Fort Pike facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Fort Pike
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Cracks can be seen in the brick structure of Fort Pike after Hurricane Katrina
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 Location in New Orleans
Location in Louisiana
Location in the United States
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| Location | Orleans Parish, Louisiana |
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| Nearest city | New Orleans and Slidell |
| Area | 9.6 acres (3.9 ha) |
| Built | 1819 |
| NRHP reference No. | 72000557 |
| Added to NRHP | August 14, 1972 |
Fort Pike State Historic Site is an old fort from the 1800s. It was named after a brave soldier, Brigadier General Zebulon Pike. This fort was built after the War of 1812 to protect an important water passage called the Rigolets in Louisiana. This passage connects the Gulf of Mexico to Lake Pontchartrain, which is near New Orleans. The fort was located close to a small town called Petite Coquille. Today, this area is part of New Orleans.
The fort's old ruins have been a popular place for visitors for a long time. However, it was damaged by the huge Hurricane Katrina storm in 2005. It had to close for a while. The fort also closed after Hurricanes Gustav in 2008 and Isaac in 2012.
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History of Fort Pike
After the War of 1812, the United States government built Fort Pike in 1819. Its main job was to protect New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. This was to stop any future attacks from countries like Britain.
During the Seminole Wars in Florida in the 1820s, the fort was used for a different purpose. The US Army temporarily held Seminole Native Americans here. These people had been taken prisoner. Later, they were moved to a special area called the Seminole Reservation. This reservation was in what is now Oklahoma.
Fort Pike During the Civil War
In 1861, the Louisiana Continental Guard took control of Fort Pike. This happened just weeks before Louisiana joined the Confederacy. The American Civil War then began.
When Union forces captured New Orleans in 1862, the Confederate soldiers left Fort Pike. The Union army then took over the fort. They used it as a base for their military operations. The fort also became a training ground for United States Colored Troops. These soldiers were mostly former slaves from the South. They joined the Union army starting in 1864.
Fort Pike After the War
The United States Army stopped using Fort Pike in 1890. Interestingly, no cannon was ever fired in a real battle at Fort Pike. In 1972, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It became part of a state park called the Fort Pike State Historic Site.
Before Hurricane Katrina, the fort's brick walls were already getting old and weak. The storm surge from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 made the problems much worse. The entire fort was completely covered by water for a time. The storm also destroyed other buildings in the state park.
The site officially reopened on May 2, 2008. But it closed again because of damage from Hurricane Gustav in September 2008. By June 2009, the fort was open again. It has been getting a lot of repairs and restoration work. After Hurricane Isaac in 2012, the fort closed again for repairs and cleanup.
Fort Pike reopened to visitors after Hurricane Isaac. However, it closed once more in February 2015. This was due to cuts in the state budget.
Fort Pike in Movies and TV
- The fort was used in the last part of the 1974 movie Nightmare Honeymoon.
- It appeared in the 2013 movie G.I. Joe: Retaliation. In the movie, it was shown as Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. That is where the first shots of the Civil War were fired.
- The fort was also used in an episode of NCIS: New Orleans in 2016. It was in the episode "Second Chances" (season 2, episode 16).
Images for kids
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Fort Pike before Hurricane Katrina, looking toward the Old Rigolets Bridge (US 90).
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Fort Pike after Hurricane Katrina (New Hwy 90 Bridge in Background).
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Fort Pike's citadel from atop its rampart (above casemates along the Rigolets, looking south-southwest).
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Fort Pike's casemates along the Rigolets, December 28, 2002.
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Fort Pike's landward sides, seen from its glacis, July 2008.
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Aerial view of Fort Pike taken November 2019.
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Another aerial view of Fort Pike taken November 2019.
