William Johnson House, Natchez National Historical Park: Historic Structure Report

The William Johnson House is located at 210 State Street in Natchez, Mississippi. It is a two-and-one-half-story brick and wood-frame structure built in 1841. The House was owned and constructed by a free African American family during the height of slavery in the southern United States. William Johnson was born a slave and freed at the age of eleven. Trained as a barber, he operated several barber shops in town and invested in land and property in and around Natchez. Equally important, Johnson kept meticulous records of his business and social activities which provide a unique understanding of life in Natchez during this significant period. The William Johnson House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places but is not a National Historic Landmark. In 1990, the City of Natchez donated the William Jolmson House and neighboring McCallum House to the National Park Service to become a key feature in the Natchez National Historical Park. According to the General Management Plan for the Park established in 1994, the William Johnson House is to be restored to its appearance during Johnson's life and contain exhibits interpreting the black history of Natchez. The William Johnson House has been the subject of many studies over the past twenty years. In 1979, a Historic Structure Report was prepared for the Preservation Society of Ellicott Hill by Building Conservation Technology of Washington, DC. Historical research was expanded by a Historic American Buildings Survey team in 1992, and historic finishes and archeological investigations were undertaken by the National Park Service in 1993 and 1994, respectively.

William Johnson House, Natchez National Historical Park: Historic Structure Report

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