Fort Proctor, 1846 (CP No. 38) N 9°52'2.85" W89°40'41.07" 04.26.2015

Fort Proctor of Shell Beach, LA

Sitting at the very bottom of Lake Borgne and near the current fishing community of Shell Beach sits Fort Proctor.  According to Parkerson, the fort's official plans date back to 1846 but actual construction did not begin until 1856.  This gives Proctor the distinction of being the last placement for the defense of NOLA prior to the War Between the States.  Parker continues with "The construction of the fort was under the direction of P.T. Beauregard... who gained notoriety by firing the first shot at Fort Sumter in Charleston, SC, beginning the Civil War in 1861.  His associtation with Fort Proctor caused it to be known locally as Fort Beauregard."

A modified "Martello" tower - Proctor still stands today

Parkeson also notes that Proctor is a modified Martello tower:  Although square as opposed to the more traditional round towers, Proctor was two stories tall and contained "eight guns on the second floor and cannon enbarbette on their roof."  Never completed, the fort captiulated to the Yanks when New Orleans fell under Farragut's command in April, 1862.

Today, Proctor, although still standing, has befallen the same fate of it's sister tower, Tower Dupre, eleven miles to its northwest:  Once built on land, the site is now an island but easily accessible by water.  Portions of the original outlying moat wall are visible, but are submerged.  The fort certainly commands that area of the lake, easily viewable from a distance.

Riveted steel beams help support Fort Proctor's still standing walls

Our visit to Proctor was no less than a half hour of exploring both the inside and outside of the fort.  Proctor boasted new technology in its construction - steel beams.  The beams are massive and have no doubt helped to keep the structure as intact as possible.  While the main componet of the site is brick, we could not help but notice the tons of solild granite used in the fort's construction.  Granite slabs could be seen in nearly all cases of support be it under brick colums, window lintels, or case openings.

Granite slabs, gray in color, form areas of support for colums, case openings, and window lintels 

Obviously, like many of the places listed by Parkerson, Fort Proctor takes effort to visit.  But it's certainly a jewel of the marsh and a must-see for anyone interested in local history.

Today, Fort Proctor silently guards Lake Borgne's extreme south shore