Spanish Fort (New Orleans) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Fort St. John
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Ruins of the Spanish Fort
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 Location in New Orleans
Location in Louisiana
Location in the United States
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| Location | Bayou St. John off Allen Toussaint Boulevard., New Orleans, Louisiana |
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| Area | 0.2 acres (0.081 ha) |
| Built | 1808 |
| NRHP reference No. | 83000530 |
| Added to NRHP | February 11, 1983 |
Spanish Fort is a famous old place in New Orleans, Louisiana. It used to be a fort and later became a fun amusement park. People also called it Old Spanish Fort or Fort St. John. Its Spanish name was Fuerte de San Juan del Bayou.
Contents
Ancient History of the Fort Site
Long ago, the area where Spanish Fort stands was home to ancient people. Archaeologists have found signs of the Marksville culture from around 300 CE. People continued to live there for a long time after that. They even used a large pile of shells, called a midden, as a base for the first fort.
Protecting the Bayou: The Fort's Story
The fort was built to guard the entrance of Bayou St. John from Lake Pontchartrain. This bayou was an important trade route.
The First French Fort
The French built the very first small fort here in 1701. This was even before the city of New Orleans was founded! It helped protect the valuable trade path along Bayou St. John.
The Spanish Take Over
Later, the land of Louisiana became controlled by Spain. The Spanish built a bigger brick fort where the old French one used to be. They called this new fort San Juan del Bayou.
From Spain to the United States
Louisiana then went back to France, and finally became part of the United States. The fort was no longer needed and was officially closed in 1823.
From Fort to Fun: The Amusement Park Years
After the fort closed, private companies bought the land. They turned it into a very popular amusement park. It was known as "Spanish Fort" or "Old Spanish Fort."
What the Park Offered
The park had many exciting things for visitors:
- Restaurants
- A casino
- A resort hotel
- Dancing areas
- An alligator pond
- Fun rides like the "Scenic Railway," which was a roller coaster
Getting There Was Easy
People could get to the park by a steam train, and later by an electric streetcar. These connected the lakeside resort to the center of New Orleans. The park was especially popular in the summer because of the cool breezes from the lake. It was even called the "Coney Island of the South"!
A Mysterious Submarine
From about 1880 to 1908, a small iron submarine was on display at the park. People thought it was the Confederate war submarine called "Pioneer." Today, experts are not so sure, making the submarine even more of a mystery! You can learn more about it at Bayou St. John submarine.
Food, Music, and Shows
"Over the Rhine" was a popular German restaurant and beer garden. People also loved the dances with Paoletti's Orchestra. Tranchina's Restaurant and Brown's Ice Cream Parlor often had live bands. The park also had two cabarets, called "Tokyo Gardens" and "The Frolics."
Jazz Music at the Park
In its later years, many early jazz bands played at Spanish Fort.
- Armand J. Piron's New Orleans Orchestra played there often.
- Papa Celestin's band sometimes filled in for Piron's band.
- Pianist Steve Lewis played with Piron's band and also performed alone or with singer New Orleans Willie Jackson.
- Other regular bands included Johnny Bayersdorffer's Jazzola Novelty Orchestra and Johnny Miller's New Orleans Frolicers.
The End of the Amusement Park Era
In the late 1920s, a big project began to add more land to New Orleans from Lake Pontchartrain. This moved the shoreline further out from the old fort. A new main amusement park for the city, Pontchartrain Beach, opened elsewhere.
In 1938, the Spanish Fort site became a public park. People called it "Spanish Fort" because at the time, they only knew that the Spanish had built the fort.
Today, you can still see the remains of Spanish Fort, mostly brick ruins. They are located along Bayou St. John, near Allen Toussaint Boulevard, in the "Floral Park" part of the Lake Vista neighborhood.
See also
In Spanish: Fuerte de San Juan del Bayou para niños
