Le Petit Fort That No One Wanted!

Le petit Fort that no one wanted!

When looking at Fort Maurepas and its place in history, one comes to realize that the locating of Fort Maurepas at Ocean Springs by Iberville was an accident! The erection of its replica on Front Beach at Ocean Springs in 1980-1981 has also been criticized by many and the Mississippi Department of Archives and History [MDAH] in particular.It is only the current results of the ‘economic miracle’ of Katrina that has brought about what we hope is the final page in ‘the Fort Maurepas saga’-Fort Maurepas Park, a pro bono publico venue that most all will be pleased and enjoy.

From February 1699 until April 1699, Iberville and his cohorts explored the Mississippi River delta to as far north as St. Francisville, East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana and eastward from Istrouma [Baton Rouge] to Dauphine Island and Mobile Bay, with the aid of local Indian tribes discovering: Lake Pontchartrain and the Bayou St. John portage from a site on the Mississippi River to Lake Pontchartain. This river locale would become Bienville’s great city of New Orleans. As their provisions became exhausted, the Frenchmen had to hurriedly decide where to erect a fort and leave about eighty men to defend the French claim to much of what is now the central USA. Ocean Springs was actually the third choice for Fort Maurepas after sites on Lake Pontchartrain and at Gautier, Mississippi on the West Pascagoula River were negated. Mitigating circumstances primarily: distance from the fleet’s base at Ship Island; shallow water, and oyster reefs all led Iberville to choose the high bluff on today’s Lover’s Lane in Ocean Springs as the French beachhead in La Louisiane.(McWilliams, 1981, pp. 89-92)

It is the author’s hope that this history of past and present events relating to Fort Maurepas and Fort Maurepas Park has enlightened those who care about our past and future. May every citizen enjoy the benefits that Fort Maurepas Park will provide. If you do nothing but climb the stairs, the view of Biloxi Bay and Deer Island are worth the effort. Please thank our Mayor, her loyal and brilliant staff, your Aldermen, and FEMA! Vive Le Roi-Vive La France-Vive Les Ocean Springs. AuRayvoir.

Fort Maurepas(1699-1702)and French Colonial History at Ocean Springs

A Reconstructed French Colonial Fort

On April 8, 1699, an expeditionary force of French soldiers, sailors, and laborers with their French Canadian cohorts commenced construction of the first French fortress in the lower Mississippi River Valley. These brave men were led by Pierre LeMoyne, Sieur d'Iberville (1661-1706), him self a native of Canada, operating under the patronage of King Louis XIV (1638-1715) of France. Iberville's mission was to locate the mouth of the Mississippi River and establish a French presence on the Mexican Gulf Coast to discourage Spanish and English incursions into the area claimed by France. Some French strategist feared that if the English controlled the mouth of the Mississippi that their holdings and commercial enterprises including the lucrative fur trade of interior North America were doomed.
The basis of the French claim was the exploration by Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle (1643-1687). La Salle reconnoitered the Mississippi River locating its deltaic mouth in April 1682. He claimed for France the vast area between the Rocky Mountains and the Alleghenies drained by the Mississippi and all of its tributaries. We know this territory as Louisiana, i.e. belonging to Louis (Louis XIV). La Salle called the Great River, Colbert, in honor of the French Minister of Marine.
The small fort was located on a narrow peninsula on the east side of the Bay of Biloxi within the present day limits of the city of Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Iberville named this French Colonial outpost, Fort Maurepas. It was named to honor the French Minister of the Marine (Navy), Jerome Phelypeaux de Maurepas, Comte (Earl) de Pontchartrain.
Several locales in North America bear the name Maurepas or Pontchartrain: Lakes Maurepas and Pontchartrain in southeastern Louisiana and Point Maurepas on the island of Michipicoten (Ontario) in Lake Superior. The Fort Maurepas settlement was also called Biloxi for the local Siouxan Indian tribe which lived on the Pascagoula River.

