Locals pleased with Pickets’ reconstruction
October 28, 2014La. DOE: Terrebonne, Lafourche school scores improve
October 28, 2014
At railroad crossings, cane fields and other places in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes – or a short drive away – history lies beneath the feet of those who know where to look.
These locations, whether battlefields, skirmish sites or encampments, hold potential for local communities to draw tourism dollars and enrich cultural and historical awareness.
Little has been done thus far to fit elements of a war fought 150 years ago into local tourism programs, although grants and other incentives are available through the federal government and various nonprofit entities.
What opportunities do exist are perishable, historians and other preservation advocates maintain, because they are increasingly threatened by continued development that has literally steamrolled over local historical sites.
“I understand that state and local government have budget restrictions and that they have to assign priorities to any activities,” said Thibodaux attorney Denis Gaubert, a local Civil War historian and Confederate descendant. “But once the historical sites are developed without adequate archeological or historical investigation they are gone. The tangible evidence of significant historical events may be lost forever “
Lost with them is the opportunity for people to visit sites that, through various forms of interpretation ranging from audio tours to mini-museums or visitor centers, can give visitors a “you-are-there” experience.
“It is important to see it and walk it,” said Mary Koik of the Civil War Trust. “You can read the best book on earth, but it is not going to replace actually going to these places. It is profound.”
Lands at Lafourche Crossing and Georgia Landing – battle sites in Lafourche and Assumption parishes – are on the list of sites eligible for consideration by the nonprofit Civil War Trust, which works in partnerships with the National Parks Service, for purchase or potential leaseback programs.
Neither local site is on the scale of Gettysburg or Shiloh in terms of national awareness or historical significance to the war. But tourism that appeals to Civil War buffs – placed in the category of “Heritage Tourism” – has documented impact even at lesser-known places.
One study done for the Civil War Trust, which examined existing tourism nationwide, showed that heritage travel accounted for 16 percent of all state tourism in Arkansas, “with heritage tourists spending one-third more per person than other Arkansas travelers.”
The office of Louisiana Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne has worked closely with the Civil War Trust, which earlier this year acquired acreage at the Battle of Mansfield site near Shreveport to enhance interpretation and tourism.
At the Georgia Landing site on La. Highway 1, near the Supreme Sugar refinery, Dardenne’s office erected a plaque that was dedicated last week.
The view of local governments toward tourism development related to their Civil War sites vary.
Assumption Parish Grants Coordinator Erin Watson said there is no local tourism budget.
“We have obstacles,” she explained. “We have no lodging.”
That translates into a paucity of places in Assumption where tourists might spend money.
But neighboring Lafourche Parish, rich in hotels and restaurants, does have a tourist infrastructure, as well as its own Civil War sites.
Loralei Gilliam, director of the Bayou Lafourche Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, said she hopes in the future to develop partnerships with adjoining communities like Assumption. The idea would be to help them promote tourist sites such as Madewood Plantation to people who might stay or dine in Thibodaux or elsewhere in Lafourche. Future consideration of interpretation sites at spots such as Lafourche Crossing, Gilliam said, is not out of the question.
Assumption Parish historian Andrew Capone, whose artifact collection includes unexploded – but since defused – shells that fell in the vicinity of the Georgia Landing battle, worked for many years on a database of Civil War archaeology finds throughout south Louisiana.
Capone worked in conjunction with Civil War historian Donald Frazier, lining up the finds with GPS coordinates.
The program, Capone said, could be linked up with a “heritage trail” linking multiple sites that can be visited while driving, perhaps receiving Bluetooth narrations through cell phones or short-signal information through a car radio.
Historians agree that the stretch of railroad track running from Boutte to Schriever could benefit from that type of treatment. Federal encampments existed at Des Allemands as well as Schriever. The encampment near Lafourche Crossing was historically significant. The remnants of Acadia Plantation, which federals occupied, is gone. Jake Giardina, a real estate developer, purchased the land and had the home on the site destroyed. Adjoining land is the site for the new culinary center at Nicholls State University.
Money is available for research relating to such projects as a railroad line audio tour through the Civil War Trust, for non-profits, state and local governments.
State resources stand ready to assist communities, including the Louisiana State Museum, which will identify artifacts or archives that might be held by local families for their historical significance.
A greater focus on heritage and history is vital now more than ever, said State Museum Director Mark Tullos.
“We are coming up in a way where we are not cherishing our history and culture as much as we should, and our young people won’t unless we set an example,” Tullos said. “Place markers, exhibitions and annual commemorations of events are really important for us to pass on that heritage to young people because that is where we learn our lessons.”
Archivist Roger Busbice (right) addresses history buffs and members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans Saturday on La. 1 at Labadieville, at dedication of a plaque marking the Oct. 27, 1862, Battle of Georgia Landing, fought nearby.
