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 of Historic Natchitoches, which owns the plantation, will offer tours of the main house and the African House. It's always a treat to see the sprawling main house, with its stately twin garçonnières. In contrast, the African House is small, square structure with a disproportionally large, arching roof that extends ten feet past the walls on all four sides. Tours cost $5 and will be held both days of the festival.

Another site worth noting is Yucca, which was the plantation's original main house. APHN recently began work to remediate problems caused by excess water collecting around the structure. Steel beams were placed under Yucca and jacks were used to raise the fragile structure by tenths of an inch. The intent is to replace water-damaged piers and lower the structure again. This is truly a rare opportunity to see modern preservation engineering in progress.

Visitors can also view work done earlier this year by the National Park Service's Preservation and Skills Training program (PAST). PAST trains NPS maintenance employees to preserve and maintain historic Park Service structures. Melrose benefited from masonry repairs and limewashing at the African House. The PAST group also repaired the roof and chinking on Ghana House. It's worth your time to note the skilled workmanship that went into this effort. If you'd like a see more, there's a video at natchitochespreservation.com that documents the repairs and features interviews with the participants.

While you're there, you can view another video of NSU Masters of Heritage Resources students talking about the history of the Badin-Roque, which is just a few minutes from Melrose along Hwy. 484. The Badin-Roque House is a former schoolhouse and the only surviving example of early Creole post-in-ground construction in Louisiana.

Of course, there will still be plenty of opportunity to take home your fill of handcrafted jewelry, unique yard art and handmade candles. Festival admission is $5 for adults, $2 for children ages six to 12, and free for those under six.