Hometown History, Recalibrated

St. Bernard Parish is New Orleans' most historic neighbor for many reasons, but its most significant claim to fame has to be the Chalmette Battlefield, which saw the final major face-off in the War of 1812. The story of an underdog emerging triumphant has always resonated with audiences, which may explain the hold this particular conquest still has on the American consciousness even today. On January 8, 1815, General Andrew Jackson led a band of rag-tag soldiers to a decisive victory over British forces in what would come to be known as the Battle of New Orleans.  

Presently, those same grounds are now the site of a historic park and memorial obelisk located within Jean Lafitte National Historical Park & Preserve. Named after the famed French plundering privateer, the eponymous park consists of six sites scattered across South Louisiana. Adjacent to the 141-acre battlefield is the Chalmette National Historic Cemetery, the hallow ground where thousands of Louisiana-born soldiers are interred. 

Each year, the anniversary of the battle is commemorated by staging a full-scale re-enactment, where history comes to life with more than one hundred enthusiasts gathering in authentic period attire. The day's events include crafts and campfire cooking, military drills and tactics, and an evening lantern tour of "the night before the battle."

However, a newer narrative related to the Battlefield is emerging, shaping the ways in which we elect to preserve a layered past in the process. Post-Civil War, the plantation of Ignacio de Lino de Chalmet shuttered. The land changed hands a number of times, by 1870 belonging to Jean-Pierre Fazende, a free man of color. Fazende divided the land parcel into dozens of smaller plots he then sold to newly freed slaves. Thus the town of Fazendeville was born, a Black community that thrived for nearly one hundred years whose residents referred to it as "the Village." 

Sitting in the center of the former battlefield, local leaders at the time considered Fazendeville an anachronism, making it a strange sight for visitors learning about the site's national significance in the War of 1812. With the battle's 150th anniversary celebration approaching, city government and the National Park Service decided to dismantle the town in 1963 by right of eminent domain, demolishing it in order to restore the battlefield to its 1815 appearance. The choice to prioritize one historic event erased another, but today's residents are working to right past wrongs. In April, a dedication ceremony was held for a new marker commemorating Fazendeville as the first known settlement established in St. Bernard Parish following the Civil War to house recently freed formerly enslaved people. visitstbernard.com.

"Chalmette Battlefield"  by Derek Bridges  is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.