Cemetery Photos Challenge Natchez City Cemetery

Natchez, Mississippi is the oldest city along the Mississippi River and was established in 1716. It was named after the American Indian tribe in the area called the “Natchez”. It became the hub of the steamboat era on the Mississippi.

Last week I posted photos of "The Turning Angel". Cemetery Photos- The Turning Angel This week's photos are in the same cemetery, established in 1822, and set high above the Mississippi River.

One of the graves in the cemetery is that of ten year old Florence Irene Ford (Sept 3, 1861 - Oct 30, 1871) who passed away, after contracting Yellow Fever .

The following is quoted from the Natchez City Cemetery web site:

"Ten-year-old Florence died of yellow fever. During her short life she was extremely frightened of storms and whenever one occurred she would rush to her mother to find comfort. Upon her death her mother was so struck with grief that she had Florence's casket constructed with a glass window at the child's head. The grave was dug to provide an area, the same depth of the coffin, at the child's head, but this area had steps that would allow the mother to descend to her daughter's level so she could comfort Florence during storms. To shelter the mother during storms, hinged metal trap doors were installed over the area the mother would occupy while at her child's grave.... In the mid 1950s a concrete wall was erected at the bottom of the stairway covering the glass window of Florence's coffin to prevent vandalism."