Another rebirth

FORT PIKE REOPENS

After nearly three years after the winds and storm surge from Hurricane Katrina
beat it up, Fort Pike is reopened to the public.



From the Baton Rouge Advocate
Fort Pike State Historic Site, on U.S. 90 just south of the Rigolets Bridge, is open to the public once again. It is the last property operated by the Louisiana Office of State Parks to be reopened after Hurricane Katrina caused massive damage in 2005.

One of Louisiana’s more fascinating historic sites, Fort Pike was begun in 1819 and completed in 1826. It was named for the explorer and soldier Gen. Zebulon Montgomery Pike whose name is attached to Pike’s Peak in the Rocky Mountains. Visitors to the site can quickly grasp the importance of this fort, which sits between Lake Pontchartrain and Lake St. Catherine and overlooks the Rigolets, the narrow passage that ships used to enter Pontchartrain from the Gulf of Mexico.

At the official reopening of the historic site, Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, whose offices oversees the Office of State Parks, talked about the fort’s importance in protecting the Port of New Orleans. He said the fort played an integral part in Louisiana’s military history.

Stand outside the fort’s thick walls. Take a look at the watery surroundings, and you quickly realize just how important the fort was to the protection of Louisiana. The fort, a brick and masonry structure, was designed to withstand attack from land or sea.

Although the United States survived the War of 1812, the British destruction of our nation’s capital and their attack on New Orleans emphasized the weakness of our country’s defense. To prevent a foreign invasion from occurring again, President James Monroe ordered the placement of an extensive coastal system. The new fortifications, along with the old ones, stretched along the entire Atlantic and Gulf Coasts.

Along with nearby forts Jackson and St. Philip, Fort Pike defended New Orleans from nautical assaults. During the Seminole Wars in the 1830s, Fort Pike served as a staging area for soldiers en route to Florida. It also was a collection point for hundreds of Seminole prisoners and their black slaves who were being transported to Oklahoma. During the Mexican War in the 1840s, the fort was a stopover for troops bound for Texas and Mexico. During the Civil War, the fort was held by Confederates until Union forces reoccupied the fort, using it for raids along the Gulf Coast. The Union also used Fort Pike as a training center, where former slaves were taught to use heavy artillery. These troops became part of the United States Colored Troops who played a role in many battles.

Not just for history buffs, Fort Pike offers a fantastic view of the Rigolets Pass.

Fort Pike was officially abandoned in 1890. In 1972 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Fort Pike is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday through Monday (Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day). Entrance fee is $2 per person. Free for seniors age 62 and older and children age 12 and younger. Groups are asked to call in advance. For information, contact (888) 662-5703 or (504) 255-9171. Also send e-mail to fortpike@crt.state.la.us.

Fort Pike & Lake Catherine

Got up early and drove down Hwy 434 to Hwy 90.
click on small photos to view full size photos

Crossed the old Rigolets bridge into New Orleans. On the Orleans side of the bridge is a very
old, very damaged Fort Pike.



Built in the late 1820's, Fort Pike was used to defend Rigolets Pass, approach through Lake Pontchartrain to New Orleans and named after Brigadier General Zebulon Montgomery Pike. Up until Katrina,
Fort Pike
was a great, live piece of history.

After the mosquito's got to be too much, I decided to drive thru the small community of Lake Catherine, Louisiana.

I was curious to see any new developments since my last journey to Lake Catherine about a month ago A lot of debris has been cleared and the road looked pretty clean.


The Marina was open. Any and all entrances to Lakes Pontchartrain and Borgne were packed with pickup trucks pulling trailers. Must be some good fishing out there.


Doesn't look like much is going on at the Community Center

On the way home, I noticed 5 pelicans flying toward Lake Borgne

but I only managed to snap a picture of the straggler.

One positive note: work on the new Rigolets bridge is progressing nicely.


More photos can be seen at this website.

Fort Pike's Rebirth

After being ravaged by Katrina and being damaged by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, Fort Pike is on its way back to life. We visited recently and were very happy to see the results.

click on photo for larger version



The Fort is fully open to visitors, although it is not completely renovated. Apparently a good deal of the historical pieces related to the Fort were shipped up to Shreveport before Katrina and many are still there pending completion of the resurrection of this historic site.





For two dollars you can enter the Fort and explore all it has to offer. I'd say it was money well spent on our part. I'm not much of a history buff, but I found the Fort fascinating.



