The purpose of the internship is to provide the student the opportunity to work directly with a heritage resources professional in a real-world situation. Every internship is individually designed with input by the host institution. Some of the internship opportunities are with local heritage resources management agencies. A few of these are listed below.
Congress established the
National
Center
for Preservation Technology and Training in 1992 and in response to a 1988 report by the Office of Technology Assessment. Its creation was the results of a nearly two-decade effort to establish a national preservation center within the National Park Service. The mission of the NCPTT is to enhance national preservation efforts through the development or adaptation of various technologies that result in increase protection, preservation, and documentation in the areas of archaeology, architecture, landscape architecture, and materials conservation. The center accomplishes its mission through research, technology transfer, training and education.
The
Cane
River
Creole
National
Historic
Park,
a unit of the National Park Service, is located along the
Cane
River
in Natchitoches Parish,
Louisiana.
The park has two sites, Oakland Plantation site, which was developed as a cotton plantation by the Prudhomme family and includes the big house and a number of out buildings, and Magnolia Plantation’s slave cabins and the cotton gin and press. The park’s collections comprise a wide range of materials from paintings and documents to farm equipment and 67 historic structures and archeological deposits, remnants of 200 years of plantation life. Architectural restoration and preservation activities are ongoing at the park.
Congress designated the Cane River National Heritage Area in 1994 in recognition of the area’s unique history and traditions. The Heritage Area covers approximately 116,000 acres and includes a unit of the National Park Service, several state historic parks, two house museums, and historic
Natchitoches,
a National Historic Landmark District.
The Heritage Area’s mission is to preserve and interpret the rich history of the area from the age of frontier exploration to present day lifestyles, traditions, and celebrations. This is accomplished through partnerships with governmental agencies, businesses, organizations, and the residents of the area. It is believed that the economic benefits of heritage tourism will assist in the long-term preservation and enhancement of heritage resources of the area.
The
Kisatchie
National Forest
covers over 604,000 acres in central
Louisiana.
Along with its management of the forest, the U.S. Forest Service is responsible for the identification and protection of archaeological sites as well as other heritage resources on its properties. For over 10 years, NSU has supplied interns to assist forest personnel in locating archaeological sites in the forest.
Three historic sites representing the military presence in the area are managed by the Office of State Parks. (Click on Historic Sites)
-
Fort
St. Jean
Baptiste is a replica of the French fort built in
Natchitoches
in the early to mid 1700s. The site offers a living history program to provide an opportunity for visitors to better understand and appreciate the people of colonial
Louisiana.
- Los Adaes, just 20 miles west of
Natchitoches,
was once the Spanish capital of the
province
of
Texas.
At one time the Presidio Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Los Adaes, a fort garrisoned by up to 100 Spanish soldiers, the mission of San Miguel, and a number of habitations stood on the site. No above ground structures remain but the archaeological deposits are incredibly rich and well preserved.
-
Fort
Jesup,
situated on the frontier between Spanish Texas and the U.S.,
was an important military post beginning in 1822. Once a large complex of 82 buildings, only one historic structure remains. The fort has a museum and offers daily demonstrations of frontier skills.
A number of other possible internship opportunities are also available.
