A04 - SOW Attachment - CARI Foundation Document.pdf

Foundation Document Cane River Creole National Historical Park Louisiana September 2015

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE • U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Kisatchie National Forest

Kisatchie National

Forest

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Lake Iatt

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Magnolia Plantation

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Cane R iver Lake

Cane River National Heritage Area and

Cane River Creole National Historical Park

Park Headquarters and

Collection Facility

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Kisatchie National Forest

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Bermuda

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Natchitoches

Cloutierville

Legend

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Interstate

Major Roads

Railroad

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Contents Mission of the National Park Service 1

Introduction 2

Part 1: Core Components 3

Brief Description of the Park 3 Park Purpose 5 Park Significance 6 Fundamental Resources and Values 7 Interpretive Themes 10

Part 2: Dynamic Components 11

Special Mandates and Administrative Commitments 11 Assessment of Planning and Data Needs 11

Analysis of Fundamental Resources and Values 11

Identification of Key Issues and Associated Planning and Data Needs 32

Planning and Data Needs 33

Part 3: Contributors 40

Cane River Creole National Historical Park 40 NPS Southeast Region 40 Other NPS Staff 40 Partners 40

Appendixes 41

Appendix A: Enabling Legislation for Cane River Creole National Historical Park and Cane River National Heritage Area 41

Appendix B: Inventory of Administrative Commitments 49

The arrowhead was authorized as the official National Park Service emblem by the Secretary of the Interior on July 20, 1951. The sequoia tree and bison represent vegetation and wildlife, the mountains and water represent scenic and recreational values, and the arrowhead represents historical and archeological values.

Cane River Creole National Historical Park

Mission of the National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The National Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world.

The NPS core values are a framework in which the National Park Service accomplishes its mission. They express the manner in which, both individually and collectively, the National Park Service pursues its mission. The NPS core values are:

· Shared stewardship: We share a commitment to resource stewardship with the global preservation community.

· Excellence: We strive continually to learn and improve so that we may achieve the highest ideals of public service.

· Integrity: We deal honestly and fairly with the public and one another.

· Tradition: We are proud of it; we learn from it; we are not bound by it.

· Respect: We embrace each other’s differences so that we may enrich the well-being of everyone.

The National Park Service is a bureau within the Department of the Interior. While numerous national park system units were created prior to 1916, it was not until August 25, 1916, that President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Organic Act formally establishing the National Park Service.

The national park system continues to grow and comprises more than 400 park units covering more than 84 million acres in every state, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. These units include, but are not limited to, national parks, monuments, battlefields, military parks, historical parks, historic sites, lakeshores, seashores, recreation areas, scenic rivers and trails, and the White House. The variety and diversity of park units throughout the nation require a strong commitment to resource stewardship and management to ensure both the protection and enjoyment of these resources for future generations.

Introduction Every unit of the national park system will have a foundational document to provide basic guidance for planning and management decisions—a foundation for planning and management. The core components of a foundation document include a brief description of the park as well as the park’s purpose, significance, fundamental resources and values, and interpretive themes. The foundation document also includes special mandates and administrative commitments, an assessment of planning and data needs that identifies planning issues, planning products to be developed, and the associated studies and data required for park planning. Along with the core components, the assessment provides a focus for park planning activities and establishes a baseline from which planning documents are developed.

A primary benefit of developing a foundation document is the opportunity to integrate and coordinate all kinds and levels of planning from a single, shared understanding of what is most important about the park. The process of developing a foundation document begins with gathering and integrating information about the park. Next, this information is refined and focused to determine what the most important attributes of the park are. The process of preparing a foundation document aids park managers, staff, and the public in identifying and clearly stating in one document the essential information that is necessary for park management to consider when determining future planning efforts, outlining key planning issues, and protecting resources and values that are integral to park purpose and identity.

While not included in this document, a park atlas is also part of a foundation project. The atlas is a series of maps compiled from available geographic information system (GIS) data on natural and cultural resources, visitor use patterns, facilities, and other topics. It serves as a GIS-based support tool for planning and park operations. The atlas is published as a (hard copy) paper product and as geospatial data for use in a web mapping environment.

The park atlas for Cane River Creole National Historical Park can be accessed online at:

http://insideparkatlas.nps.gov/.

Part 1: Core Components The core components of a foundation document include a brief description of the park, park purpose, significance statements, fundamental resources and values, and interpretive themes.

These components are core because they typically do not change over time. Core components are expected to be used in future planning and management efforts.

Brief Description of the Park Cane River Creole National Historical Park was created in 1994 to commemorate the mix of cultures whose long and complex history began with American Indian trade and early 18th-century European exploration and settlement in Louisiana’s Red River Valley. Set in the largely rural, agricultural surroundings of the Cane River National Heritage Area in Natchitoches Parish, the park sits on the Cane River Lake and Cane River along Interstate 49 between Natchitoches and Monette’s Ferry, Louisiana, about 200 miles northwest of Baton Rouge and 80 miles southeast of Shreveport.

