Fort Jackson | |
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| Location | Plaquemines Parish,Louisiana, USA |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | Triumph, Louisiana |
| Coordinates | 29°21′25″N89°27′20″W / 29.3569°N 89.4556°W /29.3569; -89.4556 |
| Built | 1822–32 |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000379 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966[1] |
| Designated NHL | December 19, 1960 |
Fort Jackson is a historic masonryfort located 40 miles (64 km) up river from themouth of theMississippi River inPlaquemines Parish, Louisiana. It was constructed as a coastal defense ofNew Orleans, between 1822 and 1832, and it was a battle site during theAmerican Civil War.[2] It is aNational Historic Landmark. It was damaged by HurricanesKatrina andRita, and its condition is threatened. It is markedBattery Millar on some maps,[3] for theEndicott era work built nearby it.
Fort Jackson is situated approximately 70 miles (110 km) south of New Orleans on the western bank of the Mississippi, approximately 2.5 miles (4.0 km) south ofTriumph, Louisiana. The olderFort St. Philip is located opposite of Fort Jackson on the eastern bank; this West Bank fort was constructed after theWar of 1812 on the advice ofAndrew Jackson, for whom it is named.
The fort was occupied off and on for various military purposes from its completion until afterWorld War I, when it served as a training station. It is now aNational Historic Landmark and historical museum owned and operated by Plaquemines Parish.
Fort Jackson was the site of theBattle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip from April 16 to April 28, 1862, during theAmerican Civil War. TheConfederate-controlled fort was besieged for 12 days by the fleet ofU.S. Navy Flag OfficerDavid Farragut. Fort Jackson fell on April 28 after theUnion fleet bombarded it and then sailed past its guns. A mutiny against the officers and conditions then occurred and the fort fell to the Union. Union forces then went on to capture New Orleans.[5]
Following the engagement, Fort Jackson was used as a Union prison. It was here that the Frenchchampagne magnateCharles Heidsieck was held for seven months on charges of spying.
On November 9, 1927, the state of Louisiana sold Fort Jackson as a surplus government property to Mr. and Mrs. H. J. Harvey, who later donated the property to the parish in 1960 in the hopes that the fort, and the 82 acres of land that it sits on, would be restored.[6] The fort was declared aNational Historic Landmark in 1960,[7] and was also listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 1967.[8] Plaquemines Parish Commission Council began renovations on the fort in 1961, with theNational Park Service stating that "The fort areahad become a jungle with mud-filled tunnels infested with snakes and flooded with water".[9] In the 1960s,Leander Perez threatened to turn Fort St. Philip, on the opposite side of the river, into a prison for advocates ofdesegregation ("outside agitators") who entered the parish.[10]
The fort site was later opened as a park[11] with only the outside grounds open for visitors. The interior of the fort is open to the public on occasion. The Fort Jackson Museum is open to the public, but it is not at the fort site. Rather, it is located approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) southwest from Fort Jackson in Plaquemines Parish's District 9 office at 38039 Hwy 23, Buras, LA 70041.[12]
Due to its low-lying location along theMississippi River, Fort Jackson has been repeatedly exposed to severe flooding andstorm surge from hurricanes. The fort was inundated with approximately 20 feet (6.1 m) of water duringHurricane Betsy (Category 4) in September 1965 andHurricane Camille (Category 5) in August 1969, causing extensive water damage to its masonry walls and interior structures.[13]
In 2005,Hurricane Katrina produced a catastrophic storm surge that overwhelmedPlaquemines Parish. Fort Jackson was submerged under more than 30 feet (9.1 m) of floodwaters, and much of the site remained underwater for up to six weeks following Katrina andHurricane Rita the next month. This prolonged flooding destroyed many historic exhibits and inflicted structural damage on the fort's brick walls, foundations, and moat drainage systems. Electrical and mechanical systems were ruined, and the museum was closed to the public for years.[14]
The damage prompted a major rehabilitation project led by Plaquemines Parish and contractors, completed in 2011, which included rebuilding drainage pumps, replacing water lines, and restoring electrical infrastructure to make the site safe and accessible again.[15] Despite these efforts, Fort Jackson remains highly vulnerable to future hurricanes andsea level rise, and ongoing maintenance is required to preserve its structural integrity and historical significance.[16]
Since 1970, The grounds of Fort Jackson have been the site of both the Plaquemines Parish Fair and Orange Festival.[17]
The fort was used to treat oily birds in the early weeks of theDeepwater Horizon oil spill. The treatment facility was moved on July 4, 2010, toHammond, Louisiana, in order to make it less vulnerable to hurricanes.[18]
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