Original newspaper manuscript submitted 2008-11-06. newspaper issue date not recorded here. Historical statements remain the author’s period account; Natchitoches Preservation Network links now use the revived Ning address.
Even if you don’t generally consider yourself web savvy, chances are you’ve heard about podcasting. A podcast is an audio file that you can download and listen to at your convenience, either at your computer or on a MP3 player such as an iPod. There are tens of thousands of these programs on just about every topic you can imagine. Now, Natchitoches heritage has a voice in the podcasting world as well.
Launching the Network Podcast
The Natchitoches Preservation Network podcast went online with its first episode this week. Rolanda Teal, a NSU graduate and co-founder of the heritage organization Cultural Lore, is the podcast’s featured interview. Teal talks about the “Underground Railroad” as it relates to our area.
When many people think about the Underground Railroad, they think about Harriet Tubman in the 1800s. But the Natchitoches territory has its own version of the Underground Railroad dating back to the early 1700s. Much of this activity occurred at Los Adaes, which Teal describes as a “safe house” for runaway slaves looking to gain their freedom in Spanish Texas.
The Cane River National Heritage Area funded the research during its last grants cycle. This project will culminate in the area’s nomination for a listing with the National Park Service’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom initiative.
Heritage Research and Public Storytelling
During the podcast, Teal also talks about how her love of heritage, and the research process, formed during her early years as well as other projects she is pursuing. If you’d like to hear the full interview, feel free to stop by and listen at the Natchitoches Preservation Network website: www.natchitochespreservation.ning.com. There will be a link to listen to the podcast on the site and instructions on how to download it to your computer for later listening.
This podcast has the potential to be an effective tool to help people around the world understand the significance of Natchitoches heritage and the outstanding community that continues to work toward its preservation. But your help is needed to sustain the effort. Anyone who has an idea for a future episode related to Natchitoches heritage is welcome to e-mail suggestions to preservationnetwork@gmail.com.
What Remains
This early podcast interview with Rolanda Teal matters both for its discussion of Los Adaes and as evidence of the Natchitoches Preservation Network’s first experiments in public audio history. The revived Network history provides a place to document recordings, transcripts, credits, and the original circumstances of publication. A reference to a podcast is not proof that its playable file survives; recovering and verifying the audio remains a distinct archival task. Natchitoches Preservation Network.
Updated October 2026
Supporting Documents & SourcesView related reporting & supporting materials
| Related article | Video podcasts and Natchitoches folklife |
|---|---|
| Related article | Natchitoches Preservation Network in 2009 |
Article Catalog CardView the manuscript record, provenance & surviving materials
| Artifact | Original newspaper manuscript. |
|---|---|
| Period | 2008-11-06 submission. |
| Institution | Natchitoches Times and Natchitoches Preservation Network. |
| Role | Columnist, interviewer, cultural heritage communicator. |
| Evidence | Original dated email submission. |
| Status | Archival restoration; newspaper print evidence not yet verified. |
Critical Questions + Add to the Record
- Who gets to speak, and whose knowledge is heard?
- What happens when useful tools become systems we depend on?
Application here: The first Natchitoches Preservation Network podcast gave community research a new public channel. It also marks an early step in turning a media experiment into an ongoing network for sharing heritage knowledge.
Know something that adds context, documentation, correction, or firsthand knowledge to this record? Keep this page open and copy its URL into the contribution form.
Leave a Reply