The Tides of Memory
“August,” Sarah whispered the name with a weight. Not the summer breeze—but a burden of memories, of chains quietly broken at last. The auctioneer’s hammer had fallen. They owned China Grove Plantation. That was in 1870, just a few years after the war’s end—a plantation held not by the slave master, but by former slaves. WikipediaNatchez African American Museum
August’s hands trembled. “We come from chains, Sarah. And yet…we own land. We own that place.” He meant more than bricks and trees. “We own our labor, our sweat, our names.”
Sarah nodded, her voice steady. “We built the gin ourselves. Grew the cotton. The world tried to keep us in the sharecroppers’ shackles.” But they would not be chained again. Natchez African American MuseumMSGWEverything2
. From China Grove to a Dream
One night, a neighbor—a white manager—leaned across the fence. “You two have heart,” he said. “I’ll help.” His quiet support turned into financial backing, the spark that lit something brighter than freedom. Natchez African American MuseumMSGW
“So that’s how we got China Grove,” August mused. “But Sarah—our children were born under Railey’s whip. They played in the dust of Oakland, never dreaming their feet would ever walk there as masters.”
In the fullness of years, that dream took shape. 1891 came. Their son, Alexander Mazique, stepped into history—he bought Oakland Plantation, where he had once labored as a child. MDAH AppsEverandNPGallery
Alexander stood at Oakland’s threshold. His breath hitched. “Pa… is that what I think it is?”
August’s voice cracked. “That house—our old house. But now it’s ours. Not just ours by law, but ours in spirit.”
VIII. Reflections in Wright’s Voice
In the hush of night, I can hear them:
Voice of August: “They say a people must rise by degrees. But, Sarah… we rose in leaps.”
Voice of Sarah: “We did more than rise. We planted ourselves.”
Voice of Alexander: “Oakland was our chains. Now it’s our crown.”
Voice of Alexander Jr.: “School for the children. Freedom is in minds now.”
Voice of George West (echo): “From chains to council—which is more real?”
A Dynasty of Determination
Sarah paused one summer evening, sun sinking low over the cotton fields. “We used to bend to the overseer’s whip,” she said, eyes fierce. “Now? We own the fields. We set our laws.”
August added softly, “We bought dignity. We bought legacy.”
The family grew—not just in number, but in holdings. By 1900, the Maziques—August, Sarah, Alexander—had become one of the largest Black landowning families in southwestern Adams County. Several plantations—dozens—passed into their names.
“The Mazique Family of Natchez,” make it:
“From Slavery to Landownership: The Mazique Family of Natchez and Oakland Plantation”
The Architecture of Liberation
Oakland was no modest cabin. Built about 1820, styled Federal with Greek Revival additions, its architecture spoke of power and vision. MDAH Apps+1
Alexander touched the columns one morning. “This wood,” he said. “I stood here—once shadows pressed me against these walls. Now, I press my own hands against them.” He could feel the echoes: of chains, of footsteps, of stolen freedom.
Shadows from the Past
“Do you fear telling others?” a neighbor asked him once.
Alexander smiled wryly. “They ask if we’re anything but miracles. But every tree out back holds voices—April, Otey, little August Jr.… They remind me.”
He’d heard estimates: in 1861, August, Sarah, and their seven children were listed in James Railey’s estate inventory—a value assigned to each as property. MDAH Apps+1
Sarah turned to the fields. “Now they count cotton by bale. Not by human worth.”
The Continuing Line
Years passed. The Mazique name carried through generations. In 1919, Alexander Jr. purchased the Mazique–West House in Natchez to give his children better educational access. Visit Natchez
Alexander Jr. leaned on the porch. A boy ran out, books clutched in tiny fists. “Pa, I got into school!”
That pride—it was more than pride. It was proof.
Later, in 1966, the property passed into the hands of George and Artimese West, aligning the house with civil rights struggle: George became the first Black alderman in Natchez since Reconstruction; Artimese followed as the city’s first Black alderwoman. Visit Natchez
. Legacy Carved in Land
“Land thinks differently,” August once said. “If you own it, it grows you, not just crops.” As the Mazique family name echoed through generations, they carved a dynasty—rooted not in chains, but in courage.
In 1955, the family sold Oakland—not out of loss, but transition, as the heirs faced modern realities. MDAH Apps
Yet their legacy persisted in architecture and memory.
Today, that’s part of Natchez’s heritage. The Mazique family stands among two stories: once enslaved, now celebrated. Their rise, tangible in land, historic registers, and hearts, marks one of the most remarkable stories of African-American ownership in Mississippi. MDAH Apps+1EverandWikipedia
Why This Story Matters
- Historical truth: August and Sarah Mazique purchased China Grove Plantation in 1870 with help from a white neighbor, rejecting dependency and sharecropping. Natchez African American MuseumMSGWWikipedia
- Their son, Alexander, bought Oakland Plantation—where they had once been enslaved—in 1891. MDAH AppsEverandNPGallery
- By 1900, the Mazique family had become a pioneering Black planting dynasty in southwest Adams County. MDAH AppsEverandEverything2
- Oakland’s house stands as a high-integrity example of Federal and Greek Revival architecture with deep significance to Black history. MDAH Apps+1
- The Mazique–West House, purchased by Alexander Jr. in 1919 and later owned by civil rights leaders, continues their legacy. Visit Natchez