The park consists of two units: Oakland Plantation and Magnolia Plantation. The Oakland unit, located 10 miles south of Natchitoches, is the federally owned portion of the larger Oakland/Bermuda Plantation. The descendants of the original settlers (the Prud’homme family) continue to own and operate the majority of lands that were once part of the Oakland Plantation, including 144 acres within the authorized park boundary. The Magnolia unit, located 20 miles south of Natchitoches, is the federally owned portion of the larger Magnolia Plantation, the remainder of which is privately owned and located on property adjacent to the park, still owned by the LeComte-Herzog family. The plantations were two of the first properties west of the Mississippi River to be recognized as National Bicentennial Farms—a designation for farms that have been owned by the same family for at least 200 years—and are also designated as national historic landmarks. Many of the individuals who lived at the plantations and were responsible for the construction and continued development of Oakland and Magnolia’s vernacular architecture, agricultural landscapes, and material culture were enslaved. Slavery’s legacy can be seen throughout the park from handmade tools used for heavy labor held in the museum collection to the surviving brick slave/ tenant quarters standing as a testament of the adversities facing the enslaved living at Oakland Plantation.

The park contains 70 historic structures, a diversity of magnificent landscapes, and nearly 500,000 museum objects and archives that provide an overarching view for understanding the context of everyday plantation life for owners, enslaved individuals, and tenant workers over time throughout the Cane River region. Moreover, the cultural landscapes that makeup Oakland and Magnolia Plantations represent a microcosm of a broader American experience that includes periods of prosperity and depression, war and peace, and dramatic changes in government, agriculture, technology, and labor systems from the 18th through the mid-20th centuries.

In addition to interpreting the stories of Oakland and Magnolia Plantations, the park celebrates the resulting cultural interaction and interdependence among the French, Spanish, Africans, and American Indians, as well as the subsequent development and evolution of Creole culture and plantation life along the Cane River. “Creole” is a cultural label indicating New World adaptations for French, Spanish, African, and American Indian cultures both to the natural world and to each other. The Cane River area is rich in the evidence of this cultural bricolage, with each influence contributing aspects to create a unique, adaptive, creative, and distinct new group. It is the intense pride in and the attachment to one’s ancestry and culture that is key to understanding what it means to be Creole, and this cultural identification manifests itself in every aspect of living, be it architecture, religious practices, foodways, or language. Congress authorized that Cane River Creole National Historical Park should serve as “the focus of interpretive and educational programs on the history of the Cane River area and to assist in the preservation of certain historic sites along the river” as well as acknowledged that the Cane River Creole culture is a nationally significant element of United States heritage. The park works with the living Cane River Creole, African American, and French communities, and descendants of those who lived and worked on Magnolia and Oakland Plantations to bring the culture and stories of those connected to the region to life through special events and interpretive programming offered at the park and throughout the Cane River region.

Public Law 103-449 (16 USC 410CC), passed by Congress on November 2, 1994, simultaneously created Cane River Creole National Historical Park and Cane River National Heritage Area. This is the only instance of an NPS unit and national heritage area (NHA) being co-legislated to protect and preserve a region’s cultural resources and heritage. The legislation determined a partnership approach would best serve the preservation needs of the area, ensure the vital need for cultural sensitivity, emphasize local partnerships, and minimize the need for federal land acquisition or management. The 116,000-acre national heritage area complements the park by supporting a community-driven approach to heritage conservation and economic development and assists in preservation and enhancement of the cultural landscape and traditions of the region.

Park Purpose The purpose statement identifies the specific reason(s) for establishment of a particular park.

The purpose statement for Cane River Creole National Historical Park was drafted through a careful analysis of its enabling legislation and the legislative history that influenced its development. The park was established when the enabling legislation adopted by Congress was signed into law on November 2, 1994, (see appendix A for enabling legislation). The purpose statement lays the foundation for understanding what is most important about the park.

Cane RiveR CReole national HistoRiCal PaRk preserves and protects Oakland and Magnolia

Plantations and, in partnership with Cane River National Heritage Area and its living communities, preserves the resources of the Cane River region and enhances the understanding of its peoples and traditions through research, interpretation, education, and technical assistance.

photo by Charles Ward

Park Significance Significance statements express why a park’s resources and values are important enough to merit designation as a unit of the national park system. These statements are linked to the purpose of Cane River Creole National Historical Park, and are supported by data, research, and consensus. Statements of significance describe the distinctive nature of the park and why an area is important within a global, national, regional, and systemwide context. They focus on the most important resources and values that will assist in park planning and management.

