Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve

Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
Barataria Preserve
Map showing the location of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve
Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve
Location South Louisiana, USA
Nearest city New Orleans and Lafayette, Louisiana
Coordinates 29°56′33″N 89°59′39″W / 29.94250°N 89.99417°W / 29.94250; -89.99417Coordinates: 29°56′33″N 89°59′39″W / 29.94250°N 89.99417°W / 29.94250; -89.99417
Area 22,421 acres (90.73 km2)
17,569 acres (7,110 ha) federal
Established March 4, 1907
Visitors 420,366 (in 2011)[1]
Governing body National Park Service
Website Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve

Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve protects significant examples of the rich natural and cultural resources of Louisiana's Mississippi River Delta region. The park, named after the pirate Jean Lafitte, also interprets the influence of environment and history on the development of the unique Cajun regional culture. The park consists of six physically separate sites and a park headquarters.

Acadiana

Three sites interpret the Cajun culture of the Lafayette (southern Louisiana) area, which developed after Acadians 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.

Nature preserve

Barataria Unit of Jean Lafitte Historical Park Historic District
Coordinates 29°47′56″N 90°07′24″W / 29.79882°N 90.12341°W / 29.79882; -90.12341
Area 1,855 acres (751 ha)
NRHP reference # 66000966[3]
Added to NRHP October 15, 1966

The Barataria Preserve, at 6588 Barataria Boulevard in Marrero, Jefferson Parish interprets the natural and cultural history of the region.

Sunset in Barataria Preserve, Louisiana

The preserve has trails and canoe tours through bottomland hardwood forests, swamps, and marsh. Additionally, an Education Center provides curriculum-based programming for school groups and a visitor center with a film and exhibits.

Former Louisiana State Senator Elwyn Nicholson, a West Bank grocer of Marrero, was particularly known for his advocacy of the creation of the historical park and the Barataria Preserve.[4]

The 1,855 acres (751 ha) Barataria area, comprising 63 contributing properties, was added as a historic district to National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. Listing was later updated on May 11, 1989.[3][5][6]

Chalmette unit

Chalmette, six miles (10 km) southeast of New Orleans, is the site of the Chalmette Battlefield and National Cemetery. It was the site of the 1815 Battle of New Orleans.

Established after the American Civil War, this national cemetery holds the remains of American Civil War casualties and veterans, as well as the remains of soldiers from the Indian Wars of the late 19th century, the Spanish–American War, the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. [There are few graves from the Battle of New Orleans.]

A visitor center offers exhibits and information and is located near the battleground monument (an obelisk). This is one stop on the tour route of the battlefield, which can be taken by car or bicycle, or on foot. Hurricane Katrina destroyed the visitor center in 2005; a replacement has since been constructed.

Visitors to this unit of the historical park can also reach it by boat along the Mississippi River, using private craft or a public tour boat that departs from downtown New Orleans.

In 2008 the park provided the War of 1812 backdrop depicted in the Mystery Mardi Gras Shipwreck documentary.[7]

New Orleans unit

The park operates a French Quarter Visitor Center at 419 Decatur Street (New Orleans), in the historic French Quarter. It interprets more generally the history of New Orleans and the diverse cultures of Louisiana's Mississippi River Delta region.

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

Administrative history

Kenta Canal at Barataria Preserve, Louisiana

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 to the National Park Service on August 10, 1933, and re-designated as Chalmette National Historical Park on August 10, 1939.

The Chalmette site and the Barataria Preserve were both listed on the National Register of Historic Places October 15, 1966.[3]

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

See also

References

  1. ↑ "National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics". National Park Service. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Living Legends: Curtis Joubert". acadianmuseum.com. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 National Park Service (2013-11-02). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  4. ↑ Andrea Shaw (October 10, 2014). "Sen. Elwyn Nicholson, a West Bank grocer, Jean Lafitte National Park proponent, dies at 90". New Orleans Times-Picayune. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Barataria Unit Historic District" (PDF). State of Louisiana's Division of Historic Preservation. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  6. ↑ Dr. Barbara Holmes (July 19, 1988). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Historic District, Barataria Unit, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved June 26, 2018. With 45 photos from 1988.
  7. ↑ "Mystery Mardi Gras Shipwreck Documentary". nautilusproductions.com. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
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