By 1785 a steady stream of Kaintucks were shipping goods down the Mississippi River to markets in Natchez and New Orleans. Unable to return their powerless flatboats up river, they sold their boats for lumber and walked back to their homes hundreds of miles to the north. This return route became known as the Natchez Trace.
   With an ever increasing amount of foot traffic on the Trace, William and Paulina Ferguson turned their farm house into a crude inn. For 25 cents, travelers could have a meal of corn mush and milk, and a cozy place to spend the night. Despite losing both husbands, Paulina was able to raise her eleven children plus run a successful inn. As the stream of Kaintucks quickened, a four-room two story annex was built for more accommodations.
   Known as Sleepy Hollow, the Mount Locust Inn was one of more than 50 inns along the 500 mile Trace. About a day's journey on foot from Natchez, the inn is one of the oldest remaining structures on the Trace. Marrying James Chamberlain in the early 1800s, Paulina Chamberlain’s descendants maintained the farm until 1944. In 1954 the National Park Service returned the home to its 1810s appearance, a time when the historic road reached its peak of northbound travelers. The site is open daily from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. Period furnishing are setup throughout the house and a short walk leads visitors to a slave cemetery, a brick kiln site and the Ferguson-Chamberlain Cemetery.

     Parkway Map - Natchez to Jackson