Abandoned Fort Macomb Ruins, Louisiana - Ghost Towns of Arizona and Surrounding States

Historic Sites, New Orleans, Louisiana

Abandoned Fort Macomb
I explored the Abandoned Fort Macomb that hasn’t been used in over 140+ years and has never been opened to the general public. The fort is gated and covered by trees and bushes and unless you knew where to look, you would miss it from the highway. The fort inside appears as it has never been restored like the other forts around Louisiana which makes it a unique explore. I made the mistake of not bringing any lighting with me which forced me to navigate the tunnels with the flash off my camera. The cannon tunnels were very dark, musty and definitely creepy. While slowly walking through the cannon tunnels I kept hearing slight movements around so I decided to exit tunnel into the light. The fort was an awesome experience and glad I took the time to get inside.

History:
Fort Macomb is a 19th-century fort in Louisiana, on the western shore of Chef Menteur Pass. The current brick fort was built in 1822, and named Fort Wood in 1827. It was renamed Fort Macomb in 1851 after General Alexander Macomb, former Chief of Engineers and Commanding General of the US Army.

The small, pie-shaped fort has a curved front facing the channel and overlaps the two straight walls, forming demibastions. At the salient of the two straight walls is a full bastion facing landward. The fort was surrounded by two wet ditches (moats) with extensive outworks between the ditches. On the parade of the fort stands a citadel - a defensive barracks.

The fort was occupied by a Confederate States of America garrison starting on 28 January 1861 early in the American Civil War, and retaken by the Union the following year.

In 1867 the barracks caught fire, after which the fort was largely abandoned. It was decommissioned in 1871.