Visiting Battery Bienvenue & Fort Pike

[River Rat]

A visit to Battery Bienvenue. Took the metal detector, but impossible to even attempt to use it. Took photos then went fishing. Went to another area to fish and was in view of Fort Pike Did find 2 Indian pottery sherds on a shell midden. Had better luck fishing, bringing home some speckled trout, rat reds, sheepshead. Did catch a stingray too.

A little about Battery Bienvenue ruins...

Battery Bienvenue is a ruined coastal gun battery located in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. It was built as part of the harbor defense of New Orleans, Louisiana and located at a strategic fork where Bayou Bienvenue and Bayou Villere join. The Bayou Bienvenue approach to New Orleans from Lake Borgne was the route used by the British in the War of 1812 to approach the city.

The battery was first constructed in 1815 and improved over the years. The initial armament was planned for one 24 pounder and two 18 pounder cannons. In 1826, the plan expanded to twenty four 24/32 pounders and two 13 inch mortars with a garrison on one artillery company. Eventually four buildings occupied the parade, a barracks, officer quarters, a guardhouse and a magazine. The battery was about 600 feet wide with the guns pointed toward the mouth of Bayou Bienvenue (toward Lake Borgne) and was surrounded by a moat that connected to the bayou. The battery was abandoned after the American Civil War in 1872.

http://www.expeditionnola.com/2012/05/battery-bienvenue.html#!/2012/05/battery-bienvenue.html Many more pic

A little about Fort Pike...


Fort Pike is a decommissioned 19th century fort, named after Brigadier General Zebulon Montgomery Pike, which formerly guarded the Rigolets pass in Louisiana.[SUP][2][/SUP] It was near the community of Petite Coquille, Louisiana, and now within the city limits of New Orleans, and was long a tourist attraction. It was damaged by the Hurricane Katrina storm surge in 2005. The fort was built in 1818 to guard against British reinvasion of the United States. It came under the control of the Louisiana Continental Guard in 1861, just weeks before Louisiana joined the Confederacy. The Union reclaimed the fort in 1862 while resident troops were engaged at the Battle of Vicksburg.[SUP][3][/SUP][SUP][4][/SUP]

The fort was abandoned in 1890, and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. Despite having changed hands multiple times in a history spanning at least two major wars, no cannon was ever fired in battle at Fort Pike.

Fort Pike, along with the slightly smaller Fort Macomb, are the only two forts in the country that still have their citadels intact.
Before Hurricane Katrina, the fort's brick-and-mortar structure was decaying. The storm surge exacerbated the problems, temporarily completely submerging the entire fort, and destroyed adjacent state park buildings. The site officially reopened on May 2, 2008 . However, due to damage caused by Hurricane Gustav in early September 2008, the park was closed indefinitely. As of June 2009 the fort was open and was undergoing extensive repairs and restoration work.

More pics of Fort Pike... http://www.angelfire.com/la3/judyb/FTPIKE.html

 

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[WHADIFIND]

Musta been a bear to pinpoint that!

 

[john glassman]

That cannon would look's very nice in your front lawn.

 

[bootybay]

omg get help and get that bad boy home to your house.. I love it.

 

[nov2101]

Wow very cool site. Almost worth clearing off areas yourself just to search...lol you'd need a tractor with attachment...

 

[texjim]

i miss fishing in the gulf for specks and reds. nice job on the fishing

 

[Woodland Detectors]

That is amazing!

 

[N.J.THer]

very cool...are you allowed to detect this site or is it 'protected'?

If you are allowed to salvage that cannon I definately would.

NJ

 

[stefen]

Hell, I threw several out because I kept tripping over them...

Tried using one as a barn door stop...too heavy and broke the door hinges...

 

[ticm]

I am surprised that the place was allowed to become overgrown like that.

 

[leprechaun]

I have a one ton dump truck if you need help with that river rat. I'm in boston though you'll have to pay for my gas.PM me if you need my help,just kidding.

 

[oldsalty19]

 

[bunker23]

privately II

you do realize that the battery is private property. It is owned by the fos family. There were three brothers, which one of them was my grand father. There were camps there and he used to leave every tuesday to go down there and come back on sunday. He loved it that was his life.Storms have taken its toll on it and a lot a whole lot of land has been lost. With it surronded by water not easy to get to. but when my grandpa was alive he had all the cannons set up with the cannon balls he even had a garden growing back there. That was his live and i have fond memories going to the boat launch after sunday dinner and seeing him coming down the bayou in the boad so that we can pick him up. I Dont mind people going there and seeing it. But just respect it. I which i could do more to protect it but the water has taken its toll. thanks

View attachment 655695 View attachment 655680 View attachment 655681 View attachment 655682 View attachment 655683 View attachment 655684 View attachment 655685

A visit to Battery Bienvenue. Took the metal detector, but impossible to even attempt to use it. Took photos then went fishing. Went to another area to fish and was in view of Fort Pike View attachment 655698 Did find 2 Indian pottery sherds on a shell midden. Had better luck fishing, bringing home some speckled trout, rat reds, sheepshead. Did catch a stingray too.

