Last updated: November 7, 2024
Place
Sheboss Place, Milepost 400.2
NPS Photo
Quick Facts
Location:
Natchez Trace Parkway, Milepost 400.2
Significance:
Historic Stand Site
Amenities
4 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Parking - Auto, Parking - Bus/RV, Wheelchair Accessible
The widow Cranfield operated an inn, known as a stand, here with her second husband, an American Indian, who spoke little English. According to legend, when travelers approached with questions about accommodations, he would only point to his wife and say, "She boss."
Unfortunately, there are no remnants of Sheboss Stand visible at the site and exact location of the house is unknown.
Why were the stands along the Natchez Trace?
The need for stands appeared when the US government wanted to improve the Natchez Trace into a post road to deliver mail from Nashville, TN to Natchez, MS. In 1800 most of the Natchez Trace ran through Choctaw and Chickasaw lands. A limited number of homesteads offered provisions on Chickasaw land.
As trade and travel increased down the Mississippi River so did stands along the Natchez Trace. Many of these stands were owned by frontiersmen and their American Indian wives. While the United States did not recognize women’s rights to own land many American Indian nations-including the Chickasaw and Choctaw-did. Tribes preferred to manage their own businesses on tribal land. During this time stands generally bore the last name of the owners: Brashears Stand, for example.
What were the stands like?
The stands along the Natchez Trace varied widely in size and services offered. Many stands offered very basic food along with meager accommodations. Advertisements by stand owners in Natchez newspapers focused on the travelers’ diet along the Natchez Trace. The highlights included ground coffee, sugar, biscuits, bacon, and whiskey. Corn was a staple served to Natchez Trace travelers. It usually took the form of hominy, a dish prepared by soaking the corn in lye. Lucky travelers would have the option to sleep on a crude bed, but a cleared spot on the floor was what they expected. Due to cramped and dirty conditions inside the stands, many travelers chose to sleep outside on the porch or yard under the stars.
See Historic Stands along the Old Natchez Trace for additional information.
The Benge Detachment of Cherokee people on the Trail of Tears passed this location on an unimproved path into Hickman County Tennessee in late 1838. See Trail of Tears on the Natchez Trace for additional information.
Unfortunately, there are no remnants of Sheboss Stand visible at the site and exact location of the house is unknown.
Why were the stands along the Natchez Trace?
The need for stands appeared when the US government wanted to improve the Natchez Trace into a post road to deliver mail from Nashville, TN to Natchez, MS. In 1800 most of the Natchez Trace ran through Choctaw and Chickasaw lands. A limited number of homesteads offered provisions on Chickasaw land.
As trade and travel increased down the Mississippi River so did stands along the Natchez Trace. Many of these stands were owned by frontiersmen and their American Indian wives. While the United States did not recognize women’s rights to own land many American Indian nations-including the Chickasaw and Choctaw-did. Tribes preferred to manage their own businesses on tribal land. During this time stands generally bore the last name of the owners: Brashears Stand, for example.
What were the stands like?
The stands along the Natchez Trace varied widely in size and services offered. Many stands offered very basic food along with meager accommodations. Advertisements by stand owners in Natchez newspapers focused on the travelers’ diet along the Natchez Trace. The highlights included ground coffee, sugar, biscuits, bacon, and whiskey. Corn was a staple served to Natchez Trace travelers. It usually took the form of hominy, a dish prepared by soaking the corn in lye. Lucky travelers would have the option to sleep on a crude bed, but a cleared spot on the floor was what they expected. Due to cramped and dirty conditions inside the stands, many travelers chose to sleep outside on the porch or yard under the stars.
See Historic Stands along the Old Natchez Trace for additional information.
The Benge Detachment of Cherokee people on the Trail of Tears passed this location on an unimproved path into Hickman County Tennessee in late 1838. See Trail of Tears on the Natchez Trace for additional information.