Sight · Natchez Trace Parkway
Rare 1818 brick house from the Old Trace ferry days
Overview
At milepost 407.7, the John Gordon House is a Federal-style brick home built in 1818, and it stands as one of only two original structures remaining along the Old Trace. Because so few survive, this stop gives you the chance to see an actual early Trace building still standing in place.
Parkwolf’s verdictWhy stop hereMap
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Natchez Trace Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Natchez Trace Parkway. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this place
Gordon House Historic Site“You're approaching Gordon House, an 1818 brick home and one of only two original structures still standing along the Old Trace.”
Plays as you drive up to Gordon House Historic Site in the Parkwolf Natchez Trace Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Captain John Gordon and his family lived here, and the property doubled as a business. Gordon operated a ferry across the Duck River, giving travelers a safe crossing, and the grounds offered boatmen a place to sleep. The site sat just inside Chickasaw Territory, and in 1802 Gordon entered a partnership with Chickasaw Chief William Colbert. The ferry ran for nearly a century and was abandoned in 1896 once a bridge spanned the Duck River.
Auto and bus or RV parking sits close to the house, and there is a flush restroom, a picnic pavilion with a couple of tables, a bike rack, and an information kiosk. It works well as a brief roadside break that comes with something to look at, and it pairs naturally with a stretch-your-legs walk on the Old Trace segment.
The interior is not open to visitors because of safety concerns, so the experience is limited to the exterior, the grounds, and the signage. This 1,515-acre farm may once have included an exterior kitchen, smokehouse, barns, coops, and servant's quarters, and any such outbuildings are not part of what you see today. If you want furnished rooms or a guided tour, this is not that kind of site. Read the exhibits before you walk, and the empty ground between the house and the river makes a lot more sense.
Wildlife
39 sightingsAmerican AlligatorMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
35 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
53 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
28 sightingsGreat Blue HeronMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
29 sightingsRed-headed WoodpeckerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
32 sightingsTurkey VultureMost seen around noonSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Natchez Trace. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyHistoric Gordon House Trail0.7 mi · 30 min · At the trailheadAn 1818 house and a former ferry crossing, in one short walk.
ModerateJackson Falls Trail0.4 mi · 45 min · 2.5 mi awayA steep paved descent ends at a clear pool beneath layered falls.
ModerateBaker Bluff Trail0.4 mi · 15 min · 2.5 mi awayA short connector to a wide Tennessee view, with one steep pitch.
EasyOld Trace Walk (Milepost 403.7)0.6 mi · 15 min · 3.3 mi awayA short, wooded walk on the original Natchez Trace.
Sight · 2.2 mi awayBaker Bluff OverlookSeasonal rural vista over Tennessee farmland, barns and wooded ridges
Sight · 2.5 mi awayJackson FallsSteep 900-foot paved walk down to a sculpted cascade and pool
Sight · 4.8 mi awayTobacco Barn and Old Trace DriveStep inside a historic barn, then drive two miles of Old TraceParkwolf’s Natchez Trace ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
