The Gordon House

The Gordon House is one of only two original structures that remain on the Natchez Trace, the other being Mount Locust at Mile Post 15 near Natchez, Mississippi. The house is a Federal style, two story brick building that was built in 1818 by John Gordon, a local farmer and businessman who ran the nearby ferry on the Duck River. A short trail leads to the ferry site. If you are interested in hiking the trail, see the Gordon Ferry Site Trail review here on National Park Planner for more information.

Gordon also made money by hosting Natchez Trace travelers on the grounds of his property. Because the house was built within the Chickasaw Nation boundary, Gordon had to partner with a Chickasaw Indian, and he did so with William Colbert. If you are traveling south on the Natchez Trace Parkway, you will pass multiple stops where Colbert had other businesses.

Shortly after building the house, Gordon went off to fight with Andrew Jackson in both the Creek and Seminole Indian Wars. After his death in 1819 due to pneumonia, his wife Dolly continued to run the farm. At the time there were additional buildings: an exterior kitchen, smokehouse, barns, coops, and slave quarters.

After Dolly’s death in 1859, the house went on to have a number of owners. The National Park Service purchased it in 1973. While the exterior has been restored, the interior has not, and thus the house is not open to the public due to safety concerns. You can look through the window to see that the house is empty and in deteriorating condition. It looks like a construction project.

Located at the Gordon House parking area is a Natchez Trace Parkway information board and a restroom facility with a picnic pavilion built onto it. There are two tables but no grills.

Bathroom and picnic pavilion at the Gordon House

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