Genealogy
& Photo Scanning Workshop at January, 2001 Creole Heritage Day
The Louisiana Creole Heritage Center will
provide their current Creole Family History database for review and submissions at the
January, 2001 celebration. A database containing family history information on the
Louisiana Creole connections is being compiled by the Center and everyone is invited to
submit their family data. Many families have already contributed their family trees to
this database, which has allowed it to become a main depository of Creole genealogy.
The Center will also be scanning photos for submission to the
Center’s growing photo database. Of special interest will be photos depicting Creole
celebrations such as church fairs, heritage day celebrations, All Saints Day, May Day
Crowning, family gatherings, etc. from the past and the present.
All those unable to attend or who would like to have their
information entered prior to the January, 2001 Creole Heritage Celebration can send it to
the Louisiana Creole Heritage Center, NSU Box 5675, Natchitoches, LA 71497 or via e-mail
to creole@nsula.edu. The Center is opened Monday through Friday between the hours of 8am
and 4:30 pm. The telephone number is 318/357-6685, fax – 318/357-6689. |
| 4TH Grade School
Project Natchitoches, Louisiana The NSU Louisiana
Creole Heritage Center in partnership with the Natchitoches mayor's office invited the 4th
graders of the NSU Lab School to participate in a project to be presented at the next
Creole Heritage Day in January. The project introduced calls for the students to draw
their interpretation of the Badin Roque House of the Cane River area along with their
feelings about living in such a house. Ms. Colson of the Creole Center presented a poster
display, which was donated to the class, and an information sheet on the structure for the
students to use.
The Badin Roque house is a poteaux-en-terre, "post in ground", construction.
It's walls are made of bousillage, a mixture of clay and Spanish moss or deer hair often
used as nogging material in French and Spanish colonial era construction. Dated at almost
200 years old, according to the Louisiana Regional Folklife Program, Region 2 website
(http://www.liberalarts.nsula.edu/regfolklife/default.htm) it is the only surviving
example of this type of architecture in Louisiana and one of five in the entire United
States. The house is mainly known for its use as a catholic convent and school in the
1850's. The property has also been used as a doctor's office and a bakery as well as a
regular family residence. Presently, the house was bought by the St. Augustine Historical
Society (www.cp-tel.net/creole). They are working on restoring the house to its original
construction.All submissions received from these students will be on display during the
celebration on January 20th at the St. Augustine Church facilities in Natchez, Louisiana.
Each student submitting a drawing will receive a pass to attend the celebration as well as
a certificate of participation from the Mayor's office.
Assisting Ms. Colson with this presentation were Maryann Nunley and Pat Jones of the
mayor's office, and Sheila Richmond of the National Center for Preservation, Training and
Technology.
The presentation of the project is seen as a way of adding to the cultural education
according to Ms. Colson of the Center. Many of children were not aware of the "house
with the dirt floors and mud walls" and seem genuinely interested in learning more.
Directions to the house were given as a part of the informational sheet and all students
were encouraged to visit. |
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