A great deal of history resides within the small town of French Camp, located just off the Natchez Trace at the intersection of Hwy. 413.
The town dates back to around 1810 when a Frenchman named Louis LeFleur established a trading post and inn along the Natchez Trace. The Choctaw natives and others in the area called it ‘Frenchman’s Camp’ and it was later shortened to French Camp.
LeFleur married a Choctaw woman. Their famous son who changed his name to Greenwood Leflore, became a Choctaw chief and a Mississippi State Senator. For him are named the city of Greenwood and the county of Leflore. A stone memorial marks a stage of the Natchez Trace at French Camp.
This being the 210th anniversary of the founding of the town the annual Frontier Day, held on the first Saturday of May, has been renamed Founders Day and will feature Walt Grayson as parade Grand Marshall, a trail ride, covered wagons, British, American and
Choctaw re-enactors, as well as musicians and singers. Mayor Glen Barlow describes it as a day of excitement and learning about the history of French Camp.
A recent addition to this small town of around 300 people is a Dollar General store located on the outskirts of town on Hwy 413. Barlow stated that if this store performs as other Dollar Generals in small towns it could almost double the town’s tax revenue. That, along with the recent reopening of the Council House Cafe and the tourism brought in from the Natchez Trace are a big boost to the French Camp economy that will allow the town to do some things that would otherwise not be possible.
As the site of the historic French Camp Academy, French Camp is truly a small town that makes a difference.
