Chalmette Battlefield: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve - Chalmette Unit, National Park Service

Risk, Kevin; Hasty, David

Chalmette Battlefield is a 125.6-acre commemorative and interpretive site in Chalmette, Louisiana, located in a highly industrialized corridor along the east bank of the Mississippi River approximately six miles southeast of downtown New Orleans. Administered by the National Park Service (NPS) as part of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, the battlefield represents a portion of the site on which the Battle of New Orleans was fought, serving both to commemorate the battle and to interpret the strategy of this decisive American victory during the War of 1812. The commemorative battlefield contains an assortment of historic, commemorative, and interpretive features associated with the Battle of New Orleans. These include the battle-era Rodriguez Canal and the archeological site of the Rodriguez Plantation, the reconstructed American ramparts, and Chalmette Monument (1855-1908). The battlefield zone also includes some significant features not connected with the Battle of New Orleans; notably the Malus-Beauregard House (c.1833), as well as archeological resources related to alternate land uses from before and after the battle. For example, a trace of Fazendeville Road, a remnant of the free African-American subdivision of Fazendeville that existed on site from the late nineteenth century until 1964, remains within park boundaries. The piecemeal evolution and spatial relationships of these features represent the various land uses and property divisions that have occurred on the Chalmette Battlefield. The landscape does not exist as a preserved battlefield in its entirety, but rather as a complex and fragmented continuum of material history situated on the remnants of the former battlefield. The landscape is also historically significant for its association with Andrew Jackson, hero of the battle and subsequently President of the United States. The Chalmette Battlefield retains few aspects of integrity associated with its primary period of significance surrounding the Battle of New Orleans (1814-1815). The park contains only a portion of the land on which the battle occurred, and several significant features have been lost to time, erosion, or misguided development efforts. Although its historical significance is diminished, it is the only remnant of the former battlefield landscape in public ownership and not absorbed by the industrial or suburban development that has altered much of the area. Additionally, the park contains one of the most strategically-critical areas of the battle, contributing to its enduring importance as a commemorative landscape. Although the site has been altered over time, these transformations also have their own relevance pertaining to various areas of significance. This includes battle-era archaeological resources, post-war architecture, the battlefield’s development as a commemorative park, and traces of pre-battle land use patterns. Although the features of the battle period landscape have changed considerably, indications of land use during each period continue to be expressed through the current landscape: agricultural land ownership divisions were based on the same physiography and landscape characteristics that influenced battle strategy, and the pivotal events that occurred on the landscape during the Battle of New Orleans continue to be interpreted through contexts of post-war industrialization, commemoration, and archaeological investigation. The two components that comprise the Chalmette Unit of the park - the Chalmette Battlefield and Chalmette National Cemetery - are listed as a combined district on the National Register of Historic Places despite having different developmental histories, purposes, and management needs. They are considered as two separate landscapes in the Cultural Landscape Inventory.

Chalmette Battlefield: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve - Chalmette Unit, National Park Service

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