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CANE RIVER CACHET – November 17, 2001
By Ada D. Jarred
Jim Croce wrote and sang of “Time in a Bottle”:
If I could save time in a bottle
The first thing that I’d like to do
Is to save every day ‘til eternity passes away
Just to spend them with you....
Although not in a bottle, time is just as neatly packaged at Fort St. Jean Baptiste, the state historic site, right here in Natchitoches. Specifically, the period of 1730s-1760s is presented in a living history format, and you are invited to participate.
Rick Seale, historic site manager, relates that Fort St. Jean Baptiste is annually the fourth most attended historic site in the state, despite the larger population of south Louisiana and the heavily traveled corridor of I10.
The fort is open daily, 9am-5pm, except for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. The staff of eight, all in costume, provide guided tours for visitors, be they pre-schoolers or senior citizens. Organized tours are arranged for special groups. November and spring see lots of school groups at the fort, eager to learn about Natchitoches and Louisiana history. About 2,000 students visited the fort in the first two weeks of November. The students come from all over northwest Louisiana, as well as Rapides, Ouachita, and Lafayette parishes.
In addition to casual and reserved tours, the fort offers special programs on the second Saturday of each month. Encampments of re-enactors are held on these weekends in March and December, drawing participants primarily from the Louisiana and Texas chapters of the American Long Rifle Association but also from Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. A woman from Tacoma, Washington, has already made arrangements to participate in December.
Seale explains the draw of the fort for the re-enactors, “This is the only complete French Colonial fort in the country, especially in the South. So re-enactors do more than set up tents; they have the unique experience of living in a fort for a weekend.”
Fort St. Jean Baptiste is not the original outpost, of course, but it is a full-scale replica begun in 1979 by the Louisiana Office of State Parks. The location is near the original fort site, and the replica is based on a detailed drawing made in 1733 by the French Engineer-in-Chief Sieur Ignace Francois Broutin.
Seale and his staff are strict about every detail conforming to the appropriate time period of 1730s-1760s. Clothing, pots, pans, shoes, even socks must all be authentic. No synthetics are permitted. Linen, rather than cotton, is used for clothing because cotton was not readily available at that time. The participants jury each event to ensure authenticity.
The December encampment will have a Christmas theme, but decorations will consist of sprigs of cedar and holly. No famous Natchitoches Christmas lights at the fort. Activities will include a Mass, since most of the eighteen century residents were Catholic, and a big meal. In addition to the encampments, the fort holds French garrison weekends and offers demonstrations on such topics as building period furniture, pottery, or cooking.
Rick Seale joined the fort as historic site manager in 1997, following a stint at Rebel State Historic Site near Marthaville. He points out that this area of the state is rich in historic sites–four within thirty minutes of Natchitoches. And the four, as well as the Mansfield State Historic Site, all cooperate. One ticket will admit you to all five sites–Fort Jesup, Rebel, Los Adaes, Fort St. Jean Baptiste, and Mansfield.
Current activities at the fort include building period furniture, assuring that each detail is faithful to the period. Little source material remains from the garrison and fort, so Seale relies on a 1736 inventory as well as a web site from Canada’s Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Park and books. Currently, the staff is constructing sixteen benches with backs for the church. Floors have just been added to several buildings, including the church and the commandant’s house. Some floors will remain dirt, but Seale assumes that improvements would have been made over time. Cypress is the wood of choice for both floors and furniture. A new rope bed was recently completed. Seale’s goal is to have every room furnished as though the occupant had just stepped out.
Plans for a new visitor center and museum for the historic site are with the architect. Seale says the goal is to have the center completed prior to the bicentennial year of 2003. The visitor center, to be located on Jefferson Street, will connect to the fort site by a walkway and footbridge over Moreau Slough. Visitors will enjoy an audio-visual history of the fort and observe historic artifacts before entering the site from a wooded area.
You probably agree with Croce:
But there never seems to be enough time to do the
Things you want once you find them....
Make time today to experience the living history of eighteenth century Natchitoches by visiting Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site. The fort is a designated area of the Cane River National Heritage Area, so attendance will undoubtedly grow as the heritage area becomes more heavily advertised and widely recognized. Go now before the hoards arrive.
Rick Seale and his talented, flexible staff are also available for outreach programs. They will visit any organization or school or attend any event to discuss French colonial history. Their programs may be talks or demonstrations; just let them know what you need.
Fort St. Jean Baptiste is located at 130 Moreau Street, Natchitoches. Telephone fort staff at 318/357-3101 or 1-888-677-7853.
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