Clifton Heights Historic District
Clifton Heights Historic District is a 26-acre area in Natchez, Mississippi. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 and originally included 41 contributing buildings. The neighborhood began in 1888 as one of Natchez’s first planned subdivisions, created by the Clifton Heights Improvement Corporation. Most houses were built between 1888 and 1910, mostly in Queen Anne and Colonial Revival styles, with several notable Shingle Style homes and Natchez’s only Tudor-style house.
The district sits more than 200 feet above the Mississippi River, separated from the river by steep bluffs. Its western edge is formed by these bluffs, while low-lying land near the river forms the southern boundary. The name comes from Clifton, a large 19th-century mansion that once stood nearby but was demolished in 1863 during the Civil War.
Clifton Heights was developed by Isaac Lowenburg and Henry Frank, successful Natchez merchants, who bought land from the Surget family. The northern part along Maple Street was added later and was once known as Cemetery Road. The district is regarded as the most architecturally and historically important collection of late 19th and early 20th-century houses in Natchez.
Many homes were built for prominent Natchez Jewish families, reflecting their post–Civil War prosperity and influence on the town’s business and culture. Today, only a few Jewish families remain, and there is no local rabbi.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 05:22 (CET).