Fort Macomb, Brick fortress in Orleans Parish, United States

Fort Macomb is a brick fortress on the western shore of Chef Menteur Pass, linking Lake Pontchartrain to the Gulf of Mexico via Lake Borgne. The structure follows a wedge-shaped layout with curved front walls facing the channel and a central citadel building, surrounded by two water-filled ditches.

The United States built the brick fort in 1822, seven years after British forces invaded the New Orleans area at the close of the War of 1812. It was named Fort Wood in 1827 and renamed Fort Macomb in 1851 for General Alexander Macomb, former Chief of Engineers and second Commanding General of the U.S. Army. A Louisiana garrison occupied it on 28 January 1861; Union troops retook it in 1862, and it was decommissioned in 1871.

Fort Macomb has served as a filming location: the climax of the first-season finale of the 2014 television series True Detective was shot here, as were scenes for Into the Badlands in 2015. In 2016 Beyoncé filmed portions of her visual album Lemonade at the fort, and an episode of NCIS: New Orleans also used the site.

The fortress remains closed to visitors due to structural damage, but the outer walls and location can be viewed from the surrounding area. Sections of the former moat have been converted into a canal system near Venetian Isles, altering the original water landscape today.

The wedge-shaped design with its curved walls facing the channel differs from most other coastal fortresses of that era, which typically had rectangular or star-shaped layouts. This construction aimed to present the smallest and most angled target surface to enemy ship cannon fire.