Date Visited: 4/6/2019
As one of the two remaining buildings associated with the Natchez Trace, the Gordon House and Ferry stop is a must see.
The house was acquired by the National Park Service in the 1970s. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was restored to it’s 1818 Federalist style.
History
in 1802, John Gordon (a postman, farmer and businessman) established a trading post and ferry here along the Duck River sharing his profits with Chickasaw Chief George Colbert, who as we previously learned controlled all ferries on Indian land by treaty.
John Gordon fought in Andrew Jackson’s Army during the war of 1812 and was also instrumental in the Seminole war that displaced Creek Indians from 23 million acres of their homeland.
According to the signage at the site, Mrs. Gordon oversaw the construction of the home from 1817-1818. In 1819, shortly after the home was finished John Gordon died of pneumonia, but his wife remained in the home until her death in 1859.
The ferry continued to operated until a bridge was opened in 1896.
At the time we visited only the exterior of the home had been restored and you could not go inside. A short walk on the right side of the property takes you to the Duck River and the site of the ferry crossing, but there is nothing there to see but the river.
After reading about John Gordon’s involvement in the war of 1812 we decide to make our next stop the 1812 memorial where we hoped to learn more about this turbulent time in history, but as always, more on that next week.
Until then…
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