Plan of Fort Maurepas by Remy Reno

Fort Maurepas was designed by Remy Reno, the draftsman of Iberville, utilizing the system of military fortification developed by Marshall Vauban, nee Sebastian Le Prestre (1633-1707). Iberville's men utilized available materials for the fort's construction which covered an area of one-half acre. Bastions, palisades, living quarters, warehouses, and other structures were fabricated from indigenous trees, i.e. oak, hickory, and pine. Maurepas was armed with at least twelve cannon (possibly eight pounders) taken from the French frigates,La BadineandLe Marin.
When Iberville departed for France in May 1699, he left a garrison of seventy-six men and ten officers. They were given cows, hogs, a bull, seed (peas, corn, and beans), and ship stores to survive until his anticipated return in 1700. The crops planted failed due to a severe drought, but fortunately the garrison was supplied from the French base at St. Domingue (Haiti). Monsieur Sauvole was left in command with Jean Baptise LeMoyne, Sieur de Bienville (1680-1768), the brother of d'Iberville, second in command.
During Iberville absence, Bienville explored the surrounding area making brief stops at Pensacola, Mobile Bay, Pascagoula River, Lake Pontchartrain, and the Mississippi River discovering the future site of New Orleans. On the Great River, he encountered an English corvette,Carolina Galley, and convinced Captain Bond and his Huguenot settlers to retreat back to the Gulf.
This point of detour just south of New Orleans is still called English Turn (Detour-a-l'Anglais), and marked the commencement of a long period of time (1699-1763) in which the French controlled the Mississippi Valley from the Rocky Mountains to Biloxi. Iberville returned to Fort Maurepas in January 1700 aboardRenommee. The report of an English ship in the Mississippi River gave strong impetus for the Frenchmen to construct a small fort there. Fort Mississippi (Boulaye) (1700-1707) was completed in the spring of 1700.
Under Commandant Sauvole, the French continued good relations with the local Indian tribes in the vicinity of Fort Maurepas. They traded European goods (guns, axes, powder, etc.) for food and animal skins while absorbing the wood lore and culture of the Indian.
Conditions at Fort Maurepas were generally miserable as insects (gnats and mosquitoes), snakes, alligators, disease (especially yellow fever), and the paucity of drinking water were prevalent. In addition morale was low as the Canadians long accustomed to trapping and voyaging refused to farm. Drinking of spirituous liquor was also a problem.
By 1701, Iberville decided to move the garrison to a site on the Mobile River at Twenty Seven Mile Bluff. This settlement called La Mobile (Fort Louis de la Louisiane), for the local Indians, was established in the spring of 1702.
Locating here allowed the French to be nearer the Spanish settlement at Pensacola. France and Spain had recently become allied and had initiated a conflict with England called the Queen Anne's War (1702- 1713) in North America. Another advantage at La Mobile was that the river gave them access to the interior of Alabama were trading with larger Indian nations was possible.
Fort Maurepas was abandoned in the early months of 1702. It is generally believed that the structure was burned or dismantled to prevent an enemy of the French to utilized it. The French returned their capital to the area of the "Old Fort" at Ocean Springs briefly in 1719 before establishing a post (Fort Louis) at Biloxi in 1720.

1949 Historical marker

On November 20, 1949, an historical marker commemorating the establishment of Fort Maurepas by Iberville at Ocean Springs in April 1699 was placed on US Highway 90 and Front Beach Drive. Iola Y. Davidson spoke on the history of the French Beachhead followed by Mrs. Charles McDaris of Gulfport, representing the DAR. John D. Smith, Southern District Highway Commissioner, also spoke about the Fort Maurepas marker.(The Daily Herald, November 21, 1949, p. 1)

Local interest in Fort Maurepas began in 1967 when Colonel Rudolph Fink and J.K. Lemon began collecting maps and charts from the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris. This information was shared with the history aficionados of the Gulf Coast resulting in an interest to locate the original site of Fort Maurepas.

