Wayside exhibit "Natchez Trace Parkway" located at Mount Locust. The sign provides an overview of parkway history and highlights along the southern section of the Trace.
NPS Photo
Natchez Trace Parkway, Mount Locust, Milepost 15.5
Audio description of the "Natchez Trace Parkway" wayside located at Mount Locust.
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, is the Information Center and the building behind you has two restrooms. To your right, a paved path leads towards the historic Mount Locust site. Directly behind you is the second wayside with Site Orientation. The text on the wayside reads:
Natchez Trace Parkway
The 444-mile Parkway takes visitors through three southern states and the historic homelands of the Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Natchez Nations. It is a greenway that extends from the southern Appalachian foothills near Nashville, Tennessee to Natchez and the nearby lower Mississippi River.
The Parkway commemorates the historic Natchez Trace, a network of trails used by Native Americans, European explorers and traders, American migrants, boatmen, and enslaved people. The Parkway joined the National Park System in 1938.
In the background of the exhibit is a photo of the Natchez Trace Parkway winding through evergreen deciduous trees with some autumn color. The sunlight is warm and low and mist hangs over the road in the distance, giving the impression it is morning. On the right side of the exhibit is a map of the full Natchez Trace Parkway, highlighting sites of interest along the 444-mile long road. On the lower half of the exhibit, there are five nearby sites featured, with a photo and a brief description. The text reads:
Nearby Sites of Interest
Sunken Trace Milepost 41.5 This is a preserved and deeply eroded section of the historic Trace.
Potkopinu Section Milepost 17.0-20.0 This southernmost section of the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail is three miles long and is the longest stretch of "sunken" historic Trace remaining.
Loess Bluff Milepost 12.4 Formed during the Ice Age, this bluff shows a deep deposit of loess or windblown topsoil.
Emerald Mound Milepost 10.3 One of the largest Native American mounds in the United States, it was constructed between 1250 and 1650.
Elizabeth Female Academy Site Milepost 5.1 Founded in 1818, this was the first women's college chartered by the state of Mississippi.
A wayside titled "Welcome to Mount Locust" that gives a brief overview of the site and things to do.
NPS Photo
Welcome to Mount Locust, Mount Locust, Milepost 15.5
An audio description of the wayside "Welcome to Mount Locust" at Mount Locust.
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.
A wayside titled "Walking Through the Old Southwest" that provides a view of what traveling the Trace was like during the height of its popularity.
NPS Photo
Walking Through the Old Southwest, Mount Locust, Milepost 15.5
An audio description of the wayside "Walking Through the Old Southwest" located at Mount Locust.
This is the first of two waysides at this location. In front of you, behind the sign, is a row of trees and an open field visible just beyond. Behind you is the Information Center and the parking lot beyond. To your right, a paved path leads back to the breezeway that leads to the Information Center and restrooms. To your left, a paved path leads towards the historic Mount Locust site. The text on the wayside reads:
Walking Through the Old Southwest
Between 1785 and 1830, thousands of boatmen, or Kaintucks, traveled up the Old Natchez Trace. Kaintucks, so named because many were from Kentucky, floated goods down the Mississippi and Ohio rivers on flatbottom boats. They sold their cargo in Natchez. The Kaintucks then dismantled their boats and sold them as lumber.
They returned north via the Trace. Some rode horses but most walked from Natchez to Nashville, Tennessee. On foot, the 400-mile trek through the wilderness of the old Southwest took about 35 days. From Nashville, the Kaintucks took other roads to their homes in the north and east.
The journey was not always safe. Bandits were known for robbing or killing travelers. Stands or inns like Mount Locust provided safe places for Kaintucks to rest during their trip home.
