It's Spring in Natchez, which can only mean one thing; it's time for the Pilgrimage Garden Club Spring Pilgrimage! You can buy tickets at natchezpilgrimage.com to take a rare peek inside some of the most beautiful private historic homes this amazing city has to offer. From now until Pilgrimage begins we will be giving you little tastes of the kind of history, storytelling, beauty and behind the scenes insight you'll only get during these tours.

Today we begin with the home of Dr. Jim and Ruthie Coy, known as Bontura. This beautiful Greek Revival style town home was built in 1851 by a free man of color named Robert Smith, who had immigrated up from New Orleans. The home echos the common form of Greek Revival town home built all over New Orleans at that time, but is a rarity in Natchez. Smith owned a successful "hack" driving business: the 19th century equivalent of a taxi company. Smith built a nice fortune for himself and his family, and built Bontura to reflect that prosperity. The stables where Smith stored his carriages and horses remains a part of the property to this day. We think it's very fitting that we are telling the story of this amazing man during Black History month.

Bontura was sold in 1860, and after that went through several iterations from private home, boarding house, tour home and club house before being purchased by the current owners in 1996. Since that time the owners have devoted themselves to learning and telling the whole story of this amazing home, and its myriad of residents. As much as you learn in this video, we promise this home holds a multitude of additional stories and treasures you'll only experience on an in person tour!

Join us as we take you on a trip back in time, visiting a historic home that has seen 172 years of this nations history. AND, join us here in Natchez from April 11March 11 to enjoy Spring Pilgrimage, hosted by the Pilgrimage Garden Club. natchezpilgrimage.com

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