Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve () protects the natural and cultural resources of

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

Mississippi River Delta The Mississippi River Delta is the confluence of the Mississippi River with the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana, southeastern United States. The river delta is a area of land that stretches from Vermilion Bay on the west, to the Chandeleur Is ...

region. It is named after French pirate

Jean Lafitte Jean Lafitte ( – ) was a French pirate, privateer, and slave trader who operated in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. He and his older brother Pierre spelled their last name Laffite, but English language documents of the time u ...

and consists of six separate sites and a park headquarters.

Acadiana

Three sites interpret the

Cajun The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the US state of Louisiana and surrounding Gulf Coast states. Whi ...

culture of the Lafayette (southern Louisiana) area, which developed after

Acadians The Acadians (; , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French colonial empire, French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, most descendants of Acadians live in either the Northern Americ ...

were resettled in the region following their expulsion from Canada (1755–1764) by the British, and the transfer of French Louisiana to Spain in the aftermath of the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

. * Acadian Cultural Center in Lafayette * Prairie Acadian Cultural Center in Eunice, obtained through the work of Mayor Curtis Joubert * Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center in Thibodaux

Nature preserve

The Barataria Preserve in Marrero interprets the natural and cultural history of the region. The preserve has trails and canoe tours through bottomland hardwood forests, swamps, and marsh. An Education Center provides curriculum-based programming for school groups and a visitor center with a film and exhibits. The Barataria area comprises 63 contributing properties and was added as a historic district on October 15, 1966. With .

Chalmette unit

The Chalmette Battlefield and National Cemetery is located in

Chalmette, Louisiana Chalmette ( ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in, and the parish seat of, St. Bernard Parish in southeastern Louisiana, United States. The 2010 census reported that Chalmette had 16,751 people; 2011 population was listed as 17,119; however, th ...

, southeast of

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, on the site where the 1815

Battle of New Orleans The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815, between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson, roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the Frenc ...

took place. It is "an integral part of both the history of New Orleans and of the nation," according to National Park Service historians because the cemetery is one of the oldest in the United States. Established in May 1864, the national cemetery holds the remains of

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

casualties and veterans, as well as the remains of soldiers from the Indian Wars of the late 19th century, the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

, the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Among the Civil War dead interred at Chalmette are members of the

47th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment The 47th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, officially the 47th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry and sometimes referred to simply as the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers, was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the Ameri ...

, the only regiment from Pennsylvania involved in the 1864 Red River campaign, and the

12th Maine Infantry Regiment The 12th Maine Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Formation The 12th Maine Regiment, formed in November 1861, was one of the 10 regiments Major General Benjamin F. Butler of ...

. There are also a few earlier graves from the 1815 Battle of New Orleans. During the 1930s, various improvements were made to the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, "including paving the entrance drive linking to St. Bernard Highway, paving the circle around the monument, and installation of two visitor parking areas." In addition, employees of the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...

(WPA) realigned multiple headstones at the national cemetery in 1937. During the early 1960s, the historic community of Fazendeville was demolished in order to expand the battlefield in preparation for the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans, which took place in 1965. The town, which had been established sometime around 1870 by Jean-Pierre Fazende, had been "founded as a home for newly freed slaves," according to news reports. Local, state and federal elected officials had been engaged in efforts to acquire the community's lands since at least the early 1930s. ChalmetteWPAHeadstoneStraighten

Another major restoration took place from March 7 to April 1, 2016 when volunteers from HOPE Crew (Hands-on Preservation Experience) participated, in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Park Service and the National Center of Preservation Technology and Training, in the cleaning and re-setting of 671 headstones in the oldest part of the national cemetery, which is "the final resting place for US Colored Troops, servicemen who consisted of 'free men of color' formerly known as the Louisiana Native Guard; free, mixed-race 'creoles' who the Confederacy barred from joining their forces, and refugees, or 'contraband' from nearby plantations who served the Union Army in exchange for food, clothing and housing for their families," according to a spokesperson for the trust. The headstones that were restored had been misaligned or damaged by air pollution and mold growth, and were cleaned with products donated by D/2 Biological Solution, Inc. Restoration experts from Pierre Masonry, Texas Cemetery Restoration, Oak and Laurel Cemetery Preservation and Monument Conservation Collaborative were recruited to oversee the volunteers' work. Located adjacent to the Chalmette National Cemetery, and within the boundaries of the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, is the site of the defunct Freedmen's Cemetery, a four-acre African American burial ground that had been established by the federal government in 1867 to inter the remains of formerly enslaved men, women and children who had been receiving assistance from the U.S. Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands (also known as the

Freedmen's Bureau The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, usually referred to as simply the Freedmen's Bureau, was a U.S. government agency of early post American Civil War Reconstruction, assisting freedmen (i.e., former enslaved people) in the ...