The background of the exhibit is an illustration overlaid on a photo. In the foreground is a modern-day photo of the sunken trace which fades into an illustration of the same scene. A main – a Kaintuck – is walking down the path. He’s wearing a yellow coat, brown pants, and a grey wide brimmed hat, and is carrying a bedroll and a pail over his shoulder. In the lower right corner of the wayside is a small illustration of a flatbottom boat floating down the river. The boat has a small cabin and on deck there are a dozen men and three horses. Up front two men maneuver a large oar, while in the back the two other men steady the rudder. An empty row boat floats alongside the large boat. In the center of the exhibit is a small (7 inches by 5 inches), 3-dimensional cast bronze belt buckle. The caption reads:
Artifacts from travelers who walked this trail are still found today. If you see something, leave it where it is! Take a photo and alert a park ranger. It may have a story to tell.
A wayside titled "Layers of History" which provides a historic timeline of the Mount Locust site.
NPS Photo
Layers of History, Mount Locust, Milepost 15.5
An audio description of the wayside "Layers of History" located at Mount Locust.
This is the second of two waysides at this location. In front of you, behind the sign, is a row of trees and an open field visible just beyond. Behind you is the Information Center and the parking lot beyond. To your right, a paved path leads back to the breezeway that leads to the Information Center and restrooms. To your left, a paved path leads towards the historic Mount Locust site. The text on the wayside reads:
Layers of History
Mount Locust - also known as Mound House, a reference to the mound it is sited on - features layers of history, with many cultures inhabiting this land over the last 1500 years.
600-800: Coles Creek culture inhabits this area.
1200-1700: Plaquemine culture inhabits this area.
1716-1763: The French rule Natchez. Defeated during the Seven Years War, France cedes its land holdings east of Mississippi River to the British.
1763-1780: The British rule Natchez.
1779: Thomas Harmon, a veteran of the Seven Years War, receives a British land grand of 600 acres. Ownership transfers to John Blommart sometime before 1781. This land becomes Mount Locust.
1780-1799: Spain takes control of Natchez from the British after capturing Baton Rouge in 1779.
1781: John Blommart leads an unsuccessful British rebellion against Spanish rule in Natchez. He is imprisoned and his land is confiscated.
1784: William and Paulina Ferguson buy Mount Locust.
1798-1861: The United States takes control of Natchez and creates the Mississippi Territory. Mississippi becomes a state in 1817.
1801: William Ferguson dies. Paulina Ferguson inherits Mount Locust and the enslaved persons.
1806: Paulina Ferguson marries James Chamberlain, an overseer at Mount Locust. They divorce ten years later. Ferguson continues to operate the property as an inn and a cotton plantation until around 1842.
1849: Paulina Ferguson dies. Her son, Thomas Jefferson Chamberlain, inherits Mount Locust. He dies in 1854 and leaves the property and the enslaved persons to his three children.
1861-1865: Mississippi secedes from the United States and joins the Confederate States of America. The United States defeats the Confederacy in 1865.
1937: The National Park Service takes Mount Locust as part of the right-of-way for Natchez Trace Parkway.
1938: US Congress designates the Natchez Trace Parkway as an official unit of the National Park Service (NPS).
1944: Bill Chamberlain, the last member of the Ferguson-Chamberlain family to live in the house, moves out of Mount Locust.
1956: NPS restores Mount Locust to an 1820s inn. The site opens to the public the following year.
The background of the exhibit is a color photo of the modern-day Mount Locust house with a purple transparent overlay.
A wayside titled "A Business Woman Living on the Frontier" that describes the life of owner Polly Ferguson.
NPS Photo
A Business Woman Living on the Frontier, Mount Locust, Milepost 15.5
An audio description of the wayside "A Business Woman Living on the Frontier" located at Mount Locust.
In front of you, behind this sign, is a small but steep hill with a flight of stairs that leads directly up to the historic Mount Locust house. To your right, a paved path leads back towards the Information Center and parking lot. To your left, a paved path continues towards a sparse gathering of trees. Behind you is an open field surrounded by trees and the Natchez Trace Parkway beyond. The text on the wayside reads:
A Business Woman Living on the Frontier
William and Paulina “Polly” Ferguson moved to Mount Locust in 1784. The Natchez Trace passed in front of their farm. As the number of travelers on the Trace increased, the Fergusons converted their home into a stand, or inn. For 25 cents, guests received a meal of corn mush and milk and sleeping accommodations on the house’s porch or grounds.
