Fort St. Philip, Military fort and National Historic Landmark on the Mississippi River bank, Louisiana.
Fort St. Philip is a masonry fort on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, situated approximately 40 miles upstream from its mouth in Plaquemines Parish. It stands across from Fort Jackson and retains visible walls and structural elements from its military past.
Spanish forces constructed the original fort between 1792 and 1795 as Fort San Felipe. The United States acquired it in 1804 through the Louisiana Purchase.
The fort once housed members of a spiritual community between the late 1970s and late 1980s, who made their homes within the old brick structures. This chapter brought civilian life to a place built for military purposes, though it lasted only a decade.
Reaching the fort requires boat or helicopter transportation due to its remote location and deteriorated surrounding levees. Visitors should expect that a trip here demands careful planning and specialized access arrangements.
The site is now home to wild water buffalo and elk herds that roam freely among the ruins. This unexpected wildlife gives the place a character quite different from what one might anticipate for a former military installation.
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