- Joined
- Jun 21, 2012
- Location
- Louisville, KY
After a little bit of a break for the holidays I'm back to continue the "Forgotten Forts Series"
In just surfing the net I came across Fort Livingston located on Grand Terre Island in Louisiana. Construction was originally begun on the island in 1835 however construction of the masonry fort itself did not begin until 1841 under the direction of then US Army Major P.G.T. Beaureguard. Fort Livingston was named after Louisiana native Edward Livingston who served as Sec. of State under President Andrew Jackson. The fort was designed to protect the approaches to Barataria Pass which gave access to New Orleans. For this reason a lighthouse was also built near the fort.
When the American Civil War began the fort was not completed however it was garrisoned by Louisiana militia rather quickly. For being unfinished the fort was well armed and equipped with a garrison numbering between 300 and 400 men. The fort's guns offered a safehaven to Confederate blockade runners early in the war. A small detachment of United States Marines occupied New Orleans on April 26, 1862 and the next day Confederate forces abandoned Fort Livingston to support the war effort elsewhere and the fort would remain abandoned for a year until Union forces would reoccupy its walls. Fort Livingston would never see combat during the war and following the war it would be placed under caretaker status.
Following the war mother nature began to take its toll on Fort Livingston and the fort was permanently abandoned in early 1889 when all of its stores and guns were removed. The United States government gave control of the land to the state of Louisiana in 1923 following heavy damage to the fort sustained in a 1915 hurricane. In 1974 the fort was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Today the fort can be accessed by boat however there are no guides or museums and navigating the deserted fort may be hazardous by the look of things. As you can tell from the pictures nature has taken its toll on the location, most notably Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and I have not read of any major preservation efforts. I have not visited this fort nor do I have any friends that have either but by the look of things it might be an interesting place to visit if you have the time and resources to do so.
http://www.fortwiki.com/Fort_Livingston
http://ncptt.nps.gov/ft-livingston-grand-terre-island-field-report-2010-03/all/1/
Links to the other "Forgotten Forts Series" threads.
http://www.civilwartalk.com/threads/forgotten-forts-series-fort-mcallister.78469/
http://www.civilwartalk.com/threads/forgotten-forts-series-fort-caswell.78408/
http://www.civilwartalk.com/threads/forgotten-forts-series-fort-wool.78325/
http://www.civilwartalk.com/threads/forgotten-forts-series-fort-mackinac.77950/
http://www.civilwartalk.com/threads/forgotten-forts-series-fort-norfolk.77859/
http://www.civilwartalk.com/threads/forgotten-forts-series-fort-clinch.77816/
http://www.civilwartalk.com/threads/forgotten-forts-series-fort-adams.77979/
http://www.civilwartalk.com/threads/fort-warren.77775/
http://www.civilwartalk.com/threads/fort-alcatraz.77732/
In just surfing the net I came across Fort Livingston located on Grand Terre Island in Louisiana. Construction was originally begun on the island in 1835 however construction of the masonry fort itself did not begin until 1841 under the direction of then US Army Major P.G.T. Beaureguard. Fort Livingston was named after Louisiana native Edward Livingston who served as Sec. of State under President Andrew Jackson. The fort was designed to protect the approaches to Barataria Pass which gave access to New Orleans. For this reason a lighthouse was also built near the fort.
When the American Civil War began the fort was not completed however it was garrisoned by Louisiana militia rather quickly. For being unfinished the fort was well armed and equipped with a garrison numbering between 300 and 400 men. The fort's guns offered a safehaven to Confederate blockade runners early in the war. A small detachment of United States Marines occupied New Orleans on April 26, 1862 and the next day Confederate forces abandoned Fort Livingston to support the war effort elsewhere and the fort would remain abandoned for a year until Union forces would reoccupy its walls. Fort Livingston would never see combat during the war and following the war it would be placed under caretaker status.
Following the war mother nature began to take its toll on Fort Livingston and the fort was permanently abandoned in early 1889 when all of its stores and guns were removed. The United States government gave control of the land to the state of Louisiana in 1923 following heavy damage to the fort sustained in a 1915 hurricane. In 1974 the fort was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Today the fort can be accessed by boat however there are no guides or museums and navigating the deserted fort may be hazardous by the look of things. As you can tell from the pictures nature has taken its toll on the location, most notably Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and I have not read of any major preservation efforts. I have not visited this fort nor do I have any friends that have either but by the look of things it might be an interesting place to visit if you have the time and resources to do so.
http://www.fortwiki.com/Fort_Livingston
http://ncptt.nps.gov/ft-livingston-grand-terre-island-field-report-2010-03/all/1/
Links to the other "Forgotten Forts Series" threads.
http://www.civilwartalk.com/threads/forgotten-forts-series-fort-mcallister.78469/
http://www.civilwartalk.com/threads/forgotten-forts-series-fort-caswell.78408/
http://www.civilwartalk.com/threads/forgotten-forts-series-fort-wool.78325/
http://www.civilwartalk.com/threads/forgotten-forts-series-fort-mackinac.77950/
http://www.civilwartalk.com/threads/forgotten-forts-series-fort-norfolk.77859/
http://www.civilwartalk.com/threads/forgotten-forts-series-fort-clinch.77816/
http://www.civilwartalk.com/threads/forgotten-forts-series-fort-adams.77979/
http://www.civilwartalk.com/threads/fort-warren.77775/
http://www.civilwartalk.com/threads/fort-alcatraz.77732/
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