William Johnson House

William Johnson was born a slave, but was later freed by his enslaver at age 11; his enslaver had also provided freedom to his mother and sister years earlier. After a successful apprenticeship, William built a place for his business and home in downtown Natchez. Today we visited the William Johnson House, which is part of the National Park Service.

William's life is quite fascinating, and I'm eager to do a spotlight video about him because there is just too much to share here. He ends up being one of the most successful black men in the state, both as a barber & landowner. William was also an enslaver, which is just part of the complexity of his story.

A key focus at the House is his diary, which he started in 1835. William's writings & drawings give a unique insight & perspective into his life & the lives of those he knew.

William was murdered in 1851 due to a boundary dispute, and his killer was never convicted; laws at the time did not allow a black person to be a witness against a white person. I'm not doing the man justice here, so just stay tuned for a future video.

The William Johnson House is a duplex located in downtown Natchezi. If you stand in front of the building, the left side was owned by William's neighbor, Ronald McCallum; the right-side was owned by William. There is also a building in the back that was used as a kitchen & slave quarters.

McCallum's first floor is used by the National Park Service as a visitor space, and Johnson's first floor serves as a museum. The top floor is currently (as of 2/16/2024) closed for renovations, but will eventually showcase the Johnson residence, and items from the family, when it reopens.

My favorite item in the museum was a large, carved, and gilded mirror that hung in William's barbershop. It's certainly a piece that helps you transport back in time. William purchased it for $11.50 in December 1841.