After Willaim’s death in 1801, Polly managed business at Mount Locust. With the rise of steamboats in the 1820s, the number of people trekking along the Trace declined. So too did business at the inn.
Polly focused instead on expanding the agricultural endeavors at Mount Locust. Initially a small corn farm, under Polly’s management the property became a profitable cotton plantation. Like the success of the inn, the success of the plantation was built on chattel slavery.
The background of the exhibit is an illustration that recreates what Mount Locust may have looked like as an inn back in the 1820s. In this scene there are four guests on the front porch. Two men – who look like worn travelers – sit on the left end of the porch on their bed rolls. One of them is holding a bowl of food. A woman, perhaps Polly Ferguson, dressed in a blue dress with a white bonnet and apron, holds out a bowl to the second man. At the top of the stairs another man stands casually, looking out over the landscape as he smokes his pipe. The fourth man sits in a rocking chair on the far right side of the porch. He looks to be a bit older than the other guests, with a grey beard. At the front of the house, on the right side, a brown horse is tied up to a hitching post. In the background the cotton crops are visible. The caption reads:
Polly operated an inn at Mount Locust from 1785 to 1842. In 1820, Polly enslaved 26 people. By the time of her death in 1849, she enslaved 53 people, many of whom were named in her will. Scan the QR code to learn more about the enslaved people of the Old Trace.
To the right of the caption is a QR code.
A wayside titled "The Enslaved Families of Mount Locust" which describes life at the inn for enslaved people.
NPS Photo
The Enslaved Families of Mount Locust, Mount Locust, Milepost 15.5
An audio description of the wayside "The Enslaved Families of Mount Locust" at Mount Locust.
In front of you, behind this sign, is a split rail fence that zig zags along the edge of an open field. The field is surrounded by trees on all sides. Behind you and to your right sits the historic Mount Locust house. You are standing at the back side of the house. Directly behind you, a paved path continues away from the house and towards a wooded area. To your left, a foot-worn path leads across the grassy field towards another wooded area. The text on the wayside reads:
The Enslaved Families of Mount Locust
Cotton became the main source of revenue at Mount Locust. Chattel slavery provided the forced labor that made this a profitable cotton plantation.
The enslaved persons plowed and planted, tended and weeded the plants, picked the cotton, ginned it, and pressed it into bales. They also took care of subsistence crops and livestock, cooked, forged, and made bricks. In 1860, Mount Locust had approximately 16 slave cabins, each housing between four and five people.
While we do not know the stories of many who were enslaved here, some have been recovered. In 1843, the Ferguson-Chamberlain family purchased Henry and Nancy Martin and their son Anthony. The Martins had two more sons – Paris and Francis – who were born and enslaved at Mount Locust.
The background of this panel is an illustration that recreates what this field would have looked like back in the 1800s when it was a cotton plantation that was worked by enslaved African Americans. The scene depicts a large cotton field edged by tall trees. In the foreground is an overseer on horseback. His back is facing us as he observes the workers in front of him.
A large basket of fluffy white cotton sits at the edge of the field. Seven enslaved workers lean down, harvesting white tufts of cotton, with large heavy bags slung over their shoulders. In the background, on the left side of the exhibit, is the overseers house. At the far end of the field in the distance there is a cluster of small cabins that house the enslaved workers. A sidebar on the right side of the exhibit reads:
Enslaved to Enlisted
Paris Martin was born and enslaved at Mount Locust. When the Emancipation Proclamation declared that all people enslaved in the Confederacy were free, many self-liberated by escaping plantations. Martin left July in 1863 and joined the 50th United States Colored Infantry Regiment in Natchez. Discharged from the Army in 1866, he returned to Jefferson County and lived near Mount Locust until his death in 1917.
