Washington, MS/Jefferson College

"Today we set foot onto the Natchez Trace, traveling north out of Natchez, Mississippi as we begin our journey to Nashville, Tennessee. The parkway and Highway 61 run parallel to each other for some distance north of Natchez. You'll be passing by Washington, Mississippi that became the capitol of the Mississippi Territory in 1802. And you'll pass the site of Jefferson College -- although it was named for President Thomas Jefferson, he was never by here to see it. The college opened in 1811. Operations were interrupted in 1863 by the American Civil War. By the way, Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America was a student at Jefferson College. After the Civil War this was a preparatory school until it closed in 1964.

"Also in Washington, Mississippi from 1818 until 1845 was the Elizabeth Female Academy, which may have been the first chartered institution of higher education for women in the South. The famed Ornithologist, John James Audubon was on the faculty.

"Join us next time as we continue our journey north from Natchez and visit Emerald Mound, the second largest Indian temple mound in the United States. This is 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