French Camp

"Today on our journey up the Natchez Trace Parkway from Natchez to Nashville we will visit the town of French Camp, Mississippi.

"The French Canadian, Lewis LeFleur, first traded with the Choctaw Indians at a trading post called LeFleur's Bluff, located where Jackson, Mississippi is today. In 1812, LeFleur established a stand along the Old Trace, and because of his nationality the area came to be called French Camp. Today the town that stands at the site of Lewis LeFleur's tavern is French Camp, Mississippi. It became a school in 1822 and has remained one to this day.

"The Natchez Trace exhibit at French Camp is at a monument presented to the town by the Daughter's of the American Revolution in 1915. It was the DAR's presentation of Monuments like this one that brought the Natchez Trace to public attention in the early twentieth century and rekindled interest in the historic road. This ultimately lead to the building the parkway.

"If you travel the Trace you might want to stop by the French Camp Pioneer Village with its Log Cabin Gift Shop and Cafe. If you happen by there on a Saturday in late September and October you may even get to see sorghum molasses being made in much the same way it was in pioneer days.

"Join us next time when we'll continue our look at French Camp and the famous family of Lewis LeFleur. For Natchez Trace a road through the wilderness, I'm Frank Thomas."

For more about Natchez Trace: A Road Through the Wilderness, visit eddieandfrank.com