Fort de Chartres | |
 The gatehouse of Fort de Chartres was reconstructed in the 1930s. | |
   | |
| Location | Randolph County, Illinois, USA |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | Prairie du Rocher, Illinois |
| Coordinates | 38°05′05″N 90°09′30″W / 38.08472°N 90.15833°W |
| Area | American Bottom |
| Built | 1720 |
| Architectural style | Colonial French Fortification |
| Part of | French Colonial Historic District (ID74000772) |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000329[1] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | October 09, 1960[2] |
Fort de Chartres was a French fortification first built in 1720 on the east bank of the Mississippi River in present-day Illinois. It was used as the administrative center for the province, which was part of New France. Due generally to river floods, the fort was rebuilt twice, the last time in limestone in the 1750s in the era of French colonial control over Louisiana and the Illinois Country.[3]
The magazine (ammunition storehouse) of the fort is believed to be the oldest surviving building in Illinois. A partial reconstruction now exists of the limestone fort and the site is preserved as an Illinois state park, four miles (6 km) west of Prairie du Rocher in Randolph County, Illinois. Located on the floodplain area that became known as the American Bottom, the site is south of modern St. Louis. The forts were placed on the National Register of Historic Places and recognized as a National Historic Landmark on October 15, 1966.[1] It was named one of the contributing properties to the French Colonial Historic District in 1974, along with other French-influenced sites such as the Creole House, the Pierre Menard House, the Kolmer Site (a former Indian village), and the site of Fort Kaskaskia.[4]
The name of the fort honored Louis, duc de Chartres, son of the Regent of France. The state historic site today hosts several large re-enactments at the fort of colonial-era civil and military life each summer.
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 15, 2006.
- ^ "Fort de Chartres". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2008-03-03. Retrieved 2008-07-20.
- ^ Mythic Mississippi Projectcultural heritage promoting community development mythicmississippi.Received on February 21, 2023
- ^ Brown, Margaret K. National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: French Colonial Historic District. National Park Service, n.d., 6.