Katherine Grafton Miller

Katherine Grafton Miller (July 30, 1894 – March 31, 1983) is credited as the founder of the Natchez Pilgrimage during the depression era of the 1930s. She married Joseph Balfour Miller in June 1917 at the Natchez Trinity Episcopal Church.

Natchez Pilgrimage As a member of the Natchez Garden Club, Katherine Grafton Miller is credited as founder and organizer of the Natchez Pilgrimage which was first held in the spring of 1932. Miller coordinated with owners of antebellum homes in Natchez and obtained their authorization for tours of the city's pre-Civil War mansions and the gardens that surrounded them. The tours were part of a 6-day pilgrimage, Garden club profits were to be used for restoring historic landmarks in the city. Timing of the event was selected to coincide with the blooming of garden shrubbery and other flowering plants – e.g., azaleas (Rhododendron), camellias (Camellia japonica), jasmine (Jasminum), and Wisteria.

In addition to tours of antebellum homes, the pilgrimage offered stories that incorporated idealized versions of plantation life presented by hostesses wearing antebellum-period costumes – antique silk hoop dresses, bonnets, and ribbons. Her portrait is on display in Mississippi's Old Capitol Museum in Jackson.

In 2025, after more than 90 years, the Natchez Pilgrimage tours founded by Katherine Miller were still active and were presented each year in spring (March – April) and autumn (September – October).