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NATCHEZ — At the second-annual preservation trade school hosted by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History at Historic Jefferson College, graduate students in the Tulane University Historic Preservation Program experienced hands-on learning and the craft of window-making on the historic campus.

The program got its start in 2024 as MDAH teamed up with historic preservationist Nick Conner to instruct students on his craft.

Students completing the course this week each pieced together windows that they’ll take with them.

Student Hayley Chung from Los Angeles, California, said she appreciates the effort put into historic structures — the “things we live in and use every day,” — as to why she chose to study historic preservation. “It’s a good way to make history last,” she said.

The preservation trade school is being put on by MDAH with support from the Historic Natchez Foundation and the Richard Hampton Jenrette Foundation, said HNF Executive Director Carter Burns.

Enjoy these photos from the activities at Historic Jefferson College.