CHANGES IN LOUISIANA – We hope it bodes well for the Mansfield Site!
Lt. Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco will become Louisiana’s first female governor in January. The good news: Governor-Elect Blanco ran the state’s department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism which has control over the state’s string of historic site, Mansfield among them. We know she is aware of the situation in Mansfield and that could bode well for our cause. The bad news: She is going to have issues that she considers more important (in her mind—and in the minds of the voters). The state needs for significant change to occur in the leadership in Baton Rouge. We hope she will be supportive of historic preservation issues.

State Rep. Mitch Landrieu will become the new lieutenant governor in January. He is a dynamic person who is interested not only in the state’s historic sites but in the economic impact they can have on the state. We met him at his announcement in Shreveport and then sent him a letter and brochure on the Mansfield State Historic Site and Friends. We went to a “thank you” event following the election and took him a couple of Gary’s books, including One Damn Blunder From Beginning to End. We mentioned we were giving him these to lobby for the Mansfield Historic Site. His comment? “You wrote me about that. I’ve had someone looking into it. There is some controversy there.” We were impressed he recalled this un-aided. We hope he will use his influence to support preservation of the site and economic tourism in Mansfield! His department will see a change in key leadership positions in Culture, Recreation & Tourism—we hope for the better.

MANSFIELD STATE HISTORIC SITE
We visited the Mansfield State Historic Site late in November when Gary spoke to the DeSoto Historical Society (of which he is past president). A hardy band of history enthusiasts braved rain and cold to attend. He discussed some research he’s doing related to the area and gave a plea for the Friends. The editor of “The Plume,” their journal, has agreed to put a one-page membership notice for the Friends in the next issue. We believe the Mansfield State Historic Site is an under-recognized, under-appreciated resource.

Just to let you know that we are working on not just preservation but the enhancement of the experience visitors have to the site, we have met two of the requests on the “wish list” of the staff there. We have purchased a historic letter related to the campaign. Hopefully, they will be able to use the digital camera we purchased to help catalog this and other artifacts on display at the museum. We have also ordered a carbine similar to those used during the battle. These small things mean quite a lot to this site that is far away from the source of funds in Baton Rouge.

Mayor Curtis McCoy of Mansfield has been given a membership and wrote us a letter, offering his interest and support. Friends like Mayor McCoy clearly understand the importance of the site to the economy of Mansfield. Just imagine the impact of the 140th anniversary celebration in the spring of 2004. If you have not yet made your plans to attend, you’ll want to start now. This will likely be the largest contingent of “soldiers” on site since the battle itself! The national and international interest in this site is attracting reenactors far beyond the usual Louisiana and Texas boundaries. This will definitely be a celebration to attend!

OVERFLIGHT HAS BEEN ORDERED
The high-resolution overflight we mentioned in the last newsletter has been ordered. Since we are a nonprofit, the Quick Bird people, gave us a good price for the overflight—just $1,970. They will examine 25 square miles, including the mine, the battlefield and a buffer zone. We finally had a frost (end of November), so the leaves should be falling off, making it the right time of year to perform this. We will be sharing the cost of this with preservation partners who share our concern about preservation of this site.

MANSFIELD WEEKEND IMPACT CONTINUES
We are still thinking about the impact of the Mansfield Weekend organized by Friends member Chuck McMichael. We have entered new friends as a result of this – and have had additional requests for Gary to speak.

SUMMER EVENT
In case you are planning far ahead, you may be interested to learn that Gary has been invited to be historian for the Delta Queen’s cruise from New Orleans up the Mississippi and up the Red. He will be covering the Red River Campaign as an on-board historian. If you would like to experience the Red River Campaign from the water (and on their motorcoach extensions), this is a great way to do it. The cruise begins and ends in New Orleans in June, 2004.

HOLIDAY GREETINGS & GIFT IDEA
As we prepare to celebrate the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, we want to tell you just how much we appreciate you, the Friends Family. We have made tremendous progress in just one year, and we could not have done it without you and the help so many of you have given to spread the word. A heartfelt “thank you” for helping to make our job easier. If you would like to give something different to a history buff who has everything, consider giving the gift of a membership in the Friends. For just $25 we will send an individual membership and a greeting card from you. Indicate you would like to give a membership as a gift, and we will do the rest.

JOSHUA A. SAXON
Company B, Walker’s Texas Cavalry
By his great grandson, J. Forrest Green