Fort Pike | |
 Cracks can be seen in the brick structure of Fort Pike after Hurricane Katrina. | |
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| Location | Orleans Parish, Louisiana |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | New Orleans and Slidell |
| Coordinates | 30°9′58″N 89°44′13″W / 30.16611°N 89.73694°W |
| Area | 9.6 acres (3.9 ha) |
| Built | 1819 |
| NRHP reference No. | 72000557[1] |
| Added to NRHP | August 14, 1972 |
Fort Pike State Historic Site is a decommissioned 19th-century United States fort, named after Brigadier General Zebulon Pike. It was built following the War of 1812 to guard the Rigolets pass in Louisiana, a strait from the Gulf of Mexico, via Lake Borgne, to Lake Pontchartrain bordering New Orleans.[2] It was located near the community of Petite Coquille, now within the city limits of New Orleans.
The fort's ruins have long been a tourist attraction with periods of abandonment. The fort was damaged by the Hurricane Katrina storm surge in 2005, and closed for a period. It also had to be closed following Hurricanes Gustav and Isaac in 2008 and 2012, respectively.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. "Fort Pike Historical Marker".