The following significance statements have been identified for Cane River Creole National Historical Park. (Please note that the sequence of the statements does not reflect the level of significance.)

1. Cane River Creole National Historical Park preserves the most intact French Creole cotton plantations in the United States, which include an outstanding collection of original vernacular architecture and landscape features representative of working plantations that evolved over time.

2. Oakland and Magnolia Plantations were owned and continuously operated by the same French Creole families since their establishment in the 18th century, and the undeveloped, agricultural setting in which the plantations reside today evoke their historical context and farming practices.

3. Cane River Creole National Historical Park tells the story of the oppressive labor systems of plantations initially founded on human slavery during the colonial era and eventually replaced by other legal mechanisms of oppression, including tenant farming, sharecropping, and, later, day labor, from Reconstruction through the 1970s.

4. Representing the continuum of occupation from Precontact to the end of the Plantation era, the Cane River Creole National Historical Park collection includes approximately 500,000 museum objects and archives, including one-of-a-kind examples of tools, furniture, decorative arts, and architectural elements handcrafted by enslaved people in the Cane River region and items imported from around the world.

The collection spans the cultures of the Old and New World and represents the global context of Oakland and Magnolia Plantations and the broader Cane River community.

5. Cane River Creole National Historical Park illustrates a centuries-long succession of changing agricultural technologies from Precontact through the 20th century. The heritage of agriculture, from human and draft animal powered labor to mechanized equipment, is illustrated by the park’s collection of farming related structures and tools, including rare examples of pressing and ginning equipment.

6. Cane River National Historical Park interprets a vibrant Creole culture that took root in the rich soil along the Cane River at the borderlands between New France and New Spain in the 1700s. Creole is a culture nurtured by French and Spanish colonial ways, steeped in Africanisms, and enriched by American Indian contact. The broader Creole community found across the country and throughout the world remains intimately connected to the Cane River region and park resources.

Fundamental Resources and Values Fundamental resources and values (FRVs) are those features, systems, processes, experiences, stories, scenes, sounds, smells, or other attributes determined to warrant primary consideration during planning and management processes because they are essential to achieving the purpose of the park and maintaining its significance. Fundamental resources and values are closely related to a park’s legislative purpose and are more specific than significance statements.

Fundamental resources and values help focus planning and management efforts on what is truly significant about the park. One of the most important responsibilities of NPS managers is to ensure the conservation and public enjoyment of those qualities that are essential (fundamental) to achieving the purpose of the park and maintaining its significance. If fundamental resources and values are allowed to deteriorate, the park purpose and/or significance could be jeopardized.

The following fundamental resources and values have been identified for Cane River Creole National Historical Park:

· Oakland Plantation and Associated Cultural Landscape – Oakland Plantation is a nearly complete vernacular cultural landscape that contains 45 structures and cultural landscape features set in a rural, agricultural setting. Collectively, the plantation buildings are one of the nation’s most complete expressions of the rural French Creole building tradition, including eight buildings featuring bousillage construction (an architectural technique found in the southeast that uses a mixture of clay, Spanish moss, and other binders), one of the hallmarks of rural Creole architecture, and the largest number of bousillage buildings at any single property. Buildings and structures include the Main House, slave quarters / tenant cabins, utilitarian dependencies, Barn, Stable, Seed House, Overseer’s House, Carriage House, Cook’s House, Pigeonniers (vernacular structures used to house pigeons), and Plantation Store. The park manages

44.16 acres that surround the Main House and outbuildings. Character-defining landscape features include a cast-iron overhead Oakland sign, a live Oak Allée, a pecan grove, a variety of other ornamental shade trees and shrubs, fruit trees, Bottle Garden, fences, a farm road, the bank of Cane River Lake, a manmade pond, and a cultivated field. Viewsheds within the NPS-managed areas and to the actively farmed landscapes outside of the park boundary have a high degree of integrity and contribute to the historical setting and feeling of the plantation.

· Magnolia Plantation and Associated Cultural Landscape – Magnolia Plantation is a vernacular cultural landscape that contains 25 historic structures and cultural landscape features set in a rural, agricultural setting. Buildings and structures include the Blacksmith’s Shop, Overseer’s House / Hospital, Cotton Picker Shed, Stable, Plantation Store, Slave Hospital, Pigeonnier, agricultural production facilities, eight rare examples of brick slave quarters, and other structures. The Gin Barn, which has been documented as part of the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), contains a rare example of an 1840 wooden screw press and late-19th-century gin. Within the park-managed 18.75 acres, character-defining historic landscape features include a live Oak Allée, fences, a farm road, and drainage ditches. Viewsheds within the NPS-managed areas and to the area containing the Main House, and to the farmed, largely undeveloped landscapes outside of the park boundary, have a high degree of integrity and contribute to the historical setting and feeling of the plantation.

