The George F. Bowles House

Bowles was born enslaved on June 20, 1844, in Charleston, South Carolina. However, he acquired his freedom before the start of the Civil War. In 1875, Bowles was admitted to the bar of Mississippi, and in 1878, he was appointed colonel of militia. One year later, he became chief of police. It was during this decade that he married Laura E. Davis, a member of a prominent black family. Bowles served as member of the state House of Representatives from Adams County. Additionally, he was a successful businessman, inventor, newspaper publisher, and philanthropist. Bowles built his bouse between 1866 and 1892 in the architectural style of Eastlake. It is located in the Hospital Hill neighborhood on the very site that was home to Natchez’s first public hospital building, the Mississippi State Hospital, built in 1813. Bowles died in his home on December 26th, 1899, at the age of 55.