Audio
Welcome to Mount Locust, Mount Locust, Milepost 15.5
Transcript
This is one of two waysides at this location. You are standing in a short breezeway between two buildings. The building in front of you, behind this sign, has two restrooms and the building behind you is the Information Center. To your right, a paved path leads towards the historic Mount Locust site. To your left, a paved path leads to the front of the buildings and to the parking area beyond. Directly behind you is the second wayside with Park Orientation. The text on the wayside reads:
Welcome to Mount Locust
Mount locust was purchased as a small family farm, served as a stand or inn on the Old Natchez Trace, and later became a cotton plantation. Five generations of the Ferguson-Chamberlain family lived here as well as multiple generations of enslaved persons. Native American families lived on the grounds during the Coles Creek period.
Today at Mount Locust, visitors can:
- Explore the home, one of the oldest structures in Mississippi, restored to its 1820s appearance.
- Tour the grounds and see the enslaved persons cemetery, Ferguson-Chamberlain family cemetery, kitchen site, and brick kiln site.
- Wander along a section of the Old Trace.
- Ask a park ranger for a Junior Ranger Activity booklet.
The background of the exhibit is an historic black and white photo of the Mount Locust house. In the lower right corner of the exhibit is a site map. At the top, the map is labelled, “Mount Locust Site Map.” At the bottom running left to right is the Natchez Trace Parkway with a label on the left side that reads “To Natchez.”
Just after milepost 15.5 is the driveway for the Mount Locust Site. At the end of the driveway there is a loop with a parking symbol. Above the parking area is a grey box indicating a building that is labelled “Site Office & Information Center” with a symbol for Information and Restroom. A dotted green line leads from the parking lot to the Site Office and Information Center and continues upward a short way until it intersects a perpendicular dotted green line that is labelled “Old Trace.” Just to the left of this intersection is a “You Are Here” label. From the you are here location, the Old Trace path leads left and right. To the left, it intersects with a few other paths (some are dotted green lines indicating they are paved and some are grey dotted lines indicating they are unpaved).
Along these paths a number of sites are labeld. There are three grey boxes (existing buildings or sites); the Mount Locust House, Enslaved Persons’ Cemetery, and Ferguson-Chamberlain Family Cemetery. There are also six historic building sites labelled where buildings used to stand: the Grape Arbor, Kitchen Site, Overseer’s Quarters, Enslaved Persons’ Quarters, Sleepy Hollow, and Brick Kiln. The text next to the map reads:
About the Trail
Length: 0.57 mi (0.9 km)
Difficulty: Moderate
Typical grade is 3.1%
Maximum grade is 20.9%
Typical cross slope is 2.6%
Maximum cross slope is 22%
Typical tread width is 56.4 inches
Minimum tread with is 25 inches
There is a flight of stairs leading from the Old Trace to the front of the main house.
There are several trail surfaces, including: paved and unpaved (gravel, firm native earth, grass, and brick). See map for details.
In the lower left corner of the exhibit are three photos: one of a copperhead snake, one of poison ivy, and one of fire ants. The text reads:
Be Prepared
- Carry water and stay on designated trails - this keeps you and the site's resources safe.
- Be aware of poison ivy, fire ants, and venemous snakes.
- Check your body and clothing for ticks and chiggers after hiking.
Description
An audio description of the wayside "Welcome to Mount Locust" at Mount Locust.
Credit
NPS Audio / P. Pinson
Date Created
05/20/2025
Copyright and Usage Info