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Cane River Cachet - May 18, 2002
By Ada D. Jarred
The National Trust for Historic Preservation originated Preservation Week in 1971 to highlight grassroots preservation efforts around the country. Each Preservation Week focuses on a different aspect of historic preservation. This year?s theme for May 12 through 18 is ?Preserving the Spirit of Place,? a celebration of America?s diverse history and how historic preservation helps save that heritage.
Two local preservation projects are currently underway with some funding from Save America?s Treasures, a federal program originated by Hillary Clinton and continued in the Bush administration. The Prudhomme-Rouquier House and both Yucca House and the African House at Melrose Plantation are undergoing restoration. All three structures are deemed nationally significant, and it is to the credit of Natchitoches that local residents have labored so hard to preserve them and their history.
Historic preservation is slow, painstaking work. Experts carefully prepare plans and specifications. Both state and national officials must peruse and confirm the plans. Every effort is made to utilize authentic materials. None of the effort is inexpensive.
Carefully consider the alternative, however. As historian David McCullough pointed out to the National Preservation Conference in 2001, historic figures remain with us because of preserved buildings. He asserted that we could find John Adams, Patrick Henry, George Washington, and Paul Revere in Philadelphia?s Carpenters? Hall, Independence Hall, the Powell House, and old Christ Church. He added, ?All these buildings, these American places, all are tangible, evocative expressions of those distant times and those extraordinary people. And those people are here, with us, in a way they would not be if those structures were not here.?
Take McCullough?s suggestion; imagine the Natchitoches area without its historic places. What if Melrose, Beaufort, Oakland, Magnolia, and Cherokee had not been preserved? What if the Prudhomme-Rouquier House, the Tante Huppe House, the Lemee House, and the Tauzin-Wells House, to name a few, had not been restored and maintained? How barren would be our local landscapes and streetscapes. How empty would be our local history without such figures as the Metoyers, the Prudhommes, St. Denis, Dr. John Sibley, Marie Thereze Coin-Coin, Cammie Henry, Clementine Hunter, and countless others.
Because of local concern for its rich history, Natchitoches has been able to attract such federal entities as the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, the Cane River Creole National Historical Park, and the Cane River National Heritage Area. State historic sites such as Fort St. Jean Baptiste, Ft. Jesup, and Los Adaes also have been recognized and established. Local, federal and state efforts have resulted in Natchitoches becoming a prime heritage tourism destination.
Tourism is big business. Preliminary figures from the Travel Industry Association show that travel and tourism contributed $545 billion to the U. S. economy in 2001; $90 billion of this amount was spent by international travelers. The same source cites travel and tourism as the third largest retail industry in the U. S. behind automotive dealers and food stores. According to a 2001 survey, 65 percent of American adult travelers said they included a cultural, arts, heritage or historic activity or event while on a trip of 50 miles or more, one-way, during the previous year. These travelers had annual incomes of over $50,000, and one-third had completed college.
Travel and tourism in the U. S. accounted for more than 7 million direct jobs and 9.2 million indirect jobs in 1998. In addition to generating new jobs, stimulating new businesses, and elevating property values, tourism can also improve the quality of life and build community pride. Reportedly, visitors to historic sites stay longer and spend more money than other types of tourists. The Travel Industry Association has documented that visitors to historic sites and cultural attractions spend an average of $615 per trip compared to $425 for all U. S. travelers.
Heritage tourism, then, helps to diversify the Natchitoches economy and motivates preservation of the community?s unique character. The challenge is to recognize that tourism does place demands on infrastructure and to ensure that tourism does not destroy the very heritage that attracts visitors to Natchitoches in the first place. And that takes us back to National Historic Preservation Week.
Celebrate National Historic Preservation Week. Visit a nearby historic site. Contribute to a historic restoration project. Read about local history. Join in the efforts of the Association for the Preservation of Historic Natchitoches and the Natchitoches Historic Foundation. Volunteer to work at a local historic site. Soak in the spirit of this place. Ensure that future generations of Natchitoches residents will know and appreciate their past.
Let yourself go. Throughout National Historic Preservation Week, join Kool and the Gang in singing:
woo-hooh (it?s a celebration)
woo-hooh (it?s a celebration)
celebrate good times come on (it?s a celebration)
celebrate good times come on (it?s a celebration)
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