· Museum Collection – The park has an extensive, highly diverse museum collection that comprises almost 500,000 three-dimensional objects and archival items.

The collection’s breadth and diversity is illustrated by the wide range of history collections, including paintings, decorative arts, hand tools, farming equipment, architectural elements, textiles, works of art on paper, photographs, and extensive archival materials that were created locally or were imported by the Prud’homme and LeComte-Hertzog families from regional and international sources. Many objects are vernacular, one-of-a-kind, handmade tools and decorative items made and used by enslaved workers, American Indians, and others who worked and lived in the Cane River region. The collection is used by park staff, visitors, researchers, and traditionally associated people to understand the material culture and reconnect the lives of enslaved people, owners, overseers, associated families, and Louisiana plantation history and rural life.

· Cultural Connections to the Cane River Region – Along with the Cane River National Heritage Area, the park is legislatively mandated to have a “culturally sensitive approach” to maintaining connections with the people and cultural heritage of the Cane River region and beyond. The park supports these connections through its formal partnerships, special events, park programs, and by maintaining relationships with a wide variety of communities who hold traditional associations with Magnolia and Oakland Plantations. Traditionally associated groups include descendant families, groups, and individuals, some of whom hold annual family gatherings at the park or serve as volunteer docents. Ongoing traditional ethnobotany practices at the park include collecting pecans, jubjube fruit, and figs. To support regional cultural heritage, the park maintains working relationships with the Louisiana State Museum; Louisiana State Parks, including Los Adaes State Historic Site, Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site, and Fort Jesup State Historic Site; the El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail; Kisatchie National Forest; and other local historical and cultural organizations.

· Partnerships in Stewardship – As mandated in its enabling legislation, the park supports stewardship of heritage resources in the Cane River region by providing technical assistance in areas of historic preservation technologies and maintenance of historic buildings and structures, artifact identification and collections management, training, and disaster recovery response, and both academic and nonacademic presentations. Park staff is engaged in outreach with descendants of the plantations and with the general community. The park manages these activities through a variety of formal and informal partnerships, including working with the Cane River National Heritage Area, NPS National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, the City of Natchitoches, the State of Louisiana, Northwestern State University of Louisiana, local historic preservation organizations, and traditionally associated people.

· Archeology – The park’s archeology includes both sites in situ and an archeological collection of more than 170,000 objects, primarily consisting of metal, glass, ceramic, and wood. Much of the historic archeology is original to the plantation sites and can be viewed as multicultural. The park’s archeological collection is fundamental because it provides information no longer visible or documented in written form.

This information is essential to ongoing research and understanding of a population of people forced into illiteracy. The identification of missing buildings, settlement patterns, and archeological artifacts, both as a collection and in situ, is complementary to the park’s archives in that it gives voice to these underrepresented people and allows the park to interpret more fully their lives and sheds light on the development of the plantations. Archeological information gleaned to date has included the identification of missing buildings, trash pits, and the unmarked graves of slave cemeteries.

Interpretive Themes Interpretive themes are often described as the key stories or concepts that visitors should understand after visiting a park—they define the most important ideas or concepts communicated to visitors about a park unit. Themes are derived from, and should reflect, park purpose, significance, resources, and values. The set of interpretive themes is complete when it provides the structure necessary for park staff to develop opportunities for visitors to explore and relate to all park significance statements and fundamental resources and values.

Interpretive themes are an organizational tool that reveal and clarify meaning, concepts, contexts, and values represented by park resources. Sound themes are accurate and reflect current scholarship and science. They encourage exploration of the context in which events or natural processes occurred and the effects of those events and processes. Interpretive themes go beyond a mere description of the event or process to foster multiple opportunities to experience and consider the park and its resources. These themes help explain why a park story is relevant to people who may otherwise be unaware of connections they have to an event, time, or place associated with the park.

The following interpretive themes have been identified for Cane River Creole National Historical Park:

· Creole culture emerged from this region’s colonial roots as people adapted to each other in the New World environment. Manifestations of this active culture are evident in language, food, music, architecture, religion, agricultural practices, and settlements. The term’s meanings have evolved over time.

· The landscapes and structures of Cane River Creole National Historical Park were affected by the river and its changing course. The river system has affected a continuum of change in the area’s agricultural practices and cultural heritage as well as in the natural environment.

· The lives of the diverse people associated with Oakland and Magnolia Plantations reflect the resilience, resourcefulness, dedication, and continuous interaction of families and communities along Cane River.

· The institution of slavery and the act of emancipation have left indelible imprints on many aspects of Cane River life.

