Few places in the country can claim as many beautiful, historic sites as Natchez.

And even those cities that outnumber our town can’t out charm us.

The Historic Natchez Foundation sits at the heart of our history. The Foundation is a non-profit responsible for saving so many pieces of local history.

Obviously, the Historic Natchez Foundation was worthy of what the director of historic preservation at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History called the largest donation for historic preservation in the history of the State of Mississippi.

The Diefenthal family of New Orleans can rest assured that the capable folks at HNF will protect Brandon Hall.

And Natchez can be sure the grandiose house is forever a part of our story.

In the coming weeks HNF will be working to get easements in place that will govern what can and can’t be done to the property in the future.

After that, the foundation will try to sell the property.

It’s not in the best interest of the foundation’s other projects to continue paying taxes, utilities and upkeep costs on Brandon Hall for long. Such a piece of property can be costly.

The Foundation will use proceeds from the sale for years to come to ensure that preservation continues and historic lessons are taught.

We are happy the Diefenthal family chose Natchez and the foundation for such a kind gift. And we thank them for their generosity.