomery had built a life for himself and his family that few Blacks in the south could have ever imagined, but it was at risk. The Civil War meant Davis and his plantation could fall and be seized by the Union army. Because Montgomery’s life was tied to Davis’ he believed if the Hurricane plantation failed, so would the life he built. Davis, his family, and most of his slaves fled the plantation, but Montgomery stayed behind to protect it as best he could. Ultimately Union soldiers burned down the Hurricane mansion in 1863 after the city of Vicksburg fell to the Union army. Davis’ land was confiscated by the federal government and Montgomery and his family would flee to Ohio.

Once the war ended in 1865, Montgomery returned to the Davis plantation and reassumed his role as the leader among the now-former slaves. Davis and Montgomery would work together to get Davis’ land back from the federal government. The move would ultimately bring the two men even closer, as their respect for one another had grown tremendously.

In October 1866, Montgomery wrote Davis a letter asking if he could lease the Hurricane and Brierfield Plantations from his former slave owner, but Davis countered with a better offer. He offered to sell Montgomery his plantation holdings for three hundred thousand dollars with yearly interest. The sale made Montgomery one of (if not the richest) ex-slaves in the country at the time. His new plan was to build a community for former slaves built on honesty, industry, sobriety, and intelligence.

In September 1867, Montgomery was appointed justice of the peace for Davis Bend by Maj. Gen. E. O. C. Ord, the commander of the Fourth Military District of Mississippi and Arkansas. This appointment made him the first Black person to hold public office in Mississippi. Like many establishing Black towns after the end of the Civil War, Davis Bend struggled to grow due to the harsh realities of the environment. The Mississippi River constantly flooded, making it nearly impossible to harvest sizable crops. But the Montgomery and Sons grocery store continued to flourish and by 1873 Montgomery’s net worth was estimated at $230,000, putting him in the top 7% of the wealthiest merchants in the south.

SEE ALSO:

The Haunting Of Lake Lanier And The Black City Buried Underneath

There’s A Black Village Under Central Park That Was Founded By Alexander Hamilton’s Secret Black Son

39 photos