Dr. John Bowman Banks House

The Dr. John Bowman Banks Museum, also known as The John Banks House, was the home of Natchez’s first black physician and a hub of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.

Established in 2020, the museum offers a perspective of Natchez’s history that includes community life during the early 20th century and the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s.

Dr. John Bowman Banks (1862 -1911) began practicing medicine in Natchez in 1889. He later recruited the city’s second African American doctor, Albert Woods Dumas, and together they founded the Bluff City Savings Bank, the only African American-owned bank in the city at that time.

During the 1960s, the house served as the headquarters for the NAACP. Charles Evers, who served as the Mississippi NAACP Field Director, used the Banks House as a hub for the civil rights movement in Natchez. Evers was the brother of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers.

Today, the museum exists to educate and inspire, while telling the full story about an important piece of Natchez’s history. Visit the Dr. John Banks House today and experience this important journey through time. Schedule your tour by calling (601)442-5060, no tour too small.

Admission is $10, group rates are available.

TOUR GUIDES:

* Jacqulyn Williams

* Dora Hawkins

* Thelma Newsome

*Evelyn Hutchins