Contact: Andy Ferrell
National Center for Preservation Technology and Training
Natchitoches, LA 71457
(318) 356-7444
http://www.ncptt.nps.gov

8/6/2001

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATCHITOCHES - Members of the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) team will showcase their work at an Aug. 22 reception marking the conclusion of a 12-week architectural documentation project.

During the reception, the team's drawings will be on display, and the team historian will present the findings of historical research.

The reception will be held at Lee H. Nelson Hall on the campus of Northwestern State University, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The public is invited to attend. Nelson Hall, the home of the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training will be formally dedicated in November.

The five-person HABS team has documented several structures in the Cane
River National Heritage Area including the Texas and Pacific Railway Depot, the Carroll Jones House, the Maison de Marie Therese, a slave cabin near the Ducorneau Plantation and outbuildings at Oakland Plantation, a unit of the Cane River Creole National Historical Park.

The team consists of Edward Pillsbury of Morristown, N.J., Jon Wilson of Oxford, Miss., Maciej Gruzecski of Lodz, Poland and Kati Maksay of Cluj, Romania and Caroline Wright of Briggs, Texas.

The program is supported by the Cane River National Heritage Area Commission.

As part of the reception, NCPTT Executive Director Dr. Robert Stearns will present an overview of the important work being carried out by the center's staff and partners. Partners from the Historic American Building Survey's Washington, D.C. headquarters, Cane River National Heritage Area Commission and Cane River Creole National Historical Park will be in attendance to discuss area preservation activities.

Other agencies and organizations will have the opportunity to inform the public about their respective programs.

The Historic American Building Survey is the oldest federal preservation program. HABS was founded in 1933 as a make-work program for architects, draftsmen and photographers put out of work during the Great Depression.

NCPTT is an interdisciplinary program of the National Park Service that develops technology to advance the preservation of America's cultural heritage. NCPTT serves public and private practitioners through research, education and information management. NCPTT is housed in Nelson Hall, the oldest existing building on the NSU campus.

For more information, call NCPTT Public Outreach Coordinator Andy Ferrell at (318) 356-7444.

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