Angels On the Bluff

A visit to Natchez is not complete  without a tour of the Natchez City Cemetery. 

Established in 1822 on the  bluffs high above the Mississippi River, its occupants’ stories reveal  the history, grandeur, mystery, and tragedy that tell the story of  Natchez. The beautiful grounds provide breath-taking views of the  Mississippi River – never more beautiful than at sunset. Majestic live  oaks shadow the drive into the cemetery leading to the Shelter House,  which serves as the main office.

The city’s earlier cemetery was located in  Memorial Park adjacent to St. Mary’s Basilica in downtown Natchez. In  1822 remains of most burials there were reinterred at the current  Natchez City Cemetery, along with remains from private plantation and  churchyard burial grounds.

In addition to the wonderful stories  associated with the people buried at the Natchez City Cemetery, a tour  provides an amazing view of iron fences, benches, tombstones, monuments,  and other works of art and master craftsmanship. Talented marble  workers such as Edwin Lyon and Robert Rawes are credited with many of  the lovely sculpted monuments erected in the antebellum era.  Inscriptions on the monuments are often moving, thought-provoking, and  insightful. The iron work seen at the Natchez City Cemetery creates a  remarkably representative display of 19th and early 20th century ironwork produced in America.

The Natchez City Cemetery opens each day at  7 AM. The gates are locked at dusk, so plan your visit accordingly.  Visitors are welcome to tour on their own. A CD offering a self-guided  tour of the cemetery can be obtained at the Cemetery’s Main Office or at  the Natchez Visitor Reception Center.