Fort Pike
Fort Pike | |
Cracks can be seen in the brick structure of Fort Pike after Hurricane Katrina. | |
| 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 |
| 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. 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.