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NPS/ Da'Nira M.
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Contact: Renee’ Donnell, 770-498-4155, ext. 150
Contact: Barbara Justice, 318-352-0383 x200
New South Associates (NSA), in cooperation with the National Park Service and Cane River Creole National Historical Park, seek to interview African American families or individuals about their experiences and memories of the Texas and Pacific (T&P) Railway Depot in Natchitoches.Information will be used to tell the story of segregation at the Depot and the African American experiences of traveling by train. The interviews may also shed light on the role of African American employees of the T&P Railroad. Interviews will be held Monday, March 18, and Tuesday, March 19, 2024.
African American families in Natchitoches had members who worked in the railroad industry between 1910 and 1930. Their occupations included tie-maker, section hand, fireman, porter, and laborer. NSA and Cane River Creole National Historical Park hope descendants of these workers have stories or photos to share of their lives as railroad workers, as well as stories of the T&P Railway Depot. Identified family names are below, and we would like to learn more about them and their work.
1930s
Baker, Bradey, Dickson, Hay, Lonn, Moore, Taylor, and Wilson.
1920s
Bell, Berreman, Blount, Bradley, Brown, Burns, Carter, Collins, Davis, Ficklin, Hall, Holden, Igness, Johnson, Jones, Leroy, Lewis, Moses, Odums, Owens, Randolph, Shannon, Shephard, Sims, Slider, Strong, Taneyhill, Thomas, Tousant, and Wiley.
1910s
Blackberry, Bretton, Graham, Green, Harrison, Jenkins, Lee, Lemons, Lonn, Louis, Meadors, Moore, Richardson, Sang, Scott, Taylor, Turner, Waller, Welsh, and Williams.
Persons interested in being interviewed may contact New South Associate’s historians Reneé Donnell at rdonnell@newsouthassoc.com (770) 498-4155 ext.150. Each oral history interview should take about an hour. All information regarding the African American experience at the T&P Railway Depot is welcome, including reasons for traveling, the layout of the waiting room, jobs performed, and overall memories of the Depot.
The T&P Railway Depot is the thirteenth stop on the Louisiana Civil Rights Trail and is one of a few surviving examples of a segregated public facility in Louisiana. The Depot, owned by the City of Natchitoches, has been leased to the National Park Service and will serve as the primary visitor center for the Cane River Creole National Historical Park, providing visitors with information about African American history along Cane River and Oakland and Magnolia Plantations.
New South Associates, based in Stone Mountain, Georgia, is a nationally recognized cultural resource management firm with a permanent staff of over 100 professionals experienced in history and archaeology. To learn more about New South Associates, visit our website.
Last updated: February 25, 2024