NEWS RELEASE

Contact: ElizaBeth Bede
National Center for Preservation Technology and Training
645 College Ave.
Natchitoches, LA 71457
(318) 356-7444
http://www.nsula.edu/news

8/9/2002

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATCHITOCHES ­ The National Park Service will showcase its summer 2002 community preservation projects Thursday, August 15, at the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training located in Lee H. Nelson Hall at 645 College Ave. in Natchitoches.

Two Natchitoches-area "Preservation in Your Community" projects will be featured, including the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) documentation of Magnolia Plantation and the preservation of the American Cemetery.

The event begins with a reception at 6 p.m. during which HABS drawings of Magnolia Plantation will be on display for viewing. At 7 p.m., project participants will present the state of their research on both projects.

"Both summer projects are driven by our community's preservation needs and local input," said Nancy Morgan, director of the Cane River National Heritage Area Commission. "We take this time each year to let the community know about some of the important preservation projects we have going on in their own back yard."

The Cane River National Heritage Area Commission, the Cane River Creole National Historical Park, the HABS and the NCPTT jointly sponsored the recent HABS architectural documentation of Magnolia Plantation. The HABS team consisted of architects and a historian that researched and made drawings of the structure for future preservation efforts.

More than 20 volunteers will be recognized for their efforts to help advance the preservation efforts at American Cemetery, including Gail Stern of Natchitoches.

"My interest in the project was sparked by a recent trip to my family's gravesites in Indiana" said Stern. "Many of the markers were not legible and I saw this project as a way to work in the community and do my part to preserve this important resource."

Stern's daughter Gail Kwak, who is also from Natchitoches, said of her experience, "I have found working in the cemetery this summer to have been enlightening not only in the sense of learning about the history of the community and its culture but also about humanity."

The American Cemetery Project is being funded by NCPTT, the Cane River National Heritage Area Commission and the American Cemetery Association. The project includes documentation of gravemarkers, archeological excavation and fence installation.

For more information, call ElizaBeth Bede at (318) 356-7444.

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