Above the text is a copy of a slip of paper titled, “50 U.S.C.T.,” is from the Company Descriptive book. The form is filled out with Paris Martin’s age, description, and enlistment date:
Paris Martin
Age 19
Height 5 feet, 5 inches
Complexion: Brown
Eyes: Black
Hair: Black
Where born: Claiborne, Miss
Occupation: Farmer
Enlistment: July 20, 1863
Where: Natchez
By Whom: Capt Broughton
Term: 3 years
A wayside titled "Remembering the People Enslaved at Mount Locust", which describes burial traditions and the enslaved persons' cemetery.
NPS Photo
Remembering the People Enslaved at Mount Locust, Mount Locust, Milepost 15.5
An audio description of the wayside "Remembering the People Enslaved at Mount Locust" at Mount Locust.
In front of you, behind this sign, is a split rail fence that surrounds a sparsely wooded area. A foot path loops around the enclosed area. On the left, the path continues through the woods. Behind you, a foot-worn path leads across a grassy field back towards the historic Mount Locust house. The text on the wayside reads:
Remembering the People Enslaved at Mount Locust
With only one small stone marker at the back of the cemetery, it may be difficult to believe that an estimated 43 people are buried here. They are buried following African tradition with their feet to the east and heads to the west. This was done so that when the dead rose they would be facing the rising sun. Once forgotten and lost in overgrowth, but now rediscovered, the stories of those interred may live on through their descendants.
Some of the names of those buried here are known; many are not.
Cielious Washington
Marcus Perryman
John White
Gabriel Tyler
Richmond Tyler
Jackson Turner
Tommy Turner
William Turner
Abraham Allen
Ester Jackson
The background of the exhibit is a black and white illustration of an enslaved person’s funeral. The scene takes place at night, illuminated only by torch light. Four men carry a simple coffin and walk amidst a gathering of people.
Behind them are tall trees. In the foreground is an open grave site. Above the grave, a young man stands with a shovel in one hand and a lit torch in the other, held high above his head. Opposite him, another young man is bent down, sweeping the path in front of the men carrying the coffin with a tree branch.
A wayside titled "Human Trafficking Along the Old Trace" that describes the slave market near Natchez.
NPS Photo
Human Trafficking Along the Old Trace, Mount Locust, Milepost 15.5
An audio description of the wayside "Human Trafficking Along the Old Trace" at Mount Locust.
In front of you, behind this sign, is an open field with a few trees in the immediate foreground. Behind you is a split rail fence and an open field beyond. To the right, a paved path leads back towards the historic Mount Locust house. To your left, a paved path continues along the edge of the open field towards a more densely wooded area. The text on the wayside reads:
Human Trafficking Along the Old Trace
Between 1820 and 1860, one million enslaved persons were forcibly marched from Maryland, Virginia, and Kentucky to the states of the Old Southwest. Many traveled in coffles – groups of 30 to 50 enslaved men, women, and children chained together – down the Old Trace. This journey was dangerous and difficult physically, emotionally, and psychologically.
The coffles of the enslaved were taken to enslavement markets like Forks of the Road, located in Natchez. Forks of the Road was the second largest enslavement market in the Old Southwest during the 1800s.
As the Mount Locust cotton plantation expanded, there was an increased demand for enslaved labor. Some individuals were purchased at Forks of the Road.
On the left side of the exhibit is a black and white illustration of enslaved African Americans walking in a coffles – chained at the ankles and wrists. They walk in a long train, two side-by-side. Five rows back a woman holds the hand of a small child walking alongside her.
In the background on the right, a white man with a beard and mustache holds a whip above his head. On the left, a white man and woman in upperclass attire look on as the coffle passes by them.
In the lower right corner of the exhibit is an etching of a cotton engine. The small tabletop machine has a wooden drum covered in spikes with a hand crank on one end. The caption reads:
Cotton Boom
The mechanized cotton gin, invented by Eli Whitney in 1793, revolutionized the cotton industry in the United States. Cotton farming became more profitable and many plantations, like Mount Locust, expanded into the industry. This led to an increase in demand for enslaved labor – cotton still had to be handpicked – as well as an increase in trafficking along the Old Trace.
