The Fortress Pike
Begun in 1819 and completed in 1826, Fort Pike was named for the explorer and soldier General Zebulon Montgomery Pike (1779-1813) whose name is also attached to Pike's Peak in the Rocky Mountains. The fort was designed to withstand attack from land or sea. Pointed bastions (fortified areas) flank the land facade of the structure and a curved wall faces the waters of the Rigolets. (The name Rigolets comes from the French word "rigole," meaning trench or gutter, and aptly describes this narrow passage between the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Pontchartrain.) The fort originally featured two protective moats, crossed by bridges, around the main structure and a glacis or slope with a covered way between the moats.
The citadel, in the center of the fort, began as a one-story building designed to serve as a stronghold in case the walls were stormed. Used as a barracks, it was renovated in the 1850s, and a second floor was added to catch cool breezes from the lake. The citadel burned twice - first when retreating Confederate troops torched it in 1862 and again in 1887 - leaving the present brick shell.
Also within the fort were the officers' quarters and service areas, such as a bakery and sutler's store, but later many of the service buildings were located outside the fort. These included a carpenter's shop, clothing store, ordnance and sutler's store, a blacksmith shop, bakery, commissary, and mess hall. The hospital stood about 3/4 mile away at the site of old Fort Petite Coquilles. None of these outside structures remain today.
The original armament of Fort Pike consisted of 32-pounder and 24-pounder cannons; the exact number of each type is unknown. At various times the fort held other types of cannons. The wartime garrison was approximately 400 men; in peacetime it varied between one and 80 soldiers.