Last updated: January 13, 2023
Place
Fort Jesup State Historic Site
Photo/Louisiana State Parks
Quick Facts
Location:
32 Geoghagan Road (six miles northeast of Many, just south of State Highway 6)
Significance:
Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966, Fort Jesup provides a glimpse of life on the US-Spain (and later, Us-Mexico) border
Designation:
certified site, State Historic Site, National Register of Historic Places
MANAGED BY:
After the territorial boundary between the US and Spain was fixed at the Sabine River by the Florida Purchase Treaty of 1819, the United States built Fort Jesup in 1822. Lieutenant Colonel Zachary Taylor, who first established and commanded the garrison, managed to establish law and order in what had long been neutral ground between the two countries.
Fort Jesup remained an important military post for nearly 25 years. The fort witnessed the migration of US settlers into Texas, the winning of Texas independence, and the annexation of Texas as a US state in 1845. Fort Jesup, no longer needed as a border outpost, was abandoned in 1846.
Site Information
Location (32 Geoghagan Road (six miles northeast of Many, just south of State Highway 6))