Restored original Hometown Heritage manuscript. Section subheadings are editorial additions; the source text retains its historical context.
The Natchitoches Historic Foundation will present its annual heritage awards this Sunday during its Fall Gala. One of the projects it will recognize is beautiful example of what can happen when a community comes together around a preservation project.
For decades, the Breda Town’s cemetery has been central to the history of the community. But in recent years, lack of funds and manpower led to a deteriorated state in the cemetery. Gravemarkers were being lost to vandalism, lack of funds and the elements.
Community leadership
Community Leadership and Restoration
This is changing now. Thanks to strong leadership and partnerships, the cemetery is coming back and inspiring the revitalization of the Breda Town community.
Chris Paige is president of the Breda Town Cemetery Committee. He follows in the footsteps of his father, who was president many years ago. Paige, along with past president John Below have worked with a dedicated group of board members to make the cemetery once again a source of community pride.
Research partnerships
Research Partnerships
One way they’ve accomplished that goal is to seek out expert partnerships, particularly with Northwestern State University. As a result, Curtis Desselles, a student in NSU’s Master of Arts in Heritage Resources program, made the cemetery the subject of his thesis “Breda Town Cemetery Project: From Plantation to Community.” The thesis details the history of the cemetery. Meanwhile, Desselle’s classmate, Josh Martin was preparing his own thesis “Breda Town Cemetery Project: Mapping and Remote Sensing Survey of a Century-Old African-American Cemetery.” Both presented the results of their research last spring.
The research has also led to a series of cemetery clean up days. The latest was held on Oct. 25. The clean-ups include gravemarker cleaning demonstrations, grounds maintenance and instruction on cemetery preservation practices. It was sponsored by the Breda Town Cemetery Association, NSU Heritage Resources Program and NSU Anthropology Club.
All of the activities surrounding the cemetery are beginning to unveil new information about the people buried there. For example, several graves have been found in the clean-up process, one of which looks to belong to a Tuskegee airman.
I recorded a podcast in which Chris Paige, Curtis Desselles and John Below tell the inspirational story of the Breda Town Cemetery’s comeback. It can be found on iTunes or at natchitochespreservation.ning.com (http://natchitochespreservation.ning.com). The Natchitoches Historic Foundation’s Fall Preservation Gala will be held 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. this Sunday at NHF headquarters on Second St.
What Remains
The 2009 award documented a community-led effort to reclaim Breda Town Cemetery through local leadership and research partnerships. The cemetery remains identified in the Natchitoches Parish genealogy directory as an African American, nondenominational burial ground. That continuing listing helps keep it visible to researchers, but does not establish its current maintenance condition or the later results of the restoration project. The original account and the student studies it names remain important starting points for a follow-up with the cemetery committee and descendants. Natchitoches Parish cemetery directory.
Updated October 2026
Supporting Documents & SourcesView related reporting & supporting materials
Article Catalog CardView the manuscript record, provenance & surviving materials
| Artifact | Breda Town Cemetery to Receive Award — Hometown Heritage column manuscript |
|---|---|
| Institution | Natchitoches Times |
| Period | 2009-11-05 |
| Role | Jeffery Guin, columnist and author |
| Platforms | Newspaper; email; Voices of the Past |
| Collections | Breda Town Cemetery; community preservation |
| Experiment | Local reporting and public heritage interpretation |
| Evidence / engagement | Submitted 2009-11-05; newspaper issue date not recorded in this archive |
| What survives | Original email submission |
| What changed | Contemporary references preserved as historical evidence |
| Trajectory | Newspaper → sent-mail manuscript → Voices recovery |
| Status | Restored archival column; print comparison pending |
Critical Questions + Add to the Record
Application here: An award for cemetery care records community work that can otherwise disappear from institutional histories.
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.
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