) in making the transition from slavery to freedom after the Civil War."Chalmette National Cemetery," in "Civil War Era National Cemeteries: Honoring Those Who Served," National Park Service. Initially well maintained, the cemetery fell into disrepair during the 1870s as various Freedmen's Bureau services were curtailed and then eliminated due to budget cuts and "the politics of race and Reconstruction." U.S. Quartermaster's Office records document the debates by federal government officials regarding the creation and management of this cemetery, as well as their decision to ultimately abandon the Freedmen's Cemetery. The site is now memorialized by a historical marker located near the entrance to Chalmette National Cemetery.

Chalmette Monuments and Visitors' Center

In 1840, a cornerstone was laid for a proposed monument commemorating the American victory in the

, but completion of that monument's construction was delayed due to budget issues. Frustrated by the federal government's lack of progress, members of the Louisiana Society of the United States Daughters of 1776 and 1812 began lobbying elected officials for help during the 1890s, finally securing the support necessary from the administration of President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

for the monument's erection. Known as the Chalmette Monument, the one-hundred-foot-tall obelisk was completed in 1908. Closed for repairs after parts of the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve were damaged or destroyed by

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

in 2005, it was reopened to the public during a rededication ceremony on

National Public Lands Day National Public Lands Day (NPLD) is celebrated annually at public lands in the United States on the fourth Saturday of September. A signature event of the National Environmental Education Foundation, it promotes both popular enjoyment and Volunte ...

on September 28, 2013. The monument features an observation deck which offers visitors views of the battlefield and City of New Orleans. In February 1874, members of the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (United States Navy, U.S. Navy), and the United States Marine Corps, Marines who served in the American Ci ...

's Joseph Mower Post in New Orleans secured permission to erect a G.A.R. monument on the grounds of the national cemetery to pay tribute to deceased Union Army soldiers. Although implementation of this project was also delayed due to funding problems, construction was able to be finished more quickly than it was for the proposed obelisk. Completed in 1882, the G.A.R. monument was inscribed with the Latin phrase, "Dum Tacent Clamant" ("While They Are Silent, They Cry Aloud"), and has served as "a focal point" for Memorial Day ceremonies since that time. The present-day visitors' center located near the battleground obelisk offers information and exhibits. Rebuilt after it was destroyed in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina, this new center reopened in 2010. Special events held at the Chalmette National Battlefield and Cemetery each year include commemoration ceremonies related to the Battle of New Orleans and Memorial Day, living history demonstrations, and wreath-laying ceremonies.Battle of New Orleans commemoration at Chalmette Battlefield begins Saturday
" New Orleans, Louisiana: NOLA.com, January 5, 2022.

New Orleans unit

The park operates a French Quarter Visitor Center at 419

Decatur Street (New Orleans) Decatur Street is a street in the French Quarter neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States that runs parallel to the Mississippi River. Decatur was formerly known as "Levee Street" or ''Rue de la Levée'', as it was originally the l ...

, in the historic

French Quarter The French Quarter, also known as the (; ; ), is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. After New Orleans () was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city developed around the ("Old Square" in English), a ...

. It interprets more generally the

history of New Orleans The history of New Orleans, Louisiana traces the city's development from its founding by the French in 1718 through its period of Spanish control, then briefly back to French rule before being acquired by the United States in the Louisiana P ...

and the diverse cultures of Louisiana's

region. The headquarters of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve are located in New Orleans.

Administrative history

Chalmette Monument and Grounds were established on March 4, 1907, to commemorate the site of the Battle of New Orleans. It was transferred from the

War Department War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet ...

to the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

on August 10, 1933, and re-designated as Chalmette

National Historical Park National Historic Site (NHS) and National Historical Park (NHP) are designations for officially recognized areas of nationally historic significance in the United States. They are usually owned and managed by the federal government. An NHS usually ...

on August 10, 1939. The Chalmette site and the Barataria Preserve were both listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

October 15, 1966. The Chalmette site was later incorporated into the multi-site Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, which was authorized on November 10, 1978.

Gallery

File:Barataria Preserve Louisiana Sunset.jpg, Sunset in Barataria Preserve, Louisiana File:Bayou.jpg, Kenta Canal at Barataria Preserve, Louisiana File:Chalmette Battlefield, 2003.JPG, Line Jackson File:ChalmetteMonumentRangerStairs.jpg, Chalmette Monument

References

External links

National Park Service: Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Jean Lafitte National Historical Park And Preserve National historical parks of the United States National preserves of the United States Cajun culture French-American culture in Louisiana Landmarks of the War of 1812 Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in Louisiana Museums in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana Museums in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana Museums in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana Museums in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana Museums in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana History museums in Louisiana Protected areas established in 1907 National Park Service areas in Louisiana Protected areas of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana Protected areas of St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana Ethnic museums in Louisiana Museums in New Orleans Atchafalaya National Heritage Area 1907 establishments in Louisiana Protected areas established in 1978 1978 establishments in Louisiana National Register of Historic Places in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana National Register of Historic Places in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana National Register of Historic Places in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana National Register of Historic Places in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana National Register of Historic Places in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana