Substantial and compact, this Colonial cottage is one of the reclaimed small ante-bellum homes of Natchez. Built in the 1830’s, it is more than a century old.

In 1844 Myrtle Terrace was purchased by the late L. N. Carpenter, who, in turn, sold it to the renowned Captain Thomas Leathers of steamboat fame. The agreement to buy stipulated in minute detail that the property must be put in “ship shape”, carefully specifying “hinges on the windows, fastenings on the cellar door, latches on the gates, blinds on all windows except the dormers, building a stable and a carriage house”.

Captain Leathers was identified with the famous Natchez-Robert E. Lee steamboat race from New Orleans to St. Louis, on the Mississippi river, in 1870. The prize was $20,000. The race has become an epic. So thrilling is it in the history of river traffic it was dramatized in a recent celebration on the Pacific Coast.

Captain Leathers of the Natchez lost the race to Captain Cannon of the Robert E. Lee not because he had a slower boat but because of his over-confidence. He traveled nonchalantly and made all his regular stops. In the pinch he would not jeopardize the safely of his passengers by pressing his boilers beyond the safety point.

Captain Leathers lived in Myrtle Terrace for many years, and the place is still known as the “home of the Captain of the steamboat Natchez”. It is now owned and occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Dan Tucker, who have reclaimed the old lines of the house and have added modern interior improvements.