Roane Fleming Byrnes remains one of the most influential figures in Natchez and Mississippi history. Mrs. Byrnes’s involvement with the Natchez Trace Parkway began in 1934, the same year she became president of the Natchez Trace Association, an office she held until her death in 1970. Prior to the Trace project, Mrs. Byrnes led efforts for the restoration of the House on Ellicott’s Hill, the first historic house restored by an organization in MS. By 1935, the Natchez Trace project developed into a major focus, one that would last for the rest of her life.Through her work with members of Mississippi’s state legislature and congressional delegation, the Natchez Trace Parkway became a permanent part of the National Park Service in 1938. Mrs. Byrnes’s lobbying efforts and leadership made the project a reality. On November 9, 1951, the first sixty-four-mile segment was completed.Today, the 444-mile commemorative parkway extends from Natchez to Nashville and is traveled by millions each year