Administrative History of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve

Blythe, Robert

This is an Administrative History of the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. The history of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve is actually the history of four parks. Jean Lafitte has four units: the Barataria Preserve Unit, the French Quarter Unit, the Acadian Unit, and the Chalmette Unit. This Jean Lafitte history will serve as a ready reference for present and future park employees. Beyond that, the Jean Lafitte story has a number of facets that will be of interest to outside readers. The experience of the Barataria Preserve Unit has important implications for the internationally important issue of restoring endangered wetlands. Similarly, heritage tourism is an area of increasing interest to many. The approach adopted by Jean Lafitte managers in preserving and presenting the traditions of multiple cultural communities has broad implications. The portion of this study dealing with the Chalmette Battlefield presents a case study of how one important American battle has been remembered. Chapters 3 through 5 provide the first in-depth examination of the long commemorative tradition at Chalmette. As just one example, the Chalmette Monument was completed through the efforts of the United States Daughters of 1812, one of a number of patriotic and heritage-oriented groups of women who pioneered the historic preservation movement in America in the 19th century. The importance of these groups in preserving the national heritage and providing women with new roles in the public sphere is only beginning to be recognized and examined. Moreover, during the decades of Jim Crow segregation from the 1880s to the 1960s, the Chalmette Battlefield and Chalmette National Cemetery were at times contested spaces. The racial dimensions of the ownership of public space and public memory run through the history of commemoration there. Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve represented a distinct departure for the NPS, as it was one of the first parks informed by a modern ecological perspective. Standards for the inclusion of areas in the National Park Service were evolving in the 1960s and 1970s. During this period natural scientists were increasingly urging federal protection of functioning ecosystems, even if they had been substantially altered by manmade activities and even if they did not include awe inspiring scenery. The Barataria Preserve was just such a heavily compromised, but still viable, ecosystem. Jean Lafitte and Lowell National Historical Park in Massachusetts were the NPS’s first major forays into the protection of resources linked to living cultural communities. At Lafitte, the agency’s mission included “the perpetuation of cultural institutions and activities and encouraging greater appreciation of cultural diversity.” Accomplishing these goals presented park managers with a variety of challenges and started a reexamination of ingrained NPS ways of operating. A recurring theme in this history is the tension involved in conserving the traditional experiences of diverse cultures while respecting the dynamic nature of living cultures. Many who are involved in heritage tourism or folklife programs should find the story of this pioneering NPS effort to be of considerable interest. Finally, the park’s legislative history demonstrates how different the process of park creation became once Congress rather than the NPS had the lead role. NPS leadership was not convinced of the national significance of the Barataria Preserve and attempted to have it established instead as a Louisiana state park. The Louisiana congressional delegation’s success in adding Jean Lafitte to the National Park System reflects the altered dynamic of park creation as of the late 1970s.

Administrative History of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve

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