· Changing labor arrangements, such as tenancy and sharecropping, at Oakland and Magnolia Plantations created additional challenges and opportunities in the aftermath of emancipation. With mechanization came the exodus of many people traditionally associated with these plantations.

· The complexity, integrity, and completeness of the park’s extant vernacular architecture illustrate Creole resilience, resourcefulness, and adaptations to the environment and continue to influence contemporary regional architecture.

· Religious traditions and spiritual systems are integral to the development and dynamics of the region’s cultures.

· Agriculture is an integral part of the lives of the people who have lived along Cane River.

· Military conflicts and operations from the 18th to mid-20th century have had a resounding impact on the region’s civilian populations.

Part 2: Dynamic Components The dynamic components of a foundation document include special mandates and administrative commitments and an assessment of planning and data needs. These components are dynamic because they will change over time. New special mandates can be established and new administrative commitments made. As conditions and trends of fundamental resources and values change over time, the analysis of planning and data needs will need to be revisited and revised, along with key issues. Therefore, this part of the foundation document will be updated accordingly.

Special Mandates and Administrative Commitments Many management decisions for a park unit are directed or influenced by special mandates and administrative commitments with other federal agencies, state and local governments, utility companies, partnering organizations, and other entities. Special mandates are requirements specific to a park that must be fulfilled. Mandates can be expressed in enabling legislation, in separate legislation following the establishment of the park, or through a judicial process.

They may expand on park purpose or introduce elements unrelated to the purpose of the park. Administrative commitments are, in general, agreements that have been reached through formal, documented processes, often through memorandums of agreement. Examples include easements, rights-of-way, arrangements for emergency service responses, etc. Special mandates and administrative commitments can support, in many cases, a network of partnerships that help fulfill the objectives of the park and facilitate working relationships with other organizations. They are an essential component of managing and planning for Cane River Creole National Historical Park.

For more information about the existing administrative commitments for Cane River Creole National Historical Park, please see appendix B

Assessment of Planning and Data Needs Once the core components of part 1 of the foundation document have been identified, it is important to gather and evaluate existing information about the park’s fundamental resources and values, and develop a full assessment of the park’s planning and data needs. The assessment of planning and data needs section presents planning issues, the planning projects that will address these issues, and the associated information requirements for planning, such as resource inventories and data collection, including GIS data.

There are three sections in the assessment of planning and data needs:

1. analysis of fundamental resources and values

2. identification of key issues and associated planning and data needs

3. identification of planning and data needs (including spatial mapping activities or GIS maps)

The analysis of fundamental resources and values and identification of key issues leads up to and supports the identification of planning and data collection needs.

Analysis of Fundamental Resources and Values The fundamental resource or value analysis table includes current conditions, potential threats and opportunities, planning and data needs, and selected laws and NPS policies related to management of the identified resource or value.

Fundamental Resource or Value

Oakland Plantation and Associated Cultural Landscape

Related Significance Statements

• Statements 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Current Conditions and Trends

Conditions

• The park manages 45 buildings and structures associated with Oakland Plantation, which was designated a national historic landmark in 2001

• In 2014, 28,981 individuals visited Cane River Creole National Historical Park, with the highest visitation happening in the months of May (3,217), June (3,479), and October (3,027) Visitation normally peaks during local events and festivals such as the Fall Tour of Homes, the Natchitoches Christmas Festival of Lights, trail rides, church fairs, and family reunions

• Historic structure reports have been completed for many of the park buildings, including the Main House (big house historic structures report [HSR], 2004), the Gin Complex (HSR 2004), the Plantation Store (Prud’homme Store HSR, 2004), and the Cottage / Doctor’s Complex (HSR 1997)

• Historic furnishing plans are in progress for the buildings that are open to the public

• Historic American Building Survey (HABS) documentation exists for many of the buildings, but some of the information is incorrect or incomplete Filling the existing information gaps would help document current conditions and help staff preserve the structures

• Oakland is in overall good condition and rates high on the Facility Condition Index (FCI) Rating Scale

• The overall condition of the cultural landscape is good It includes historic elements such as the Bottle Garden, Live Oak Allée, the line of live oak from backdoor of the Main House, trees planted to commemorate special sites, remnants of historic farm roads, as well as restored elements like the pecan orchard, and Cattle Corral, and Cattle Dipping Vat

• Some buildings are constructed of bousillage and handmade brick, fragile architectural techniques that require continuous monitoring and preservation maintenance

• Numerous major construction projects were completed between 1997 and 2007 to help develop the landscape into a park unit

• The park unit maintains the appearance of Oakland Plantation circa 1960, by which planners and staff have utilized historic photos of the site, personal communications with traditionally associated people, and the cultural landscape report to guide restoration and maintenance