Right inside the entry way is an oar that shows the flood levels from previous hurricanes.



As you can see, the oar is as tall as the doorway.



The line for Katrina's floodline is higher than the oar.

The first room to the right of the entryway holds all sorts of ammunition.












A little archway brings you to the interior of the Fort.





There are doors along the walls of the Fort that lead to different functional areas. I enjoyed looking at the details in the brickwork.



We entered one of the arched doors and were presented with this awe-inspiring picture



(at least I found it awe inspiring!)

In this photo, the area down the middle of the floor was used to bring the cannons in to place them in the windows looking over the Pass.



Back out into the main area, we found the citadel



This looks like where the current refurbishing effort is taking place. The walls are all painted white to provide the visitor with a "pleasing" view of how life used to be at the Fort.



Across from the citadel is the blacksmith's shop. This room was most interesting, as what appears to be the actual tools are in this area. Decide for yourself from these picutres.



















Nearby the Blacksmith's Shop is the Commissary







This plaque, hanging outside the Blacksmith Shop, is a dedication to those Indians that were brought to Fort Pike during the Seminole War.



My thinking is that they were put in the bricked in "jail" section in the middle of the Fort.



This photo depicts the old world versus the present. Touring Fort Pike does bring one back in history. As I said before, this is definitely worth the $2.00 entry fee, even for non history buffs.

Fort Pike Reopens....Again

After nearly being closed due to damage sustained from Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, Fort Pike reopened today.

The Fort reopened 2 1/2 years after Katrina but was completely closed after the two 2008 storms battered the 182 year old Fort.

From the article in the TP:
The historic site which sits on New Orleans' eastern shore near the Rigolets had been closed for more than two years after storm surge from Hurricane Katrina submerged the 14-foot-high structure and left significant structural damage to the site, which has already fallen into disrepair due to decades of neglect.



Marsh grass and other debris that inundated the area after Gustav reached more than five feet high inside the fort's gun emplacements, said Joseph Yarbrough, president of the Fort Pike Foundation.

"It kind of devastated us a little bit to have a setback like that," Yarbrough said Friday.

It was the most recent of several hits, which resulted in Fort Pike being listed in 2007 as among the 10 most endangered battlefields in the United States. The list was compiled by the Civil War Preservation Trust, a nonprofit group in Washington, DC.


Looking forward to visiting the old Fort again. It's a great piece of history.

Fort Pike Closing

Fort Pike and four other state historic sites will be shuttered starting Monday under a legislative directive to save money, the director of the Office of State Parks said Wednesday.

The closure of the five facilities brings to seven the number of sites closed, according to Stuart Johnson, assistant secretary of the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, and head of the parks office.

Besides Fort Pike in eastern New Orleans, which has been closed to the public and used as a staging area for oil spill operations for several weeks, the other four that will be closed on Monday are:


- Centenary State Historic Site in Jackson.

- Fort Jesup State Historic Site near Many.

- Native American mounds at Marksville State Historic Site in Avoyelles Parish.

- The Plaquemine Lock State Historic Site in Plaquemine.

Johnson said the closure of the seven sites will save the state about $350,000 a year. He said his office is exploring ways to reopen the facilities in a few months by getting local governments or historical societies to help run them.

Thanks, Legislature. You greedy bastards couldn't find some other place to find that measly $350K from? Sure, just close down wonderful sites like the above so you can have your perks and make sure your pet projects are funded. This is disgusting.

Just 11 months ago my husband and I were thrilled during our last visit there to see how far the Fort had come since Katrina and then Gustav.

I'm tired of bad news.

Fort Pike Update

I got an email recently from someone who is working on cleaning up historic Fort Pike.
The Fort reopened 2 and 1/2 years after Katrina but was closed again this past September as a result of the impacts of the 2008 hurricane season.

Hurricanes Gustav and Ike caused just as much damage to the Fort as the 2005 season. It is currently closed due to clean up efforts, but should reopen by the start of 2009 season.

Here are some recent pictures showing what Gustav and Ike did to the Fort.
click on pictures for larger versions






Note the marsh grass washed in from the storms.






Here is a photo of the old Rigolets Bridge



And here's a picture of its demolition





This is the bridge that replaced the old, narrow bridge.



The view from the top is very nice. That coming from someone that's afraid of heights. I'd love to be able to stop at the top and look around someday.