The Natchez VII was built in 1879 and caught fire on its maiden trip. Capt. T.P. Leathers was a no-nonsense type person, so it had been launched with no smashing of champagne bottles, no fanfare. The boat was soon back on the river, and at Vicksburg on March 4, 1885. Capt. Leathers, who had refused to fly the U.S. flag after the South lost the war, declared it was over with the election of Grover Cleveland. At the Vicksburg waterfront he shot off a cannon and raised the Stars and Stripes. The boat sank at Stack Island Jan. 1, 1889. The captain’s personal chair, in the left foreground, is on display at the Old Court House Museum. The photo is from the museum’s collection.

Historic photos taken in and around Vicksburg are featured on Sundays in The Vicksburg Post. Many of the photos are from the J. Mack Moore Collection at the Old Court House Museum. Though not all photos were taken by Mr. Moore, they are part of the collection given to the museum by longtime Vicksburg Post managing editor Charles J. Faulk. Appropriate photos from the public will also be accepted and published. To submit a photo, contact Karen Gamble at 636-4545.