All Blog Posts (108)

Breda Town Cemetery: Revitalizing community with heritage resources (podcast part 1)

Breda Town Cemetery Association President Chris Paige talks about building partnerships and strengthening community through the restoration of the Breda Town Cemetery.

… Continue

Added by Jeffery K Guin on November 7, 2009 at 1:00am — No Comments

NHF sponsors fall cemetery cleanup, Gala

It seems autumn is primetime for the Natchitoches Historic Foundation. NHF is offering the public several opportunities to discover Natchitoches heritage in the next few weeks. On Saturday, Oct. 31, the Natchitoches Historic Foundation held its annual Haunted History Tour from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The tour focused on some of the more dramatic events in Natchitoches history. Local actors portrayed the people that were central to these events at stations around American Cemetery. In many cases, these… Continue

Added by Jeffery K Guin on November 5, 2009 at 9:13am — No Comments

Vote for Cane River National Heritage Area for Top 50 for 50+ Initiative

Cane River National Heritage Area Nominated for Top 50 for 50+ Initiative Online voting for favorite places open through November 15, 2009 Natchitoches, LA – Cane River National Heritage Area (CRNHA) has been nominated for the Top 50 for 50+ initiative unveiled earlier this month by Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu. This new initiative celebrates the places and programs that make Louisiana an exciting and unique destination for the 50+ population. Over 800 nominations were recei… Continue

Added by Sarah Prudhomme on October 30, 2009 at 11:35am — No Comments

Voices of the Past Video Netcast: Featuring Dave Moyer, teenage new media producer and historic preservation activist

We also have a transcript available at the shownotes site. Continue

Added by Jeffery K Guin on October 15, 2009 at 3:06pm — No Comments

Column: The Hunting Traditions of Natchitoches Parish

We had our first taste of breathable air this past week. Meanwhile, shotgun shells are flying from store shelves as the squirrels seem a little edgier. It's hunting season again in Natchitoches Parish. Of all our heritage traditions, few have been more integral--and are now more endangered--than those rooted in the search for game. Not many folks these days would know what to do if all the fast food joints shut down. It's funny to think that as recently as my father's generation, people in rura… Continue

Added by Jeffery K Guin on October 4, 2009 at 8:16pm — No Comments

Podcast: Discovering Natchitoches' Multi-National Military Heritage

… Continue

Added by Jeffery K Guin on September 17, 2009 at 7:30am — No Comments

Podcast: Seven myths about the historic building material bousillage

Max Turner and Marcy Frantom of the Quality Finish Company continue their discussion about Natchitoches Parish's historic and versatile building material: bousillage.

… Continue

Added by Jeffery K Guin on September 12, 2009 at 10:00am — No Comments

Bousillage: One of Natchitoches Parish's most historic and versatile building materials

Students from L.P. Vaughn Elementary and Middle School learn how to make and apply bousillage during a heritage education activity at the Badin-Roque house. Bousillage is a Creole masonry mixture that became a popular building material locally in the 1700s. Bousillage is one of those product… Continue

Added by Jeffery K Guin on September 11, 2009 at 8:51am — No Comments

Podcast: What is Bousillage? with Max Turner and Marcy Frantom

Max Turner and Marcy Frantom of the preservation trades company Quality Finish, Inc., talk about the traditional building material bousillage and how it was used in the Cane River region. For more information, visit www.natchitochespreservation.com Continue

Added by Jeffery K Guin on September 3, 2009 at 10:45am — No Comments

Natchitoches Historic District Homeowners Alert! Planning & Zoning Meeting September 1, 2009

Tomorrow night, the Planning & Zoning meeting should be interesting. Four issues within the National Historic Landmark District are coming before the Planning & Zoning Commission. Also at this meeting, there will be an update on the recent cleanup on Rue Poete of Bayou Amulet. Please come out and express yourself! When: Tomorrow Night, Tuesday, September 1, 2009 at 6:00 p.m. (preliminary meeting at 5:30 p.m.) Where: the Natchitoches Arts Center, 716 Second Street, Natchitoches, Louisian… Continue

Added by Mary F. Striegel on August 31, 2009 at 2:54pm — No Comments

Is the Kate Chopin House still relevant? It's a matter of interpretation.

By Jeff Guin What good could come out of a burned-out husk of a building? Could a museum's ruins contribute to a culture the same way it did when it was still intact? Few would dispute the significance of ruins found in most of the world's ancient settlements. But easy answers are harder to come by in modern America when a structure is destroyed at merely 200 years old, in a rural location, during a bad economy. Heritage Resources students at Northwestern State University o… Continue

Added by Jeffery K Guin on August 31, 2009 at 9:30am — No Comments

PIYC on UStream

It took a bit to work out some technical difficulties, so the presentation doesn't actually begin until the 1 min. 30 sec. mark. See more from the event at budurl.com/piyclive Continue

Added by Jeffery K Guin on August 13, 2009 at 10:30am — No Comments

2009 Natchitoches Historic District National Night Out

Great fun was had by all at the 2009 National Night Out. I've loaded 13 photos on this site for you to see what you missed. Mayor Wayne McCullen, Councilman Jack McCain, and CASA Director Angela Anthony addressed the crowd throughout the night. State Representative Rick Nowlin visited with neighbors. Also seen at the event were Natchitoches Police Chief Mickey Dove and officer Ross, the new city police officer assigned to the historic district. Joey the Clown entertained both young and old. We w… Continue

Added by Mary F. Striegel on August 7, 2009 at 9:41am — No Comments

Cane River Creole National Historical Park collections and exhibits projects to be featured Aug. 11

Sometimes it's easy to forget what a privilege it is to have a National Park right here in our own backyard. And the Cane River Creole National Historical Park is something to be proud of by any measure. On Aug. 11, Park staff will be on hand to discuss some of their most interesting projects about the cultural heritage of our area during the ninth annual "Preservation in Your Community" event. Dustin Fuqua will briefly present the Park's activities over the last year. In particular, Dusty wil… Continue

Added by Jeffery K Guin on August 3, 2009 at 8:55am — No Comments

9th Annual Preservation in Your Community Event

Contact: Kayla Wagner, NCPTT marketing intern National Center for Preservation Technology and Training Phone: (318) 356-7444 ext. 247 Email: kaylaevette@yahoo.com Fax: (318) 356-9119 URL: http://ncptt.nps.gov FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 27, 2009 NCPTT TO HOST 9TH ANNUAL PRESERVATION IN YOUR COMMUNITY Participants will be able to interact with student interns during a poster exhibit Natchitoches- The National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT), Cane River National Heri… Continue

Added by Kayla on July 27, 2009 at 9:55am — 3 Comments

New Podcast: "The Enigmatic Joe Evans" talks about entering the NSU Master of Arts in Heritage Resources program

… Continue

Added by Jeffery K Guin on July 23, 2009 at 9:30am — 1 Comment

Ghosts of Cane River plantations past to be featured this Friday on the Travel Channel

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

Added by Jeffery K Guin on June 24, 2009 at 9:52am — 1 Comment

Natchitoches Drinking Water

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

Added by Mary F. Striegel on June 24, 2009 at 8:30am — No Comments

Experience the best of heritage at Melrose Arts and Crafts Festival this weekend

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

Added by Jeffery K Guin on June 13, 2009 at 12:37pm — No Comments

NCPTT interns take on preservation research this summer

(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

Added by Jeffery K Guin on June 10, 2009 at 10:30pm — No Comments