The Old Spanish Fort

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The Lakefront A Forgotten Past
By Kenneth Firmin
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The Old Spanish Fort
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Beginning

• Built by the French in 1701 and known as Fort St.
  John.
• First fort built in near the City of New Orleans,
  it served to protect trade routes around Bayou
  St. John.
• After Spanish takeover of Louisiana it was
  enlarged and rebuilt with bricks. Thereafter, it
  was known as Spanish Fort

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• Garrisoned during War of 1812, but lost its
  importance due to building of Forts Pike and
  Macomb.
• Fort began to then deteriorate until the property
  was purchased by Harvey Elkin in 1828.
• The entrepreneur attempted to develop the
  abandoned area by building the Bayou St. John
  Hotel.
• After Elkins death in 1834 John Slidell
  purchased the property and renamed the hotel "The
  Spanish Fort Hotel

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Unknown Grave?

• Legend has it that the grave at the fort belongs
  to Sancho Pablo, a Spanish soldier, who fell in
  love with an Indian princess and was killed by
  her father the Indian Chief

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Civil War Use

• Fort was once again under military use during the
  Civil War.
• Not used for battle, it was a test-site for
  Confederate submarines.
• One such sub, the Pioneer sank in the waters of
  Lake Ponchartrain and was on display at the fort
  until it was moved to the Louisiana State Museum.

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Post Civil War

• Carpetbaggers bought property and invested in the
  area.
• Moses Schwartz rebuilt the hotel in 1874 and was
  a success under him.
• Attracted the wealthy citizens and visitors.
• Music Hall and Casino added.
• Attempted to renovate the fort in order to
  attract more visitors.

Casino built in 1881 but destroyed by fire in 1906
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After the Fire

• Yet another new owner opened an amusement park at
  the site.
• The park featured a Ferris wheel, rollercoaster,
  and electric railway.
• Music, dancing, and picnic grounds also drew in
  large crowds.

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Nearing Its End

• After falling into the hands of New Orleans
  Public Service it was then sold to Orleans Levee
  Board in the 1920s. In 1937 it was then traded
  to City Park in exchange for land being developed
  as part of a Lakefront reclamation project.
• Still remains under City Park control and
  continues to fall into disrepair.
• Three primary walls of the Fort still remain,
  however, reconstruction of the fort would be
  costly and unpractical.

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Current State
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Then what?

• The Lakefront would not go long without another
  major development .
• Land reclamation projects extended the shoreline
  out several hundred feet.
• Making use of the newly made land another grand
  entertainment venue rose

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Pontchartrain Beach

• Opened in 1928 at the intersection of Robert E.
  Lee and Bayou St. John. Just a stone throw away
  from The Old Spanish Fort.
• In 1940 it was moved closer to Elysian Fields
  where the old resort community of Milneburg once
  stood.
• Served whites only until 1960s, Lincoln beach
  was reserved for blacks.

Old Lighthouse of Milneburg Community
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The Refrigerator?

• Yes, the refrigerator is credited with the beach
  being opened. The original owner of the park,
  Harry Batt, was a ice delivery man. While
  listening to the radio he heard that General
  Electric had developed a machine to make ice in
  peoples kitchens. He knew his ice days were
  limited. Inspired by a carosel at Audobon Park,
  he leased land from the Spanish Fort Park and
  started his own park.

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Park Features

• Small with bathouses, concessions, refreshment
  stands, lunchrooms, and rides.
• Rides included roller coaster, Ferris wheel, and
  whip.
• Wooden Pier stretched out over the lake.
• Bandstand blasted music for all to hear.

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The Zephyr
Specs 2300 Feet Long 68 feet high Terrifying.
That's how I remember the Zephyr at Pontchartrain
Beach
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Good Times End

• Corporate parks like Disney World and Six Flags
  with the latest in new rides and attractions,
  began to lessen the appeal of Pontchartrain
  Beach.
• The late 70s saw attendance dropping steadily as
  the rides got older and newer ones proved to
  expensive for the small park.
• Finally, in 1983 the park closed and its
  amenities were demolished.

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Sources Books

• Federal Writers Project. New Orleans City Guide
  (Boston, Houghton Mifflin Co. 1939), 294.
• Brown, Brian H. The History of Fort St. John and
  the Spanish Fort Area in New Orleans. (UNO
  Thesis, 2000), 59, 62-3, 69.

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Sources Websites

• http//www.geocities.com/twincousin2334/NO_Spanish
  Fort_Resort.html
• http//www.geocities.com/twincousin2334/NO_Pontcha
  rtrain_Beach.html
• http//www-faculty.cs.uiuc.edu/friedman/album/Pic
  03-04.htm
• http//www.acesouthcentral.org/Lost/Zephyr.htm
• http//www.pontchartrainbeach.com/index.html
• http//74.6.239.67/search/cache?eiUTF-8ppontcha
  rtrainbeachclosingfrslv8-uwww.denisetrowbrid
  ge.com/portfolio/stories/pontchartrainbeach.htmlw
  pontchartrainbeachclosingcloseclosingsdJG21
  b0fiR2v8icp1.intlus
• http//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/CategorySpanish
  _Fort,_New_Orleans