The Year That Was: Natchitoches Heritage and Community Preservation in 2008

A lot can change in nine months. Reflecting back on 2008, I’m gratified to see how the Natchitoches Preservation Network (NPN) has grown in that time to become a chronicle of activity in the Natchitoches heritage community. So for those that missed it, I’d like to share with you part one of “the year that was” in Natchitoches heritage.

A New Community Network

I started the Natchitoches Preservation Network website in April as a way for everyone to connect to our local heritage. I began writing this column during the month of May, which some may also recognize as Preservation Month. To celebrate Preservation Month, the National Trust for Historic Preservation began its “This Place Matters” video campaign taking place across the country. The Natchitoches Preservation Network took this project on locally, producing videos with representatives at 14 local sites and featuring them on YouTube.

Meanwhile, fascinating discoveries were being made at the archaeological excavation sites on Front Street, giving rise to the ad-hock Beneath the Bricks group that began sharing information about the significance of the site on the NPN site. The group also held a Heritage Education event on the riverbank to educate children about local heritage.

Fieldwork and Preservation Research

Many of us that are from this area have ties to the British Isles, which was the focus of this year’s Natchitoches/NSU Folk Festival in July. Traditions from English, Irish and Scottish cultures were celebrated. Videos from the event on the topics of English cottage gardening and Irish storytelling are viewable on the NPN website. The Cammie G. Henry Research Center also featured an exhibit on the migration of folk from the British Isles, giving attendees the opportunity to learn how to donate their family records to the Cammie Henry archives at Watson Library so that others can explore their ties to the isles down the road.

The summer brought interns from around the country to the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training. Among the internships was an oral history project to document burial traditions of the area’s African-American community. The interns, along with several guest speakers, presented their research to the public during the Preservation in Your Community event on August 5. The event is held annually by NCPTT, Cane River Creole National Historical Park (CARI) and the Cane River National Heritage Area (CRNHA).

CRNHA erected a series of attractive signs marking local sites of historic significance. Additionally, the organization awarded its 2008 round of grants, one of which went to research by the organization Cultural Lore on the Underground Railroad in Northwest Louisiana. The grant became the focus of the Natchitoches Preservation Network’s first podcast, which is featured in iTunes. In it, researcher Rolanda Teal talks about Los Adaes and how she is working to have the site added the the National Network to Freedom Program.

Next week, I’ll look back on the dramatic highs and lows in Natchitoches heritage. In the meantime, find out more at www.natchitochespreservation.ning.com.