Fort Proctor

Fort Proctor’s constructed in the 1850s under the guidance of American military officer Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard alongside architect Joseph Gilbert Totten. Fort Proctor is also known as Beauregard’s Castle or Fort Beauregard. Fort Proctor is named for the railroad shipping port it sits adjacent to called Proctor’s Landing or Proctorville.

Fort Proctor’s intended use was to help fortify the strategic waterways that headed to New Orleans. The British attack on New Orleans in 1814 on the New Orleans Squadron of the U.S Navy prompted the decision for its construction. Fort Proctor was initially ahead of its time during its construction. It had unusual innovations such as the inclusion of comfortable living quarters that included bathrooms, and had extensive use of structural iron in its construction. It was never occupied by the military because damage from recurring hurricanes and the outbreak of the Civil War put an end to all repairs. By the time the Civil War was over, the Fort was rendered obsolete due to coastal gunnery and artillery improvements.

The Fort’s secluded location allowed it to become a hot spot for teens who wanted an unsupervised gathering spot in the 1940s and 50s. Fort Proctor could originally be reached by land, but it was cut off after the construction of the Mississippi River-Gulf Canal in the 1960s. The Fort was originally built 150 feet from the shoreline but due to coast erosion and salt water intrusion the Fort sits several hundred feet out in the shallow water. Fort Proctor was added to The National Register of Historic Places in 1978.  

Fort Proctor, Coastal Wanderer. Accessed July 6th 2020. https://coastalwanderer.net/fort-proctor.

beucj11. Fort Proctor, Atlas Obscura. Accessed July 6th 2020. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/fort-proctor.

Fort Proctor, Whiskey Bayou Charters. Accessed July 6th 2020. https://www.whiskeybayoucharters.com/fort-proctor/.