Friday, Feb. 7, 2014 at 7:00 p.m.
In honor of Black History Month, Cane River Creole National Historical Park will be partnering with Asbury United Methodist Church in Natchitoches to present a free concert on Friday, February 7, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. The concert will feature musicians from New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park playing selections from their acclaimed CD collection: ‘Freedom is Coming: Songs of Freedom, Resistance, and the Underground Railroad.’
The concert will take place at Asbury United Methodist, one of the most important historic churches in Natchitoches. According to late historian Robert B. DeBlieux, ‘Reverend Ebenezer Haywood, a clergyman of the Methodist faith, formed an association of a hundred members. Each person paid one dollar for membership and made a monthly contribution of a quarter of a dollar; these funds were applied to church construction. In December of 1866, Methodist Episcopal Society of New York allotted $2,000 to aid in the creation of Reverend Haywood's church on the corner of Rue St. Denis and 5th Street. Thus began the Asbury United Methodist Church, the first black church in Natchitoches.’ Today, the present church sits near its original location on 704 5th Street.
If you have more questions about this event, please call 318-356-8441. This event is being made possible by funding from the Lower Mississippi Delta Initiative and assistance from Cane River National Heritage Area.