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| The historic marker found on site. |
Another trip to NOLA and another fort... Today's survey was a visit to the area's south shore, just north of City Park and on the east side of the Lake Shore-Lake Vista neighborhoods. Here, early on noted as a strategic position for defending the city, is where Bayou St. John empties into Lake Pontchartrain. While the site retains it's bayou side position, it's approximately a third of a mile from the present day shoreline.
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| Though it was never attacked, deterioration conjures up vision of cannon attacks. |
Parkerson describes the first fort as
"...a redoubt constructed of mud and logs, erected in 1740 by the French and named Fort St. Jean." Although control of Louisiana changed hands, the position was always recognized for its strategic location. Under Spanish rule, the fort was expanded and refortified using local brick. Again, this time under American control, the fort was refitted and expanded in the early 1800's. Although prepared for battle, Ft. St. John never saw action during the War of 1812.
By 1831, the government sold the surplus property with the new owner converting the site into a resort with a restaurant, casino, and hotel. Parkerson states the resort went dormant during the Civil War but once again saw action after the turn of the century. Now, called "Spanish Fort", the new facility "...boasted restaurants, bath houses, hotels and other attractions."
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| The older looking handmade brick. |
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| Just a few feet away from the older brick are the more modern looking new brick. |
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| The smaller and intact water fountain. Coming from the right side is the iron pipe that would feed water to the top. |
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| Trey surveys a larger and partially destroyed fountain. Note the iron pipe protruding near the top-center. |
Today, the area is an oak-shaded green space for the neighboring subdivisions. Trey and I explored the informal park and concluded we were surveying the combined efforts of several hundred years of work and for varying purposes: While the remaining brick walls command the site, the first thing we noticed were the odd stone and mortar monuments. It wasn't until we found the smallest one, which was still intact, that we realized they were water fountains. Perhaps some form of waterfall/wishing well, but likely as drinking water for horses and mules (i.e. transportation). Regarding the fort's remains, we found different types of brick, but each employed within the same area of construction. We also found some iron mounts near the top of what appears to be a bayou side entrance into the main structure and figured it must have been mounting hardware for some type of door.
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| Father and son enjoying a field trip into the history of New Orleans. |
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| Ft. St. John - still bayou side near its namesake. |
Looking north to where the bayou finds the Pontchartrain, the view comes to an abrupt end as a flood gate protects the lake from spilling back into NOLA. What was one of the city's first improved fortifications built for the purpose of defense is now no different than all the other improvements that make up NOLA. In the post-Katrina world that NOLA now is - it lies behind a new system of levees, locks, and pumps designed to defend against the attacks of Mother Nature.
