The marker at this small memorial site is simple: a cluster of iron shackles that look like they're trying to escape from the surrounding concrete. It commemorates the site of one of the largest slave markets in the US, active most years from the 1830s until 1863. Information panels add context, covering the early history of slave trading within the US – also known as 'internal' slave trading – the work of slave dealers and the ultimate collapse of the industry.
Forks of the Road Slave Market
Mississippi
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
1.81 MILES
This multistory confection is not what it seems. Commissioned by cotton baron Haller Nutt in 1861, the interior of the home – the largest octagonal house…
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Tours of this Greek Revival home take a fascinating, multi-perspective look at life on the city estate of a slave-owning cotton magnate. A lawyer, state…
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The red-brick Auburn Mansion, built in 1812, is famous for its freestanding spiral staircase. The architecture here influenced countless mansions…
Nearby Mississippi attractions
0.87 MILES
Tours of this Greek Revival home take a fascinating, multi-perspective look at life on the city estate of a slave-owning cotton magnate. A lawyer, state…
0.9 MILES
The red-brick Auburn Mansion, built in 1812, is famous for its freestanding spiral staircase. The architecture here influenced countless mansions…
1.05 MILES
Celebrating its first Mass on December 25, 1843, this striking Gothic Revival church is the longest-operating Catholic building in Mississippi. The ornate…
1.32 MILES
A freed slave, Johnson produced 14 leather-bound diaries describing his life as a successful barber and community member in Natchez from 1835 to 1851…
1.81 MILES
This multistory confection is not what it seems. Commissioned by cotton baron Haller Nutt in 1861, the interior of the home – the largest octagonal house…
7.86 MILES
Just outside town, along the Trace, you'll find Emerald Mound, the grassy ruins of a Native American city that includes the second-largest pre-Columbian…