Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve

Chalmette unit

The Chalmette Battlefield and National Cemetery lies in Chalmette, Louisiana, six miles southeast of New Orleans, on the site of the 1815 Battle of New Orleans. The national cemetery, established in May 1864, holds remains from the Civil War, Indian Wars, Spanish–American War, both World Wars, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Among the Civil War dead are members of the 47th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment and the 12th Maine Infantry Regiment. A few earlier graves from the 1815 battle are also present.

During the 1930s, improvements included paving the entrance drive to St. Bernard Highway, paving the circle around the monument, and installing two visitor parking areas. In 1937, Works Progress Administration employees realigned multiple headstones at the cemetery. The historic community of Fazendeville, established around 1870 by Jean-Pierre Fazende as a home for newly freed slaves, was demolished in the early 1960s to expand the battlefield for the 150th anniversary commemoration of the Battle of New Orleans in 1965.

Efforts to acquire the community's lands had involved local, state, and federal officials since at least the early 1930s.

Administrative history

Efforts to commemorate the Battle of New Orleans began with the State of Louisiana starting construction of the Chalmette Monument in 1855. Work stalled during the Civil War and was completed in 1908 with federal funds. Congress established the Chalmette Monument and Grounds as a federal commemorative site under the War Department on March 4, 1907. Under Executive Order 6166, historic sites managed by the War Department, including Chalmette Battlefield and the adjacent Chalmette National Cemetery, were transferred to the National Park Service on August 10, 1933.

Congress redesignated the property as Chalmette National Historical Park on August 10, 1939, expanding its boundaries and authorizing additional land acquisition. The Chalmette site and the Barataria Marsh Unit were listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. The National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978 authorized creation of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, incorporating Chalmette National Historical Park, the Barataria Marsh Unit, and interpretive facilities in the French Quarter, and providing for future Cajun and Acadian cultural centers.

Congress amended the law in 1988 to formally add the Acadiana unit, creating the six-site configuration managed today. Subsequent legislation authorized boundary adjustments and cooperative agreements, including the 1996 designation of the Laura C. Hudson Visitor Center.

Did You Know?

• Three sites interpret Cajun culture in the Lafayette area, developed after Acadians were resettled following their expulsion from Canada (1755–1764) and the transfer of French Louisiana to Spain.
• The Barataria Preserve in Marrero offers trails and canoe tours through bottomland hardwood forests, swamps, and marsh.
• The park operates a French Quarter Visitor Center at 419 Decatur Street in New Orleans.