While I've covered a lot of historical figures and their gravesites over the past year, this is my first column devoted to ghosts--conceptually anyway.

This coming Friday, June 26, Magnolia Plantation makes its television debut in the Travel Channel show "Ghost Adventures." And while the show isn't known for its in-depth exploration of heritage, it does open up a lot of opportunity to learn more about one our region's most historic sites.

Magnolia was established in 1830 by Ambroise LeComte to… Continue

Where does your drinking water come from?
Sibley Lake is the surface water source for City of Natchitoches Drinking Water. This water is treated then provided to your tap. While water treatment removes most contaminants, it is important to keep pollution, chemicals, and contaminants out of the watershed that flows to Sibley Lake.

Why is it important to protect your drinking water?
A person can survive without food for more than a month, but less than a week without water! You and… Continue

This weekend is the Melrose Arts and Crafts Festival. While the event holds a lot of potential for buying and selling, visitors can also plan on several very interesting heritage preservation experiences while in the area.

There's no doubting Melrose's historic credentials. The nearly 200-year-old plantation was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974. In 2008, it was included among the first 26 sites on the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail.

The Association for the Preservation… Continue

(Caption: NCPTT interns this summer include (l-r) Joe Evans, Megan Smith, Molly McGath, Kayla Wagner, Bethany Frank, Josh Springer, Eric Guidry and Curtis Desselles. Not pictured is Jessica Cleaver.)

Natchitoches’ preservation population grew just a little this… Continue

NSU's yearbook, the Potpourri, is celebrating a century of documenting the university's history. This week, I've invited Bethany Frank to share her reflections on the Potpourri. Bethany is entering her second year as editor of the publication. Here's what she had to say:

I never liked history. I hated sitting through the hour-long class where we discussed the events of the past and the people they involved. I used to sit and wonder why we even bothered to contemplate the who, the when and the w… Continue