Fort Jesup | |
 An army kitchen on the grounds of Fort Jesup state historic site | |
  Fort Jesup  Fort Jesup | |
| Location | Sabine Parish,Louisiana, United States |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | Many, Louisiana |
| Coordinates | 31°36′41″N93°24′3″W / 31.61139°N 93.40083°W /31.61139; -93.40083 |
| Area | 21 acres (8.5 ha)[2] |
| Built | 1822 |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000381[1] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | July 4, 1961[3] |
Fort Jesup, also known asFort Jesup State Historic Site orFort Jesup orFort Jesup State Monument, was built in 1822, 22 miles (35 km) west ofNatchitoches, Louisiana, to protect the United States border withNew Spain and to return order to theNeutral Strip.[4] Originally namedCantonment Jesup, the fort operated from 1822 until 1846. After the abandonment of the fort in 1846, the United States federal government continued to own the abandoned fort site until the privatization of the site in 1869.[5]
The Neutral Strip was created after the 1803Louisiana Purchase, from which arose a disagreement about the location of the border between the American and Spanish territories. In order to avoid a war, the two countries agreed that the land in contention would remain neutral and free of armed forces from either side. This region stretched fromSabine River toArroyo Hondo and encompassed the land that now makes up modernSabine Parish, Louisiana. The Neutral Strip remained devoid of government and law enforcement until theAdams–Onís Treaty of 1819 finally set the border at the Sabine River.
Colonel (later General)Zachary Taylor—futurePresident of the United States—established Cantonment Jesup in 1822 afterFort Seldon, a temporary headquarters for GeneralEdmund Pendleton Gaines, was too far from the conflict zone of the Sabine River. Taylor quickly subdued the former Neutral Strip, gaining experience and popularity. The surgeon at the cantonment recorded meteorological observations. His forces, known as the Army of Observation, remained in the fort and monitored the Texas territory as it passed from Spanish to Mexican control, and finally broke away as an independent republic. In 1845, General Taylor commanded the USArmy of Observation's excursion into Texas and ignited theMexican–American War. He would eventually gain popularity from his victories that would propel his political career to the Presidency of the United States of America.
The United States won the war and gained control of Texas, rendering Fort Jesup unnecessary. Officially evacuated in 1846, the fort thereafter deteriorated. The federal government privatized it in 1869.
By the 1930s, the only remaining building at Fort Jesup was the kitchen of Enlisted Barracks 4. Residents of the nearby town ofMany, Louisiana raised money to restore the building and turned the area into a park.
The site was acquired by the Louisiana Office of State Parks in 1956, and in 1961, the fort was designated aNational Historic Landmark.[3][6]
Since then, the kitchen has been restored and decorated with historically accurate furniture. An officer's quarters building has been reconstructed, and now serves as a museum.[7]
The fort site is located onLouisiana Highway 6, seven miles (11 km) northeast ofMany.
Fort Jesup first appeared as acensus designated place in the2010 U.S. census.[8]
{{cite news}}:Missing or empty|title= (help){{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help) andAccompanying 6 photos, exterior and interior, from 1958, 1960 and undated (1.22 MB)
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