NATCHITOCHES – Nine Natchitoches high school students are learning to document buildings with drones, make 3D tours and collect and edit video histories this month while participating in 3D Digital Field School, presented by the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT) and Northwestern State University’s Advance Remote and Geospatial Operations (ARGO)/Remote Systems Science and Technology (RSST) initiative.
Jason Church, chief of technical services for NCPTT, and JD Cox, NSU instructor, are teaching a two-week summer field school in the Jackson Square area of Natchitoches, where participants are gathering data on historic buildings like Asbury Methodist Church, the Morgan Hotel and other important structures. The area was once a populous Black neighborhood with churches, businesses, cafes, boxing clubs and juke joints.
“We are training local high school kids on how to digitally document historic buildings,” Church said. “We put out a call for students and selected students based on the answers to the essay questions that were in the registration form. They are getting on the job training. JD and I are teaching them the digital skill sets that they need as we go.” They are also earning $250 per week.
The group will present findings this Friday, June 21 during Lunchtime Lagniappe at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum. Visitors are invited to bring their lunch to eat during the presentation, which will take place from 12:15-12:45 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.
The first week began with student learning to operate small drones. To get the students closer to the streetscape, Church and Cox had them walk the neighborhood as they collected data.
“There are a lot of historic structures in this neighborhood,” Church said. “We are trying to bring awareness to the history of this neighborhood had and how important it is.”
The Morgan Hotel at the corner of 6th Street and Rue Lafayette is one building of focus. Church said the building is well over 100 years old and was the only hotel in the city available to Black travelers, reportedly housing boxer Joe Louis and Black GIs traveling through Natchitoches in the World War II era.
Learning about the area has been eye-opening for the teens, a few of whom live in the area.
“I’m a history freak,” said Tanner Holden. “We went to Asbury and the Morgan Hotel and learned about the history of how things began and developed over time. It’s crazy that we’ve lived in Natchitoches our whole lives and never knew that the Morgan Hotel was there. I like the fact that we get to document and save pictures and get 3D images so we can see things from the past instead of it getting demolished and thrown out and not have any record of anything.”
“I want to more about the historic side of Natchitoches,” said Gabrielle Essex. “I know it’s the oldest city, but we don’t know the historic monuments here. We pass the Morgan Hotel, the train tracks every day and we don’t know the back story, so it’s interesting to get into those things and know Natchitoches as a whole.”
In addition to history, they are also interested in the technology that enables modeling of the historic structures.
During the second week of the school, the students are processing data in the AGRO/RSST lab in Kyser Hall at NSU. Church said they will build full 3D models with drone footage and interior/exterior buildings photos to create a virtual map of the neighborhood. Next year’s camp will expand on this year’s coverage to eventually encompass the entire neighborhood, which is bounded by Texas Street on the north, University Parkway on the south, the railroad tracks and the Hwy. 1 Bypass. Up next will be the Winnfield Funeral Home, a building where a sewing factory was housed and First Baptist Church-North Street.
The students will also collect oral histories from property owners and individuals who grew up in the neighborhood who remember it’s days from the mid-20th century onward.
NSU has offered a certificate program in Remote Systems Science and Technology (RSST) since 2021, incorporating drone skills into several disciplines, from earth science to new media and communication arts. The program provides students with a foundation in aerial, terrestrial and underwater remote systems applications, operations and regulations, with electives to support each student’s major field. Information on the program is available by contacting Cox at coxjd@nsula.edu.
The Digital Field School is supported by the Natchitoches Area Chamber of Commerce, Optimum, Engage Credit Union, Natchitoches Parish School Board and Cane River National Heritage Area.
Pictured: Nine Natchitoches students will present findings gathered during 3D Digital Film School at 12:15 p.m. Friday, June 21 at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum. From left are Brandon Williams, Darrius Coleman, Tanner Holden, Gabrielle Essex, Caroline Church, Aniyah Willams, Derek Davis, Jacob French and Latrell Frederick.
