Fort Jesup

	Fort Jesup
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	U.S. National Historic Landmark
	An army kitchen on the grounds of Fort Jesup state historic site
	Fort Jesup Show map of LouisianaShow map of the United StatesShow all
Location	Sabine Parish, Louisiana, United States
Nearest city	Many, Louisiana
Coordinates	31°36′41″N 93°24′3″W / 31.61139°N 93.40083°WCoordinates: 31°36′41″N 93°24′3″W / 31.61139°N 93.40083°W
Area	21 acres (8.5 ha)
Built	1822
NRHP reference No.	66000381
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	October 15, 1966
Designated NHL	July 4, 1961

Fort Jesup, also known as Fort Jesup State Historic Site or Fort Jesup or Fort Jesup State Monument, was built in 1822, 22 miles (35 km) west of Natchitoches, Louisiana, to protect the United States border with New Spain and to return order to the Neutral Strip.^[4] Originally named Cantonment Jesup, the fort operated from 1822 until 1846. After the abandonment of the fort in 1846, the United States federal government continued to own the abandoned fort site until the privatization of the site in 1869.^[5]

History[]

The Neutral Strip was created after the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, from which arose a disagreement about the location of the border between the American and Spanish territories. In order to avoid a war, the two countries agreed that the land in contention would remain neutral and free of armed forces from either side. This region stretched from Sabine River to Arroyo Hondo and encompassed the land that now makes up modern Sabine Parish, Louisiana. The Neutral Strip remained devoid of government and law enforcement until the Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819 finally set the border at the Sabine River.

Zachary Taylor[]

Colonel (later General) Zachary Taylor—future President of the United States—established Cantonment Jesup in 1822 after Fort Seldon, a temporary headquarters for General Edmund Pendleton Gaines, was too far from the conflict zone of the Sabine River. Taylor quickly subdued the former Neutral Strip, gaining experience and popularity. The surgeon at the cantonment recorded meteorological observations. His forces, known as the Army of Observation, remained in the fort and monitored the Texas territory as it passed from Spanish to Mexican control, and finally broke away as an independent republic. In 1845, General Taylor commanded the US Army of Observation's excursion into Texas and ignited the Mexican–American War. He would eventually gain popularity from his victories that would propel his political career to the Presidency of the United States of America.

Closure[]

The United States won the war and gained control of Texas, rendering Fort Jesup unnecessary. Officially evacuated in 1846, the fort thereafter deteriorated. The federal government privatized it in 1869.

State Park[]

By the 1930s, the only remaining building at Fort Jesup was the kitchen of Enlisted Barracks 4. Residents of the nearby town of Many, Louisiana raised money to restore the building and turned the area into a park.

The site was acquired by the Louisiana Office of State Parks in 1956, and in 1961, the fort was designated a National Historic Landmark.^[3]^[6]

Since then, the kitchen has been restored and decorated with historically accurate furniture. An officer's quarters building has been reconstructed, and now serves as a museum.^[7]

The fort site is located on Louisiana Highway 6, seven miles (11 km) northeast of Many.

References[]

^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
^ Sternberg, Mary Ann (1993-06-30). The Pelican Guide to Louisiana (2 ed.). Firebird Press. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-88289-901-5.
^ ^a ^b National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Missing or empty |title= (help)
^ Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. "Fort Jesup Historical Marker".
^ Frontier Army Road Terminus Bills and Resolutions, House of Representatives, 41st Congress, 1st Session, Read twice, referred to the Committee on the Public Lands, and ordered to be printed. Mr. Julian, on leave, introduced the following bill: A Bill Declaring the lands constituting the Fort Jessup military reservation in the State of Louisiana subject to homestead entry and settlement.
^ Patricia Heintzelman (August 1975). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Fort Jesup" (pdf). National Park Service. Cite journal requires |journal= (help) and Accompanying 6 photos, exterior and interior, from 1958, 1960 and undated (1.22 MB)
^ Fort Jesup--Cane River National Heritage Area: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary - National Park Service

External links[]

[nris-1] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.

[2] Sternberg, Mary Ann (1993-06-30). The Pelican Guide to Louisiana (2 ed.). Firebird Press. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-88289-901-5.

[nhlsum-3] National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Missing or empty |title= (help)

[4] Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. "Fort Jesup Historical Marker".

[5] Frontier Army Road Terminus Bills and Resolutions, House of Representatives, 41st Congress, 1st Session, Read twice, referred to the Committee on the Public Lands, and ordered to be printed. Mr. Julian, on leave, introduced the following bill: A Bill Declaring the lands constituting the Fort Jessup military reservation in the State of Louisiana subject to homestead entry and settlement.

[nrhpinv2-6] Patricia Heintzelman (August 1975). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Fort Jesup" (pdf). National Park Service. Cite journal requires |journal= (help) and Accompanying 6 photos, exterior and interior, from 1958, 1960 and undated (1.22 MB)

[7] Fort Jesup--Cane River National Heritage Area: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary - National Park Service

[2]

[1]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

v t U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Topics	Architectural style categories Contributing property Historic district History of the National Register of Historic Places Keeper of the Register National Park Service Property types
Lists by state	List of U.S. National Historic Landmarks by state: Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Lists by insular areas	American Samoa Guam Minor Outlying Islands Northern Mariana Islands Puerto Rico Virgin Islands
Lists by associated state	Federated States of Micronesia Marshall Islands Palau
Other areas	District of Columbia Morocco
Related	National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 Historic Preservation Fund List of jails and prisons on the National Register of Historic Places University and college buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places portal Category