FRSI Coordinator, Ser Seshs Ab Heter-CM Boxley maintains you cannot talk about Underground Railroad without first talking about chattel slavery  

Natchez Was America’s Second Largest Deep Southwest Domestic “Slave Trading” City  

Projects and Dollars Generated Via National Park Service National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Partnership Since 2001 

Forks streets Juncture included as the only Network to Freedom Site in Mississippi.
City should amend the application to include the tri-angular land site it owns. 

In 2001 developed the African/European Roots the Underground Railroad Traveling
Exhibit = $25,000. This unique story of freedom struggles from Africa to Forks of Road
has traveled across the United States and is currently on loan in New York and Ohio.

Proving the Mississippi River a Major UGRR Uhuru (Freedom) Route from Memphis
to the Gulf of Mexico = $7,500, plus a local match of the same amount by businesses
and individuals. 

This research contains runaway advertisements, narratives, reports, Union Army
Colored Troops and other freedom seeking stories equaling 1126 pages. Our ongoing
research debunks the popular myth, that once sold down the river, enslaved people
did not generally escape and or that the Underground Railroad was a northern states’
phenomenon. Mobile Ala, Richmond and Alexandria Va., Baltimore Maryland,
Alexandria, Monroe and Natchitoches Louisiana gathered data is yet to be added. 

Presently developing a: Forks of the Road Enslavement Markets a Major Southwest
Hub of America’s “Domestic Slave Trade” interpretive brochure.  10,000 copies to be
printed in the first printing = $10,000 

Prompted a U. S. Army Corps of Engineers Special Bluff Study of African Americans’
Presence, Mitigating the failure to do so during the Natchez Bluff Stabilization and
the City’s failure to insure such was included in the environmental and cultural
studies for Bluff Stabilization = $65,000

In 2003 sponsored the Bound for Glory on the Bayou Network to Freedom Southeast
Region Gathering in Baton Rouge = $8,000 + estimated economic impact. 

Total direct dollars directly generated by FRSI  =              $113,500

 TOTAL DOLLARS INDIRECTLY GENERATED FOR FORKS OF THE
ROADS RESULTING FROM FRSI’S ADVOCACY PLANNING   

$750,000 mobilized by Phillip West ($200,000) when he was a State Legislator.
A portion of this amount was used by the City of Natchez to purchase the site now
owned by the City.

 The City returned roughly $70,000 of that $200,000 back to Mississippi Department
of Archives and History. 

$550,000 of the $750,000 was gotten by former Mayor West in 2008 and still sits in
Jackson waiting for the City of Natchez to apply for its use.

So far the City only put forth gut level action to develop the Forks through the efforts
of Phillip West, when he was a State Representative and last year as Mayor of Natchez. 

$144,000 was mobilized by Mississippi’s U. S. Senator Thad Cochran and passed
through the NPS to the City of Natchez to have a boundary study performed. This
study determines eligibility of the Forks becoming part of NNHP. The study is/has
taken three years and still is not finished.  Mangi Environment Firm of Virginia is
the consultant. 

In 2008 FRSI used $7,500 in donations made to the City for the Forks by private citizens
and up graded the tri-angular site, designed and installed four interpretive signs. 

In 2009, Tulane University’s Mayor Project mobilized a $20,000 National Endowment of
the Arts grant to develop a plan for the Forks. 

This makes $921,000 cash actually allocated to the Forks.

Sweat Equity 

Add the hundred thousands of hours of Ser Seshs Ab Heter-CM Boxley, NNHP historian
Tom Rosenblum and others’ time over the past 14 plus years as both paid and sweat equity
in the preservation advocacy efforts of the Forks. You have a few million dollars in cash
and community based sweat equity attributed to the Forks. 

FRSI grants of $113,500 plus $921,000 generated for the Forks total one million
thirty-four thousands and five hundred dollars ($1,034,500) invested in the Forks to date.   
All this cash has been generated based upon my thousands of hours of volunteer work
using the Forks of the Road and its chattel slavery history as the site for bringing about
comprehensive equal history commemoration for the City, County, State and Nation.
There is much more development yet to be done at the Forks.

FRSI Representation at Network to Freedom Sponsored Events

 Attended Network to Freedom National Debut in Philadelphia 

Attended Southeast Region’s Gathering in South Carolina Sea Islands

Exhibited Traveling Exhibit at Network’s Gathering in New Orleans 

Attended Kentucky’s Georgetown College Underground Railroad Conferences
and Founding member of the National Friends of the Network to Freedom Program 

Made Power Point Presentation about Mississippi River UGRR Route Research
at the Association for the Study of African American History and Life Atlanta Georgia 

Served as Panelist in Pineville Arkansas relative to the Midwest Region’s Arkansas
Freedom Seekers Study by Professor S. Charles Bolton.

Applied Proving Mississippi River a Major Underground Railroad Route
Research to projects and events: 

Black History Month select readings of narratives of enslaved persons

Slavery Meets Freedom at the Forks of the Roads Living History Play outdoors 

Unpublished Book entitled: Chattel Slavery along the Old Natchez Trace Reversing
a Force Migration Route of the Overground Railroad 

First Annual Black and Blue Encampment Living History of the Local Black
Experience in the Civil War

 Other National Park Service Units Ser Seshs Ab Heter-Boxley Impacted 

Prompted Natchez Trace Parkway Wayside on slavery at Mt. Locust 

Helped plan Vicksburg National Military Park’s U. S. Colored Troops Battle of Milliken’s
Bend permanent exhibit erected in their visitors center 

Was an active participant in the development of Vicksburg National Park’s long range
interpretive-plan.

Prompted Slavery exhibit at NNHP Melrose

 Other Ser Seshs Ab Heter-CM Boxley, Coordinator’s Impact 

Erected a push pin Forks of the Road exhibit at Natchez African Preservation of African
Culture Museum.  For the last half dozen years it has been the most interesting exhibit in the Museum. 

In 1999, planned, erected and conducted a Slavery Exhibition in NNHP building at 504 South
Canal Street. Tourists testified as to the need for such history and truth presentation in Natchez.
Said it was about time it happened. 

Since 1995, annually planned and conducted a variety of Ancestral and remembrance commemorations
at the Forks and other locations in the region. 

In 2003 implemented local logistics for the 175th Anniversary of Ibrahima and Isabella Freedom
Festival (The Fulani Prince who was enslaved in Natchez for 40 years).

Other Network to Freedom Program Coordinators Schedule 

Home Base Hotel: Hampton Inn Natchez 601-446-6770 Rhonda Stevens Manager 

March 31, 2009 @ Natchez National Historical Park Conference Room Network Freedom
Staff Meeting 

April 1, 2009 Network to Freedom Program Applications Review @ Natchez Board of
Alderpersons Meeting Room 115 South Pearl Street 8:45 to 4:00 P. M. 

Welcome to Natchez by the Mayor of Natchez 9:00 A. M.

Friends of Forks of the Roads Society Inc to present major accomplishments over the past years.

Meeting open to public observation all day: questions and answers in general and mingling with
Coordinators after applications review.

Other Network to Freedom Program Coordinators Schedule 

Home Base Hotel: Hampton Inn Natchez 601-446-6770 Rhonda Stevens Manager 

March 31, 2009 @ Natchez National Historical Park Conference Room Network Freedom
Staff Meeting 

April 1, 2009 Network to Freedom Program Applications Review @ Natchez Board of
Alderpersons Meeting Room 115 South Pearl Street 8:45 to 4:00 P. M. 

Welcome to Natchez by the Mayor of Natchez 9:00 A. M.

Friends of Forks of the Roads Society Inc to present major accomplishments over the past years.

Meeting open to public observation all day: questions and answers in general and mingling with
Coordinators after applications review.

April 2, 2009:

Tour of potential Sites that may be eligible for including in Network to Freedom Sites

Leave Hotel at 9:00 A. M. (with intent to shave off some morning time for longer lunch time; we must do so) 

9:10 A. M. 1^st Stop Fort Rosalie (Natches Nation and Runaway Enslaved Africans annihilated French
November 29, 1729)

9:50 A. M. 2^nd Stop William Johnson House (NNHP Site and enslaver of Runaway Walker)

10: 30 A. M. 3^rd Stop Natchez Under the Hill Landing (William Johnson Walker escape route—William
Wells Brown here with enslavement dealers Walker of St. Louis---arrival of thousands of enslaved persons
sold at Forks of the Road----departure of Union Army troops [USCT] included) during Civil War---Union
Occupation of Natchez July 13, 1863 + more)

11:15 4^th A. M. Stop Brown’s Sawmill & below the bluff  near Magnolia Vale (William Thompson escaped
to New London Canada; U. S. Colored Troops Barracks {maybe 6^th Heavy Artillery} and one of two
Contraband Camps)

11:50 A. M. 5^th Stop Natchez National Cemetery (Escaped Runaway Enslaved from Carthage Plantation,
Wilson Brown, Civil War Hero Union Sailor Medal of Honor and several thousands USCT and other Union
Civil War Soldiers resting place) [Overlook at area of Devil’s Punch Bowel and approximate location of the
second contraband camp below the Mississippi River Bluff]

12:30 P. M. 6^th Stop Forks of the Road Enslavement Markets Sites (April 27, 1833 to April 27, 2009
176^th Anniversary of City Ordinance Forcing Long Distance America’s “Domestic Slave” Traffickers out of
City limits & many located at the Forks of the Road) 

1:15 P. M. – 2:30 Lunch stop: Ryan’s Restaurant, wide variety of choices.

(Meet Tulane University Mayors Project Grover Mouton and Assistants for a power point presentation of
their Forks of the Road Mayor Project Planning 

2:45 P. M. 7^th Stop Greenwood Plantation (The Fulani Prince Abdul Rahkman Ibrahima ran away from
his enslaver, but returned. International Famous story of his being released and travel up north raising money
and purchasing the freedom of a part of his family, upon which he returned to Africa on his way home where
he died in Liberia. Several years ago some of his descendant grandsons came to Natchez in search of their
genealogical history. {The PBS movie “Prince Among Slaves” was based upon a book about the Prince} 

3:15 P. M. 8^th & Last Stop Grand Village of the Natches Nation (Indians) A Mississippi Department
of Archives and History Interpretive Center and Site.

5:00 P. M. Tour Ends & Back at Hotel

176^th Forks of the Road “Slave” Markets Anniversary 

April 27, 2009 Marks the 176^th Anniversary of the Official Start of Enslavement Trafficking
at Natchez’s Forks of the Road April 27, 1833 

A City of Natchez Ordinance made it illegal for “Negro Traders” to sell Negroes within the
corporate limits of the City after April 27, 1833. Thereby “Negro Trading” was concentrated
at the Forks of the Road beginning April 27, 1833 

“AN ORDINANCE. To prevent the exhibition of Slaves as Merchandise within the City of Natchez.

Se. 1. Be It Ordained by the President and Selectmen of the City of Natchez in General
meeting convened, That from and after the 27^th day of April 1833, it shall not be lawful for
any person to keep within the City of Natchez Negroes broth to this State as merchandise for
sale, nor shall any such Negroes be offered for sale in said city; said commodity being
considered by the board a nuisance, and dangerous to the health of the citizens. Ordained
and published this 24^th day of April 1833. ELI MONTGOMERY, Prest. W. H. Chaille, City Clerk.
Natchez, April 25, 1833.” [Natchez Courier and Adams Jefferson and Franklin Advertiser 4-26-1833]          
 [Credit Thom Rosenblum footnotes initial location of paper] 

Today, a mile or so east of Natchez’s city center is a land mass historically known as the
“Forks of the Road.” Specifically, it is that area where three roads intersect forming a Y
or fork shape. These 19^th century roads were named Washington Road, Old Courthouse Road
and St. Catherine. Washington Road was actually the Natchez Trace extending into Natchez
and terminating at the Forks.

