Planning & Design

174th Brigade Heritage Project and Exhibit

Department of the Army

Joint Base McGuire-Dix in Lakehurst, NJ

Commanders at all echelons are charged with the responsibility of establishing and maintaining organizational history programs. The objective of this project is to establish the organizational history of the 174th Infantry Brigade through the printing, framing, installation and display of the graphics that have historical association with the unit at brigade HQ located at Joint Base McGuire-Dix in Lakehurst, NJ. The end products will be used to inspire the Soldiers of the 174th Infantry Brigade and give them pride in their profession.

Cane River National Historic Park Interpretive Plan

National Parks Service

Natchitoches, Louisiana

Cane River Creole National Historical Park (CARI) is comprised of two Creole plantations, Oakland and Magnolia Plantations, located south of Natchitoches along Cane River, with a headquarters area at the historic Texas and Pacific Railway Depot (Depot)

The Depot was constructed in 1927 during the height of the Jim Crow era and was segregated into “white” and “colored” waiting rooms. The structure was continuously used as a passenger station and later freight station until 1982 when it was abandoned. Today the structure remains as one of the last segregated train stations within Louisiana and has a deep connection to the African American community of the City and Parish of Natchitoches.

Because of the integrity of the resources at Oakland and Magnolia, both plantations have been designated as National Historic Landmarks. The Depot is part of the nationally significant National Register Historic District within downtown Natchitoches. The objective of this contract is to begin interpretive planning for the Depot through a series of facilitated discussions, meetings, and workshops with interested stakeholders and the broader African American community within Natchitoches. The end goal is to build consensus around the interpretive themes, stories, and messages that should be presented to visitors at the Depot.

All interpretive themes, stories, and messages should relate to CARI (specifically plantation history at Oakland and Magnolia Plantations) and African American history (specifically tied to community experiences at the Depot and surrounding neighborhood). The final interpretive framework will be used to kick-start future phases of pre-design, schematic design, design development, and exhibit fabrication (to be completed at a later date).