• The Doctor’s Complex, which consists of a house, garage, and barn located near Highway 119, is home to the park offices While the building has been converted to adaptive reuse, the exterior is consistent with the circa 1960 appearance of Oakland

• The historic buildings are strong examples of vernacular architecture and many show signs of adaptive reuse by previous owners and the use of unconventional or reused building materials during construction and repairs

• Due to inherent soil conditions, the historic structures continue to shift and settle,creating some routine maintenance and preservation issues

Fundamental Resource or Value

Oakland Plantation and Associated Cultural Landscape

Current Conditions and Trends

Conditions (continued)

• A portion of Oakland’s viewshed retains its rural feel, although development on adjacent private lands has created some visual intrusions

• A riverbank stabilization project was completed in 2014 It addressed erosion and wave action that was compromising NPS land and replanted native species along the bank and LA Highway 494

• Some invasive species are appearing at the site, but it is difficult to monitor and control pests with the park’s current staff level and funding

• The Prud’homme family continues to own and lease out farm land adjacent to the park They also have a key to park gates so they can access their privately owned property via park land

• The vicinity is patrolled by the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office with routine patrols by the NPS Jean Lafitte National Historic Park and Preserve law enforcement staff The vicinity is included in the jurisdiction of the Natchitoches Parish Volunteer Fire Department District 5

• The family and adjacent neighbors provide unofficial after-hours monitoring for the resources and property The vigilance of the local community in reporting observations is helpful

• CRNHA has worked with the park to install site identification signage near both plantation units and other sites within the heritage area Signs were recently installed along Interstate 49 At Exit 119 near Magnolia Plantation and at Exit 127 near Oakland Plantation

Trends

• The riverbank is a sloped landscape prone to erosion This makes it difficult to maintain, but vegetation and soil have been relatively stable in recent years

• Poor site drainage issues have impacted visitor walking paths and buildings

• Recent restoration efforts and increased maintenance have improved landscaped areas such as the Bottle Garden

• Increased visitation has begun to affect structures and landscape features Wear to the buildings has increased, but having historic buildings open and accessible also helps regulate the interior temperature and humidity

• Increasing severity of storms, high winds, extreme weather that may be attributed to climate change have increased the threat of damage to the property

• The Prud’homme family continues to nurture family ties to site via new generations, and is interested and active in its interpretation and management

• The installation of recreational wayfinding signs along Interstate 49 seem to be responsible for an increase in visitation during fiscal year 2015

Threats and Opportunities

Threats

• Wear and tear from visitation and staff use is visible in buildings and on the grounds

• Acidification from sulfur deposition could cause damage to stone, painted, and metal cultural resources Sulfur dioxide from combustion is the main contributor among gaseous pollutants to deterioration of stone and some metals

• Straight-line winds, tornadoes, tropical depressions, and severe storms could destroy buildings, uproot trees, and damage utilities and other systems

• Excessive nitrogen deposition is likely increasing the risk of invasive nonnative plant infestations

• Risk of ozone injury to sensitive park vegetation warrants moderate concern based on NPS Air Resource Division benchmarks

• Increased development contributes to light and sound pollutions and negatively affects the site’s agricultural setting Viewscapes could also be affected by air pollution related to industrial development and other anthropogenic activities

Fundamental Resource or Value

Oakland Plantation and Associated Cultural Landscape

Threats and Opportunities

Threats (continued)

• Increase in mean average temperature with minimum change in mean annual precipitation is projected for the region with more intense and frequent storm events and droughts This could increase flood events, erosion, and invasive species, impacting infrastructure, archeological resources, and the cultural landscape

• Increased river road traffic has led to more pollution and damage to vegetation

• The high rate of speed along LA Highway 494 is a risk to staff and visitor safety

• Feral hogs could harm the landscape and damage in situ archeology resources

• Looting and metal detecting in the park could disturb archeological resources

• River bank erosion could impact the landscape and uncover archeological resources

• Termites, carpenter bees, rodents, and burrowing animals threaten the landscape and the integrity of the buildings by damaging buildings and landscape features

• Suburban sprawl and gentrification could replace agricultural lands and negatively affect the park’s viewsheds and rural setting

• Large agricultural equipment uses local roads and impacts park resources

Opportunities

• Reestablishing historic ditches would improve site drainage and add to the cultural landscape

• Additional remote surveillance could help staff monitor resources afterhours

• Improved wayfinding and signs would make Oakland easier to navigate and improve visitor experiences

• Land that is within the park’s authorized boundaries that is still privately owned by the Prud’hommes would be the ideal setting for slave cemetery and natural resource interpretation

• Additional volunteers with special expertise pertaining to preservation or natural resources could assist with interpretation and site maintenance

• Adding recreational vehicle (RV) pads for volunteer use would allow park volunteers to camp onsite while helping with operations or special programs