In 1834, eyewitness traveler, Joseph Holt Ingraham described the Forks market as follows:
“a mile from Natchez we came to a cluster of rough wooden building, in the angle of two
roads. This is the slave market said my companion, pointing to a building in the rear.” He said
they entered “through a wide gate into a narrow court-yard, partially enclosed by low buildings.”

Jim Barnett of Mississippi Department of Archives and History, in his 2003 nomination of the
Forks for National Historical Landmark recognition wrote, “The historic intersection, with its
familiar Y configuration, remains to mark the location of the once-flourishing slave markets at
the Forks of the Road.”

Paved and driven over by automobiles, today, these same Forks of the Road juncture streets
are named D’Evereaux Drive, Liberty Road and St. Catherine Street. These Forks paved over
roadbeds are the above ground artifacts as “a place to recall the past”…said Barnett! 

 During the Trafficking Season at Forks of the Road Markets 

 “Coffles” of enslaved people who were walked from the upper old south Chesapeake Bay
region, Kentucky and Tennessee were brought down the Natchez Trace to the Forks via
Washington (D’Evereaux west) Road. Those walked over from the lower southeastern states
were brought to the Forks via Old Courthouse (Liberty) Road. Those shipped around on the
Atlantic Ocean and down and up the Mississippi River highway routes were off loaded at
Natchez-Under-the-Hill wharfs and walked out to the Forks via St. Catherine Street.

Tens of thousands of enslaved African descendants, who through their spiritual tradition
and human motivation, managed to survive the driven-like-cattle passages of sorrow to the Forks.

Once there, they were stored securely in human stockades, holding pens and houses in and
about the Forks, to be sold later. Here, they were made commodity ready in anticipation of fetching
the best investment offer in human flesh at the “Negro Marts” in the Forks Juncture. 

Paths to Dreams of Status, Wealth and Empires by Investing in “Negro Stock”

Buy Negroes to make profits, to buy more Negroes, to make more profits, to buy more
Negroes was the capitalization engine driving southern heritage economies and success of the
Forks of Road Negro markets. Enslaved persons at the Forks were not exhibited on auction blocks
and struck down to the highest bidder, as was the case in the upper south.

Alexandria Virginia based Isaac Franklin* and John Armfield Company and Associates were
said to be America’s top king-pin enslavement dealers of their time. Their newly constructed
selling headquarters was located at the Forks of the Road. Franklin developed five plantations
in the West Felicianas Parish of Louisiana on which the notorious Angola Prison now occupy.

Come visit Natchez or while living here visit the historical Forks of the Road. The Forks will
speak to you through interpretive signs Friends of the Forks of the Roads Society Inc. erected
there and through a Kiosk erected by the City of Natchez.  You may even feel the ever present
Spirits of humans $oul down the river in America’s “Domestic Slave Trade” at the Forks. 

In your mind’s Eye or in person, leave the Forks! Follow the tread of investments in Negroes
to extant and no longer existing ante-bellum homes, families, plantations of cotton and sugar
bowls (football), gone with the wind hoop skirts and confederate uniforms around the maypole
pageants, edifices, cities and “southern heritage,” that slavery produced.  

Look at the people now labeled “African Americans,” know their life, presence, humanity, art,
music, spirituality, legacies, history, culture and deep-south community development
contributions were rites of passage from their African land of origin to the Forks of the Road
and other markets all the way back through the European ‘slave” forts’ doors of no return in Africa.   

Ser Seshs Ab Heter-CM Boxley, Coordinator,
Friends of the Forks of the Roads Society Inc, Natchez Mississippi.

 Phone: 601-442-4719  Email: forksyaroads@aol.com