Fort Proctor

Thanks to funding from SEA’s 2019 Elsaesser Fellowship, my Expedition continues...

 Fort Proctor
Fort Proctor, a ruined 19th-century coastal fortification located in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. Otherwise known as Fort Beauregard or Beauregard's Castle after P.G.T. Beauregard, who supervised its construction. The fortification is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Borgne just north of the entrance to Bayou Yscloskey near the modern-day village of Shell Beach. When the fort was constructed, it was adjacent to a railroad shipping port called Proctors' Landing or "Proctorville." The Proctorville settlement later became known as Shell Beach.

Primary Entrance to Fort Proctor looking Southeast.


Intended to be part of the defensive fortifications protecting water access to New Orleans, following the British Naval incursion into New Orleans in 1814. 

Due to delays and damage caused by recurrent hurricanes in the Gulf region, and the subsequent outbreak of the Civil War, the fortification never saw active service. Following the end of the Civil War, improvements in coastal gunnery and artillery rendered the fort obsolete.

Fort Proctor

Land access to the fortification was cut off following the construction of the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet Canal in the 1960s  

 The fort was unusual in its design for two innovations: the inclusion of comfortable living quarters including bathrooms, and the extensive use of structural iron in its construction. The fort is now entirely surrounded by shallow water.

It is believed to be the inspiration for the current "castle" design found on the US Army Corps of Engineers banner.
Raw Overflight Footage can be Viewed at: 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fort Pike

Image
SEA Elsaesser Fellowship 2019 Fort Pike Fort Pike, which was decommissioned in the 19th-century, was named after Brigadier General Zebulon Pike. The fortification, part of the third system, was built following the War of 1812 to guard the Rigolets pass in Louisiana . The fortification was established in 1819 to protect New Orleans and the Gulf Coast against British or other invasions of the United States. Fort Pike Looking East over Rigolets Pass Before Hurricane Katrina, the fort's structural integrity was already in decline. The storm surge of Katrina severely exacerbated the problems. Temporarily submerging the entire fort and destroying the adjacent state park buildings. The site briefly reopened in 2008, but, due to damage caused by Hurricane Gustav in 2008, the park was closed again but was scheduled to undergo extensive repairs and restoration work, however, following Hurricane Isaac in 2012, the fort was closed indefinitely pending repairs ...
Read more
Image
12/11/2018     And so It begins...AGAIN!  Today, I was awarded the 2019 Elsaesser Fellowship from the Sea Education Association. The  project is summarized as follows:  I have had the opportunity to travel the world by sea. A rare chance to see the world as our ancestors have experienced it, from a perspective very few in today’s society get an opportunity to experience. I have seen the islands of the Pacific and the related fortifications and remnants of conflict around the world. I have explored the British, Dutch and French fortifications, residences and lighthouses of the Caribbean and even the fortifications, lighthouses and abandoned research stations and shipwrecks of the Southern Ocean.  Traveling the world gave me a unique vision of the maritime history of the world, but my own country, I have minimal experience with.  The Gulf Islands National Seashore tells a unique story of the coastal history of the United States. The a...
Read more

Tower Dupre

Image
Thanks to funding from SEA’s 2019 Elsaesser Fellowship, my Expedition continues... Tower Dupre Tower Dupre was the inspiration for this entire project. I originally began developing this idea before Hurricane Katrina.  Conceived as an expedition to document the fortifications, lighthouses and historic properties along the US Gulf Coast, not so much out of fear for their loss, as I had never experienced such an event as "Katrina", but more so due to a keen interest in coastal history and how it helped to forge our nation. Following Hurricane Katrina, and the destruction she wrought on our coast, my interest became more focused on preserving history as it was, for the future generations. One specific fortification that has now been lost to history, entirely destroyed by Katrina was a gun emplacement in Lake Borgne on the Mississippi River approach to New Orleans. Built as a fortified two-story hexagonal tower guarding the entrance to Bayou Dupre from Lake Borgne...
Read more