After visiting a few National and State Historic Sites, I realized how little we actually know about Louisiana history. So, we began taking a walk through the history of Louisiana.
The Fort Jesup State Historic Site, located 22 miles west of Natchitoches, Louiaiana and 6 miles east of Many, was one of our first stops.
We learned in school about The Louisiana Purchase but did not realize that the actual location of the border was disputed between American and Spanish Territories. As neither side wanted a war this area became known as "neutral ground" to remain free of armed forces from both sides. It remained this way until 1819 when the Sabine River was designated the border. In 1822 Fort Jesup was built to protect the US border and bring law and order to a once lawless land. Fort Jesup participated in the Mexican War of 1846 and after the US won the Fort was no longer necessary.
In the 1930's the residents of Many, Louisiana restored the kitchen, which was the only remaining building, and turned the area into a park. In 1956 the Louisiana Office of State Parks acquired Fort Jesup and in 1961 had it designated a National Historic Landmark.
A true walk through history is not googling information about history, it is actually visiting these sites and walking through history. The Museum is set up to to tell you the story of the Fort through artifacts, documents and very knowledgeable staff.
We visited Fort Jesup on a weekend where they were having demonstrations to show how life was during the time period the Fort was active. We watched as staff and volunteers, dressed in period clothing, showed us how candles were made, butter was churned, how to cook a rabbit stew over an open fire, how a spinning wheel works and my sons favorite, a period powder gun being fired.
Fort Jesup is a great Site to visit and with a minimal cost to view the museum and grounds. We ended our visit with a picnic behind the museum and plan to visit again for a few of the other events the Fort has scheduled.
This iron is much heavier than it looks.
Fireplace in the museum
Churning butter and enjoying a cup of coffee
Rabbit stew being cooked over an open fire
The only way he would hold one of these
Turtle shells used as measuring cups
Kitchen life
Cast iron griddle used for what we know as pancakes
Visit their site Fort Jesup to plan your trip!
~Michelle
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