I think I’ve mentioned before that Follow Me to Nellie’s is based (loosely) on the life of the playwright’s relative, Nellie Jackson, who ran a house of ill repute in Natchez, Mississippi. A quick online search yields interesting results – scandalous rumors, X-rated memoirs, and even Follow Me to Nellie’s T-Shirts.
And, I suspect there’s a lot more information out there, if you know who to talk to. Clare spent some time trying to find information on a baseball team that’s referenced in the play, and she called some very friendly Mississippians for help. When she explained why she was looking for the information, it seemed like everyone was familiar with Nellie. Many were eager to tell their own Nellie Jackson story – including one of Natchez’s former mayors. I’ll leave it to Clare to tell the story, when she has a free moment.
In the meantime, here is an excerpt from Nellie Jackson’s obituary:
“If you wanted a girl at Nellie Jackson’s place, you arrived before midnight and you arrived sober.
They were simple rules, but effective ones. For the better part of 60 years they had helped Nellie Jackson stay in business as the best-known madam in this Mississippi River town.
For that long, the city fathers – police chiefs, mayors, aldermen – had turned a blind eye to the goings on in the nondescript frame house with the red striped awnings on North Rankin Street.
In that time, Nellie Jackson, with her heart of gold, bug white Lincoln and small French poodles, became arguably the most colorful and best known person in town, loved by mayors and doctors, saloon owners and neighbors.
Last week, at age 87, they laid Nellie Jackson to rest. They laid her to rest because a 20-year-old kid would not play by the rules…”
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