Fort St. Philip
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Fort St. Philip
(U.S. National Historic Landmark)
Fort St. Philip used as a prison camp during the Civil War
Nearest city:	Triumph, Louisiana
Built/Founded:	1746
Designated as NHL:	December 19, 19601
Added to NRHP:	October 15, 19662
NRHP Reference#:	66000380
Governing body:	Private

Fort St. Philip is a decommissioned masonry fort located on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, about 40 miles up river from its mouth in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. It formerly served as military protection of New Orleans, Louisiana, some 80 miles up river, and the lower Mississippi.

The first fort on this location "San Felipe", was constructed in the 18th century during the Spanish control of Louisiana.

The fort served a role in protecting the United States from the British invasion in the War of 1812, seeing 9 days of battle in January 1815.

The current fort was constructed along with Fort Jackson on the river's western bank as a coastal defense for New Orleans and the Mississippi, on urging of Andrew Jackson.

The fort was the site of a twelve-day siege in April 1862 by the Union army during the American Civil War.

It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960.¹³

In the 1980's the ruined fort briefly served as the site of a commune called Vella-Ashby. ⁴

Fort St. Philip is currently privately owned and in a state of bad deterioration. It was heavily damaged in hurricanes Katrina and Rita. According to the National Park Service, the owner reported that only concrete structures from the time of the Spanish-American war remain.¹

The site frequently floods under waters from the Mississippi and is accessible only by boat now.¹

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} "Fort St. Philip". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved on 2008-02-01.
2. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-01-23).
3. ^ Patricia Heintzelman (1978), National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Fort St. PhilipPDF (506 KiB), National Park Service |32 KB}} and Accompanying 6 photos, aeriel photos from 1935 and others, undated.PDF (1.45 MiB)
4. ^ James Sutton. "Ft. St. Philip -- Vella-Ashby" (html). Panoramio. Retrieved on 2008-11-08.

External links

• First Siege of Fort St. Philip (1815) — eyewitness accounts, as published in the Louisiana Historical Quarterly.
• Second Siege of Fort St. Philip (1862) — Chapter 15 of Kendall's History of New Orleans

v • d • e U.S. National Register of Historic Places Keeper of the Register · History of the National Register of Historic Places · Property types · Historic district · Contributing property List of entries National Park Service · National Historic Landmarks · National Battlefields · National Historic Sites · National Historical Parks · National Memorials · National Monuments

Coordinates: 29°21′50″N 89°27′46″W / 29.36389, -89.46278

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