The William Johnson House: Historic Furnishings Report
Petravage C. 2004. The William Johnson House: Historic Furnishings Report. Historic Furnishing Reports. Natchez, Mississippi
Natchez National Historical Park was established by Congress on October 7, 1988, by Public Law 100-479. The William Johnson House, a unit of the park, was built in 1841 as the primary residence of William Johnson, a free African American man who owned and operated several barbershops in Natchez. The house remained in the Johnson family until 1976, when it was purchased by the Preservation Society of Ellicott Hill. The Mississippi Department of Archives and History established a trust fund for the restoration and acquisition of the property in 1986.1 The Preservation Society of Ellicott Hill commissioned a Historic Structure Report in 1979. Based on the recommendations outlined in that report, the Society performed needed repairs and restored the building to its antebellum appearance.2 In 1990, the Preservation Society of Ellicott Hill sold the Johnson House to the City of Natchez. The City immediately donated it, as well as the adjacent McCallum House, to the National Park Service. Between 1990 and 1994, the National Park Service did additional restoration work on the building, as outlined in the 1996 Historic Structure Report.3 As of this writing, the exterior of the building has been restored, but the interior is in its original condition. Plans for the Johnson House include the rehabilitation of the first floor for use as exhibit space. The second floor will be restored to its antebellum appearance and historically furnished to the period 1840–60. The William Johnson House is listed on the National Register, but it is not listed as a National Historic Landmark. Its number on the National Park Service List of Classified Structures is LCS No. 90307.4 Management Summary The management objectives for the William Johnson House are “to preserve, rehabilitate, and restore the William Johnson complex to interpret the life and times of William Johnson and the African American experience in Natchez and the surrounding region.”5 Fortunately, the Johnson house is extremely well documented by both manuscript and artifact collections. William Johnson was an avid record keeper and diarist, keeping close track of expenditures and daily activities for more than 20 years. His diary, which covers the years 1835 until his death in 1851, has been published and is widely available
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Petravage, Carol
- Date of Issue
- 2004
- Units
- HIST , NATC
- Keywords
- ehistory, furnishing, History, interpretive, Management, objectives, occupancy, Plan, Planning, Use