A wayside titled "Old Union Town" which describes uncompleted plans for a town.
NPS Photo
Old Union Town, Mount Locust, Milepost 15.5
An audio description of the wayside "Old Union Town" at Mount Locust.
In front of you, behind this sign, is a split rail fence and an open field beyond. Behind you is a row of trees and a smaller field beyond. To the right, a paved path continues along the edge of the open field towards a more densely wooded area. To your left, a paved path leads back towards the historic Mount Locust house. The text on the wayside reads:
Old Union Town
William Ferguson and four of his neighbors made plans in 1799 to turn this area into a small town called Union Town. Though a 75.5-acre deed and plat of the town were recorded with the county, nothing much came of the plans after Ferguson’s death in 1801.
The background of the exhibit is an illustrated map that shows the plat of the town as William Ferguson envisioned it. There is a red star at the north end near Mount Locust that is labeled, You Are Here. There are a few buildings labeled as well, including Mount Locust, a store and inn, the doctor’s house, the tannery and vats, as well as a few residences.
A wayside titled "Ferguson-Chamberlain Family Cemetery" that provides an overview of the family cemetery plot.
NPS Photo
Ferguson-Chamberlain Family Cemetery, Mount Locust, Milepost 15.5
An audio description of the wayside "Ferguson-Chamberlain Family Cemetery" at Mount Locust.
You are at a curve in the narrow foot worn path. To your right, the path leads back to the back side of the historic Mount Locust house. To your left, the path leads through a wooded area with a small field visible through the trees on your right. In front of you, behind this sign, a path leads up to the Ferguson-Chamberlain Family cemetery which is surrounded by a black steel fence. The text on the wayside reads:
Ferguson-Chamberlain Family Cemetary
William Ferguson (1756-1801) and Paulina Ferguson-Chamberlain (1768-1849) are buried here along with many of the five generations of the Ferguson-Chamberlain families.
The background of the exhibit is a black and white photo of the angel statue that stands in the middle of the Ferguson-Chamberlain Family plot.
A wayside titled "Kitchen" that describes what the kitchen site at Mount Locust was like.
NPS Photo
Kitchen, Mount Locust, Milepost 15.5
An audio description of the wayside "Kitchen" at Mount Locust.
In front of you, behind this sign, is a split rail fence that zig zags along the edge of an open field. The field is surrounded by trees on all sides. To your right and straight ahead, a foot worn path leads across the open field towards a wooded area. Behind you and to your right sits the historic Mount Locust house. You are standing at the back of the house. To your left, a narrow path continues away from the house and towards another wooded area. The text on the wayside reads:
Kitchen
Enslaved people used a detached kitchen on this site to prepare meals and do everyday chores. Separating the kitchen from the main house removed the heat, smoke, smells, and risk of fire associated with cooking in an open hearth.
The background of the exhibit is a color photo of antique kitchen tools hung from hooks. There is also a table with a clay bowl, and a spindle chair painted black.
A wayside titled "Brick Kiln" that describes what kilns were used for.
NPS Photo
Brick Kiln, Mount Locust, Milepost 15.5
An audio description of the wayside "Brick Kiln" at Mount Locust.
In front of you, behind this sign, is a small clearing with a few bricks scattered here and there. To your right, the path leads back towards the Ferguson-Chamberlain Family cemetery. To your left, the path continues through the wooded area leading towards a large open field. The text on the wayside reads:
Brick Kiln
Enslaved people made bricks in a kiln for constructing building foundations, chimneys, and pathways that you see today. Can you spot the brick fragments that mark the location of the kiln?
The background of the exhibit is a color photo of an old brick kiln. At the angle the photo is taken, you can see inside an oven which is filled with ash.
Last updated: May 23, 2025
Park footer
Contact Info
Mailing Address:
2680 Natchez Trace Parkway
Tupelo,
MS
38804
Phone:
800 305-7417
The Parkway Visitor Center near Tupelo, MS, is open 9am-4:30pm seven days a week. The visitor center is closed Thanksgiving, December 25th and January 1st.
