State wants to find entity to operate park

Nungesser says it is “difficult to develop a feasible plan”

While the Marksville Historic Site, also known as the Prehistoric Indian Park & Museum, has fallen on hard financial times of late, Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser says the state is doing what it can until a more permanent solution can be found.
Nungesser noted that he read a recent news article in which Marksville officials expressed concern over the “deplorable” condition of the park.
“It is true that the Office of State Parks has been in conversation with both the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe and the City of Marksville regarding the operations of the site,” Nungesser said in a letter to the newspaper. “Unfortunately, it has been difficult to develop a feasible plan, whether through third-party operations or Office of State Parks operation, to have the property available to the public more than through the free Fridays and appointment method.”
Visitor count at the park was always low in the past several years, even when it was open and staffed full time. The reduced operating schedule resulted in no visitors to the site in December, Nungesser said.
Nungesser conceded that storms “did knock over a tree and several limbs” at the park, but said State Park employees would be clearing it in late January “for their regularly-scheduled monthly cleanup.”
One thing the public may not be aware of is the fact that “because Marksville State Historic Site is an archaeological site, we have to take great care with the maintenance of the grounds,” Nungesser noted.
“Heavy mowing machinery can leave ruts in the ground, especially after a rain event has caused the ground to become especially soft, disturbing the archaeological integrity of the site and possibly damaging artifacts,” he explained.
Those who advocate action to keep the park open and restore it to its former status are told that the state is “open to working with the City of Marksville, the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe and any other parties interested in assisting with the operations of Marksville State Historic Site -- keeping in mind the state and federal regulations associated with care of a National Historic Landmark site,” Nungesser concluded.

ARCHAEOLOGY SOCIETY
The park’s current state of neglect also prompted attorney Marc Dupuy Jr. to launch a letter campaign to solicit assistance from those involved in archaeology and preservation efforts.
In a letter to State Archaeologist Dr. Charles McGimsey, Dupuy asked that McGimsey “do whatever you feel necessary to assess the damage, restoration and recovery problem, but particularly the future preservation and usefulness of this wonderful historic treasure.”
Dupuy also sent a letter to Julie Doucet, treasurer of the Louisiana Archaeological Society (LAS).
Doucet responded in a short letter noting that the LAS chose to hold its 2017 annual meeting in Marksville “to focus on the Marksville Site.”
The organization’s meeting will be Feb. 10-12 at the Paragon Casino Resort. As part of the meeting, the conventioneers will tour the Tunica-Biloxi Museum and the Marksville State Historic Site on Feb. 12.
“We hope to have constructive discussions about the present condition of the site and what the LAS and other interested parties can do to help and preserve this unique cultural resource,” Doucet noted.
She said the Office of State Parks is not likely to be able to do more than it is currently doing because it “is likely facing more budget cuts.”

OUT-OF-STATE ATTENTION
The park’s plight has also attracted attention from outside the state, due to the article being posted online and reprinted by other news sites.
Gerry Depken, an officer in the Fort Oglethorpe Preservation Commission and 6th Cavalry Museum in north Georgia, called the newspaper to ask how she could get more information on the site and efforts to preserve it.
Depken, an author with a master’s degree in historic preservation, said that while Fort Oglethorpe is special to her, she has a deep love for preservation of all important sites and was concerned about the reported condition of the Marksville park.
She said she would be contacting the Office of State Parks to add her voice to others calling for the state to make more effort in preserving Louisiana’s historically significant sites.

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