1699 Historical Committee

In March 1971, a group of citizens organized at Ocean Springs to promote an interest in historical events of the past, present, and future of the Ocean Springs, Mississippi area. This association was called the 1699 Historical Committee. The 1699 Historical Committee is responsible for the annual Iberville Landing Commemoration (April), seeks to have the Fort Maurepas marker returned from the Cabildo, and was instrumental in the Fort Maurepas replication.
In 1973, the 1699 Historical Committee, State Representative Marby R. Penton (1922-1995), and Secretary of State Heber Ladner (1902-1989) saw their years of work come to fruition when the Mississippi Legislature passed House Bill No. 1361 which appropriated $300,000 to "purchase land for the location of the Fort Maurepas historical site, provided that said site is entered in the National Register of Historical Places". In the same year, archeologists from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History began a survey to locate the site of Fort Maurepas. Most of their efforts were concentrated in the Lover's Lane area of west Ocean Springs.
Although some trenching was done, conclusive evidence for the structure was never discovered. One theory why the fort was not found was that the scientists were not allowed to explore a particular location (Poitevent) where cartographic and surface evidence indicated the fort to be situated. Others believe the original site of Fort Maurepas on the high bluff at Fort Point was eroded long ago by wave action and violent storms.
The Gulf Regional Planning Commission released its study titled, "Reconstruction of Fort Maurepas", also in 1973. This detailed study dealt with the history and significance of Fort Maurepas, and the costs to acquire land and build an historically accurate replica.
By 1975, Fort Maurepas zealots saw the Mississippi Legislature apportion $250,000 to the State Building Commission for a site to be administered by the Department of Archives and History. With this money, two tracts of land were purchased in February and March of 1976 by Governor Cliff Finch and Secretary of State Heber Ladner representing the State of Mississippi.(The Ocean Springs Record, March 11, 1976, p. 2)
The most westerly tract of approximately 5.7 acres was the former location of the Edwards' summer home. In 1899, Dr. Jasper J. Bland (1850-1932) bought the property, and opened the Beach Hotel (Jackson County Deed Book 20, pp. 248-250).
Eventually, he enlarged the structure to three stories renaming it the New Beach Hotel in 1909. By 1921, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart were occupying the site utilizing it as a summer orphanage. It later became their retirement home. Hurricane Camille damaged the structure in 1969, and it was torn down by Clarence Galle in 1971. The Missionary Sisters sold the tract to the Richelle Corporation of Metairie, Louisiana in February 1974 (Jackson County Deed Book 448, p. 546).
Richelle planned to develop the property as the Twin Bluff Condominiums, but were foreclosed on and sued by the First National Bank of Jackson County (Chancery Court Case No. 29,412). The Bank was awarded the land, which they sold to the State on March 1, 1976 (Jackson County Deed Book 554, pp. 644-645).
The other contiguous parcel of about two acres was sold by the Missionary Sisters to Donald M. Bradburn in September 1975. Bradburn later conveyed to the Ocean Springs Yacht Club who sold to the State on February 16, 1976. (Jackson County Deed Book 543, p. 387 and Book 554, pp. 646-647).

Fort Maurepas replica

In 1979, the State Legislature appropriated $350,000 for the construction of the Fort Maurepas replica. Fred Wagner of Bay St. Louis was named project architect and the New Orleans firm of Koch & Wilson associate architects. In September 1980, the State Building Commission awarded a contract for $273,000 to the Carter & Mullins Construction Company of Columbia. House Bill No. 1296 (March 1981) allowed for $950,000 in Federal revenue sharing funds to complete Fort Maurepas. The first phase of construction was completed in August or September of 1981. It consisted of an exterior stockade (154 feet x 154 feet) constructed of single, treated pine post about eight feet tall. The square enclosure encompasses an area of about .54 acres. The southeast corner of the Fort Maurepas replica is a blockhouse or bastion (Royal Bastion). It is triangular in plan about twenty feet tall and served as the Governor's House and cannon fortification. No other bastion was commenced. The only portion of the inner palisade completed is a twenty eight-foot section, which runs west of the Royal Bastion and includes the main gate (seven feet wide). This wall is approximately twelve feet tall and is built triple log thick. No interior buildings have been constructed, i.e. soldier's lodges, bakery, or general warehouse. Unfortunately in 1982 and 1983 the Mississippi Budget Commission took measures to avert State budget deficits. With a deficit of $85 million facing them in 1983, the Commission approved a $9 million cut in agency appropriations, which included $900,000 for the completion of Fort Maurepas. Since this time State and Federal funds for the completion of Fort Maurepas had been suspended indefinitely.
With the State of Mississippi apparently not financially capable of committing funds to complete the Fort Maurepas project, it was felt that if the City of Ocean Springs got title to the property something might be done to accomplish this goal. By February 1991, under the leadership of District 113 Representative, Alvin Endt, the House voted to transfer the title to the City of Ocean Springs. After Senate approval and Governor Ray Mabus's signature, Mayor Kevin Alves on April 25, 1991, received the quitclaim deed to the two tracts containing the Fort Maurepas Reconstruction from the State of Mississippi by the Department of Archives and History and Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks. The State of Mississippi retained all mineral rights and stipulated that the city maintain the fort as a historic site and include in its annual budget sufficient funds to maintain the structure. (Jackson County Deed Book 975, pp. 113-117).
A ceremony was held at the Fort Maurepas replica on July 21, 1991 where Mayor Kevin Alves accepted the title to Fort Maurepas from Archives and History representative, Elbert R. Hilliard. U.S. Representative Gene Taylor addressed the group and said that the fort was"worthwhile to the preservation of our heritage", and pledged his support on seeing the replica completed.
On August 20, 1991, the Environmental Concerns Committee of the Greater Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce proposed to the City of Ocean Springs that the marsh, wetlands, contiguous upland and wooded habitats which were adjacent to Fort Maurepas be declared an "inner city" nature preserve. The City Council accepted the proposal, which additionally provided for the protection, management, and development of a natural history program for the area. Discouragement of activities which might degrade the aesthetics, biological, scientific, or educational value of the area surrounding Fort Maurepas was another goal. (Minutes of the City of Ocean Springs, Mississippi (8-20-1991), pp. 582-583).