Saturday, May 11, 2013

Fort Proctor

Let me say, first off, that I am not related to whatever unknown Proctor had this fort named after him. But it's a fascinating place, nonetheless.


Built in the 1850s by P.G.T. Beauregard, Fort Proctor was originally intended to be part of a string of forts protecting the approach to New Orleans. But construction was still in progress at the outbreak of the Civil War, and the fort was finally abandoned without ever being garrisoned.


At the time it was built, Fort Proctor was something like 150 feet inland. It is now 250 feet from shore and can only be reached by kayak.


A rock levee has recently been built around the fort in an attempt to  save it from the waves and the hurricanes that batter it (the bits of grass you can see are simply growing in sediment washed in amongst the rocks).



Fort Proctor is located in St. Bernard Parish, to the southeast of New Orleans in Lake Borgne, near the mouth of Bayou Yscloskey. The aerial photograph is from Wikipedia and was taken by Eric Botnik in 2008. All other photos by my daughter, who paddled out there last weekend to celebrate finishing medical school.

9 comments:

Beth said...

Congratulations to your daughter for getting her MD & to you for having a daughter doctor. :-)

Also great story & pics.

Anonymous said...

Happy Mom's day and definitely CONGRATs on the new doctor in your family. How proud you must be. Fort is amazing, especially that it is now in the middle of the water. On the last post, I just read the incongruous book cover article. LOL. I almost fell out of my chair when I saw some of them; Sci-Fi Gaskell and naked women Twain. How can book sellers honestly do these things? I'm keeping my fingers crossed for WKC. Sabena

Charles Gramlich said...

Never been there. Definitely need to take the tour.

Liz said...

First, congrats to your daughter on completing med school. Love the photos of the fort. It is fascinating to see how the coastline in your part of the world has changed. I happen to live only a 5-minute walk from another fort, Fort Henry, a Unesco World Heritage site, on Lake Ontario. It's a little older, but like your fort, never saw any real action, as it was built after the War of 1812. Fortunately, you Americans have chosen not to attack us since that time!

LOgalinOR said...

Candace,
Happy Mother's Day and congrats to your daughter on her MD degree. Your whole family deserves kudos for that accomplishment. What is her line of interest or specialization? (perhaps another Paul Gibson?)
Thanks for another fascinating post, that of Fort Proctor. Even though it saw no action, it's part of the region's rich history and reminder of the past. You mentioned that it was originally meant to be part of several forts. Are there others, or is that the lone one? Again, congratulations and may the celebrations long continue!

cs harris said...

Beth, thank you. It's been a long haul!

Sabena, thank you, and yes, I am incredibly proud of her. The actual graduation is this week. I'm glad you went and looked at that article because I was laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes when I saw some of those covers.

Charles, I haven't made it out there myself. One of these days...

Liz, thank you. It is truly frightening how land has given way to water around here. And I suspect most Americans don't realize how badly the newly formed United States wanted to take over Canada!

LOgalinOR, thank you. She's actually in the Air Force, and will be working on ways to treat and prevent PTSD. And yes, there are other forts. I have pictures of one I visited last fall that I should put up--Fort Jackson. It was the site of a battle in 1862; when it fell, the way was open for the Union to take New Orleans.

时间 said...

0813jejeasics femme gel lyte courir Le air jordan 11 cherry low price fabricant a réussi à introduire quelque chose baskets nike free run 3.0 rose fluo qui n'a jamais été fait nike air jordan 6 soldes auparavant. L'offre est généralement assez asics gel lyte iii femme rose limitée avec quelques fournisseurs air jordan 14 retro présélectionnés par l'entreprise pour chaussure hommes nike air max 2017 fournir le produit. Trois flammes vous nike jordan 7 femme permettront de démarrer sans asics gel cumulus moins cher qu'aucune question ne soit posée.

Unknown said...

jinyi920
pandora charms
moncler outlet
ed hardy uk
basketballl shoes
true religion jeans
salomon shoes
canadian goose
ultra boost 3.0
moncler outlet
ugg boots clearance

yanmaneee said...

birkin bag
jordan 6
curry 4
jordan shoes
yeezy boost
air jordan
kobe 9
yeezy boost 500
michael kors handbags
supreme new york