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White Linen Night on Commerce Street

The weather was hot but the strollers were cool in their white linen outfits on Saturday evening, June 3, 2023, during White Linen Night, the first open-to-the-public event of its kind in celebration of downtown Natchez, Mississippi. Crowds gathered to enjoy this intriguing and exciting evening that was spearheaded by artists Jax Frey and Mamie Henry. Shops and art galleries were open, artists were creating live paintings on the sidewalks, music from Mississippi Roux filled the air with tunes under the old Ritz Theater marquee, and the beverage station was hopping. Photos submitted by Mamie Henry

Ruth Powers and Robin Person

Two enthusiastic Natchez visitors

Mamie Henry and Carolyn Weir

Dan Hays-Clark, Bill Ennis, Trippy Shields, James Pettigrew, Thad Laiche, and Mel Zufall

Carolyn Weir creating a living painting of the event

Mamie Henry, Marla Gibson, Diane DuPont, Laura Newkirk, and Tracy McCartney

Mayor Dan Gibson with Rusty and Lyn Jenkins

Marla and Mayor Dan Gibson, Laura Newkirk, and Rusty and Lyn Jenkins

Troy Johnson and Norma West

Shannon Melton, Brad Yarborough, and Jaki Robinson

John and Kristine Herrin, Mamie Henry, and Robin Allen

Mickey Howley, Mamie Henry, Jax Frey, and Mayor Dan Gibson

Eric Shanoski, Quincey Vidrine, and John Dahl

Mamie Henry, Majorie and David Hawkins, and Robin Allen

Celeste and David Melzer with Mamie Henry

Mr. Robert and Sharon Brown

James Shaidnagle Memorializes D’Evereux Hall Orphan Asylum and the Sacred Heart Brothers

Established by the Catholic Diocese of Mississippi in 1861 and erected that year on the grounds behind what would later become the buildings of Cathedral Catholic School in Natchez, Mississippi, D’Evereux Hall Orphan Asylum until its closure in 1966 was home to over 1500 boys under the guidance of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart. From 1955 until his graduation in 1962, Natchez native James Shaidnagle from a family of nine siblings lived there as did his three brothers Donald, Paul, and Billy. All four became masters-degree college graduates and successful professionals in service to their communities, the Sacred Heart Brothers having instilled in them, as James frequently confirmed, “a strong work ethic” and deep commitment to the important priorities in life.

For over ten years, James Shaidnagle has striven to memorialize the religious brothers and the orphanage so vital in their positive effects on the lives and futures of so many youth. At his considerable expense, James restored and memorialized the burial sites of a number of the orphans and religious brothers at the Natchez City Cemetery. He created and donated a formal historic marker, as part of the city’s tri-centennial, that was installed and dedicated in 2016 atop D’Evereux Hill in memory of the orphanage and Brothers. This marker is now displayed in one of the school buildings. Most recently, under his instigation and guidance, he worked with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, the Historic Natchez Foundation, Cathedral Catholic School, and the Catholic Diocese of Jackson to erect an official state historic plaque on D’Evereux Hill, a plaque dedicated on April 26, 2023.

Throughout his decade-plus research, he has compiled a significant and scholarly collection of the many historic documents and pictures that capture the inspirational saga of D’Evereux Hall Orphan Asylum, the devotion of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart who served there, and the character of the man—James Shaidnagle—whose life and deep devotion inspired these many tributes.