Dean's Stand

"We are making our way up the Natchez Trace Parkway from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee and today we are just a little south of Jackson, Mississippi.

"Along the old Natchez Trace there grew up places to rest and possibly buy provisions. The common term for these hostelries came to be stands. Prior to 1820 there had been as many as 50 of these stands established along the route of this national road between Nashville and Natchez.

"In October of 1820 the Choctaw Indians signed a treaty with the United States, in which the Choctaws gave up a large portion of land on the south and west of their territory. This land was quickly claimed by pioneer families. One such family was William Dean and Margaret his wife. They settled in 1823, and in addition to farming the land, they allowed the travelers and mail riders and boatmen and preachers who came along the old road, to lodge in their house. This stop along the Natchez Trace came to be known as DEAN'S STAND.

"Our next stop along the Trace contains a bit of Civil War history and the Battle of Raymond. I'm Frank Thomas, your guide along the Natchez Trace, a road through the wilderness."

For more about Natchez Trace: A Road Through the Wilderness, visit eddieandfrank.com