• New park neighbors and population increase in the area could lead to more public interest, community and individual engagement, and volunteers

• The entrance pavilion could be enclosed and converted into a traditional visitor contact station that could improve accessibility, visitor contact, and wayfinding in a climate-controlled environment

• Accessibility can be improved so the park could better reach and serve visitors with disabilities

• Updates to the cell phone tours to include oral history and archival research could enrich the stories currently being told

• There are multiple opportunities for connecting visitors to the river, an important historic resource that shaped early life on the plantation Access could be improved at the existing boat launch near Oakland and river tours could draw visitors’ attention to the link between Oakland and the Cane River Historic Bermuda Bridge, which spans Cane River, offers an opportunity to work with Natchitoches Consolidated Government to improve river access and pedestrian access

• Interpretive and educational tools can incorporate more natural resources and communicate the connection between air quality/pollution, scenic views, night sky, sensitive park resources, human health, climate change, and other associated resources

• The park can pursue opportunities to reduce artificial life and noise within its boundaries to help preserve the natural soundscape and dark night skies

Fundamental Resource or Value

Oakland Plantation and Associated Cultural Landscape

Existing Data and Plans Related to the FRV

• Buildings, Structures, and Cultural Landscapes

· List of Classified Structures (2014)

· Oakland Plantation National Historic Landmark documentation (2001)

· Big House historic structures report (2004)

· Prud’homme Store historic structures report (2004)

· Gin Complex historic structures report (2004)

· The Cottage / Doctor’s Complex historic structures report (2002)

· Historic structure assessment report: Oakland Plantation Main House (1998)

· Oakland Plantation historic structure assessment reports vol I, II, III (1998)

· Multiple historic furnishing reports

· HABS photos/drawings on numerous buildings

· Historic American Landscape Survey

· Cultural landscape report: part 1 (2004)

· Park asset management plan (2009)

· Topographic and survey (GPS points) of Oakland

• Archeology

· Comprehensive subsurface investigation of Oakland, NPS Southeast Archeological Center (SEAC) (2000)

• Ethnography

· Traditional associated people documentation (project underway as of April 2015)

· Special resource study – Cane River, Louisiana (1993)

· Haynie, Sandra Prud’homme “Legends of Oakland Plantation,” (2001)

• Natural Resources

· Amphibian and reptile survey (2003)

· Vascular plants survey (2013).

· Regional air quality monitoring including visibility, ozone, and deposition

Data and/or GIS Needs

• Characterization studies for environmental remediation

• Visual resource inventory

• Cultural landscape inventory

• Site security survey

• Climate change vulnerability assessment for select cultural resources

• Additional HABS documentation

• Historic structure reports

• Natural resource overview

• Natural resource surveys – birds, reptiles/amphibians (update), cultivars

• Visitor use survey

• 3D images of structures

• Updated national historic landmark documentation

• LiDAR data

• Additional cultural resource GIS mapping

• Additional historical furnishing reports

Fundamental Resource or Value

Oakland Plantation and Associated Cultural Landscape

Planning Needs

• Remediation/corrective action plan

• Accessibility transition plan

• Visitor circulation and wayfinding plan

• Land protection plan

• Scenery conservation strategy

• Cultural landscape report, phase two, treatment recommendations

• Resource stewardship strategy

• Additional exhibit plans

• Maintenance facility development concept plan

• Integrated pest management plan

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV, and NPS Policy-level Guidance

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV

• National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (16 USC 470)

• National Environmental Policy Act of 1970; 42 USC 4321

• Clean Air Act

• Archeological and Historic Preservation Act of 1974

• Executive Order 11593, “Protection and Enhancement of the Cultural Environment”

• “Protection of Historic Properties” (36 CFR 800)

• Archaeological Resource Protection Act of 1979

• Antiquities Act of 1906

• Executive Order 13112, “Invasive Species”

• Secretarial Order 3289, “Addressing the Impacts of Climate Change on America’s Water, Land, and Other Natural and Cultural Resources”

NPS Policy-level Guidance (NPS Management Policies 2006 and Director’s Orders)

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§4 4 1) “General Principles for Managing Biological Resources”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (chapter 5) “Cultural Resource Management”

• Director’s Order 28: Cultural Resource Management

• The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation

• Programmatic Agreement among the National Park Service (US Department of the Interior), the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers for Compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act

Fundamental Resource or Value

Magnolia Plantation and Associated Cultural Landscape

Related Significance Statements

• Statements 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Current Conditions and Trends

Conditions

• The park manages 25 structures associated with Magnolia Plantation The Main House, re-constructed in the 1890s, and additional historic buildings are privately owned and sit on property adjacent to the park Magnolia was named a national historic landmark in 1979