A little about Battery Bienvenue ruins...

Battery Bienvenue is a ruined coastal gun battery located in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. It was built as part of the harbor defense of New Orleans, Louisiana and located at a strategic fork where Bayou Bienvenue and Bayou Villere join. The Bayou Bienvenue approach to New Orleans from Lake Borgne was the route used by the British in the War of 1812 to approach the city.

The battery was first constructed in 1815 and improved over the years. The initial armament was planned for one 24 pounder and two 18 pounder cannons. In 1826, the plan expanded to twenty four 24/32 pounders and two 13 inch mortars with a garrison on one artillery company. Eventually four buildings occupied the parade, a barracks, officer quarters, a guardhouse and a magazine. The battery was about 600 feet wide with the guns pointed toward the mouth of Bayou Bienvenue (toward Lake Borgne) and was surrounded by a moat that connected to the bayou. The battery was abandoned after the American Civil War in 1872.

http://www.expeditionnola.com/2012/05/battery-bienvenue.html#!/2012/05/battery-bienvenue.html Many more pic

A little about Fort Pike...


Fort Pike is a decommissioned 19th century fort, named after Brigadier General Zebulon Montgomery Pike, which formerly guarded the Rigolets pass in Louisiana.[SUP][2][/SUP] It was near the community of Petite Coquille, Louisiana, and now within the city limits of New Orleans, and was long a tourist attraction. It was damaged by the Hurricane Katrina storm surge in 2005. The fort was built in 1818 to guard against British reinvasion of the United States. It came under the control of the Louisiana Continental Guard in 1861, just weeks before Louisiana joined the Confederacy. The Union reclaimed the fort in 1862 while resident troops were engaged at the Battle of Vicksburg.[SUP][3][/SUP][SUP][4][/SUP]

The fort was abandoned in 1890, and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. Despite having changed hands multiple times in a history spanning at least two major wars, no cannon was ever fired in battle at Fort Pike.

Fort Pike, along with the slightly smaller Fort Macomb, are the only two forts in the country that still have their citadels intact.
Before Hurricane Katrina, the fort's brick-and-mortar structure was decaying. The storm surge exacerbated the problems, temporarily completely submerging the entire fort, and destroyed adjacent state park buildings. The site officially reopened on May 2, 2008 . However, due to damage caused by Hurricane Gustav in early September 2008, the park was closed indefinitely. As of June 2009 the fort was open and was undergoing extensive repairs and restoration work.

More pics of Fort Pike... <i>FORT PIKE</i>

 

[bunker23]

you are not allowed to salvage anything---the property is owned by my family

 

[Monty]

I thought that when a gun was abandoned it usually was "spiked" so no one else could use it? But I haven't seen pictures of spiked gunsl that I recall. Oh, I know where I got that...My dad was in WWII and he said that the guns were spiked when artillery was sure to be captured. By spikeing I mean they would stop up the barrel and fire a charge behind it, which would cause the muzzle to rupture making the gun useless. Monty

 

[NOLA_Ken]

Monty, when they spiked an old cannon like this, the generally drove an iron nail into the touchhole and snapped it off flush. It can be undone, from what I hear, but I'm sure it's a process to do it right. Another WW2 method was to put a thermite grenade either on the breech or the traversing mechanism.


Bunker, if this is your family property, and you want to keep that gun from washing away, I'm sure there are plenty of people who would help you move it to a safer location. I know I'd help.

 

[CMDiamonddawg]

That's a great place and great pics. River Rat I just noticed a dog hiding in the weeds .. is he your little pooch

 

[JohnnyRebCSA]

Looks like a real snake paradise there.

 

[bunker23]

Re: Battery Bienvenue

This is totally surronded by water with one side the mrgo which was the cause of st bernard parish total devastation during katrina. You see one a picture where there is one cannon but there is a few more I dont remember the exact count. I do have an old article with my grandpa walking on it I have to find it to refresh my memory. The original owners were three brothers one of which was my grandpa. He had four kids which all have died and then there is four grandkids which i am one. The other brothers I am not sure how there heirs work. There are alot of people now that have a hand in it taxes are being paid but not much else.Salvaging anything before it is washed away its not possible. If i could get to it by truck how easy would it be. But you do have alot of water to get over.I just have alot of cherished memories that i will always have.

Monty, when they spiked an old cannon like this, the generally drove an iron nail into the touchhole and snapped it off flush. It can be undone, from what I hear, but I'm sure it's a process to do it right. Another WW2 method was to put a thermite grenade either on the breech or the traversing mechanism.


Bunker, if this is your family property, and you want to keep that gun from washing away, I'm sure there are plenty of people who would help you move it to a safer location. I know I'd help.

 

[inspectorgadget]

Cool story bunker23!