• In 2014, 28,981 individuals visited Cane River Creole National Historical Park, with the highest visitation happening in the months of May (3,217), June (3,479), and October (3,027) Visitation normally peaks during local events and festivals such as the Fall Tour of Homes, the Natchitoches Christmas Festival of Lights, cycling trail rides, church fairs, and family reunion

• HABS documentation exists for many of the buildings, but some of the information is incorrect or incomplete Filling the existing information gaps would help document current conditions and help staff preserve the structures

• Most historic buildings at the park unit are in good condition; very few Magnolia structures are considered fair or poor in the List of Classified Structures

• Magnolia’s cultural landscape includes historic drainage ditches and views of the Main House and surrounding fields

• Handmade bricks used to build the slave cabins and other structures are deteriorating Modifications, such as the removal of the slave cabin porches, have left the brick walls exposed and vulnerable to additional damage from the freeze-thaw cycle and weather

• Inappropriate cement usage prior to NPS management has damaged historic masonry and bricks Both historic and replacement masonry require cyclical maintenance

• The historic buildings are strong examples of vernacular architecture and many show signs of adaptive reuse by previous owners and the use of unconventional or reused building materials during construction and repairs

• Due to inherent soil conditions, the historic structures continue to shift and settle, creating some routine maintenance and preservation issues

• Underground cisterns on the grounds have become exposed due erosion, weathering, and deferred maintenance

• Numerous major construction projects were completed between 1997 and 2007 to help develop the landscape into a park unit

• The park has taken steps to make Magnolia more accessible by installing accessible ramps, an accessible lift at the Overseers House, and rubber trail mats that provide stability and support for walking aids and wheelchairs on park trails

• Many visitors are confused by the park’s wayfinding and circulation signs and are not sure how to best navigate the park

• Historic park boundary fences are in poor condition and may allow for trespassing at the site

• CRNHA has worked with the park to install site identification signage near both plantation units and other sites within the heritage area Signs were recently installed along Interstate 49 At Exit 119 near Magnolia Plantation and at Exit 127 near Oakland Plantation

Trends

• There has been increased interest in and visitation to the site following the Travel Channel production of the television series “Ghost Adventures” filmed at the Magnolia Plantation unit in 2009

• Increased public interest in the African American experience and history has resulted in increased visitation

• An increasing number of recreational visitors are using park facilities Magnolia has become a popular jumping off point for road cyclists

Fundamental Resource or Value

Magnolia Plantation and Associated Cultural Landscape

Current Conditions and Trends

Trends (continued)

• Use of the site as a location for professional and amateur photography has increased in recent years

• There seems to be an increase in visitors accessing the site after park hours

• The installation of recreational wayfinding signs along Interstate 49 seem to be responsible for an increase in visitation during fiscal year 2015

• The park experiences spikes in visitation in coordination with local events including the Natchitoches Tri-Centennial, the Fall Tour of Homes, and other themed heritage tourism events

Threats and Opportunities

Threats

• The Magnolia park unit is not staffed on weekdays, which creates visitor and resource safety concerns

• With the lack of a consistent staff presence and poor perimeter boundaries, site security is a concern

• Visitors on the grounds outside park operating hours could damage resources or run into safety concerns

• Increased development adjacent to the park could contribute to light and sound pollutions and negatively affect viewscapes and the site’s agricultural setting

• Increase in mean annual temperature with minimal change in mean annual precipitation is projected for the region with more intense and frequent storm events and droughts This could increase flood events, erosion, and invasive species, impacting infrastructure, archeological resources, and the cultural landscape

• Excessive nitrogen deposition is likely increasing the risk of invasive nonnative plant infestations

• Feral hogs could damage the grounds and expose archeological resources

• Erosion leads to landscape damage and increased threats to trees, buildings, and unearthed archeological resources

• Fire, either associated with the practice of burning fields after harvest or wildfire, could threaten buildings or landscape elements

• Carpenter bees, termites, rodents, and other pest species could undermine building materials and create hazardous conditions

• Poor site drainage could contribute to water damage and increased pest activity

• Incomplete Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility affects visitor’s experience to the site and is a safety issue

Opportunities

• Magnolia’s remote setting allows for natural resource interpretation and opportunities to view wildlife

• Interpretive and educational tools can incorporate more natural resources and communicate the connection between air quality/pollution, scenic views, night sky, sensitive park resources, human health, climate change, and other associated resources

• Remote surveillance could help staff monitor the grounds when no park personnel are on site

• Improved wayfinding and signs could lead to better visitor experience

• Adding RV pads for volunteer use would allow park volunteers to camp onsite while helping with operations or special programs

• An Eastern National sales outlet at Magnolia Plantation unit could provide visitors the opportunity to purchase material related to…