Jackson Barracks

Jackson Barracks. . , Jackson Barracks has been called the "finest complex of Greek Revival buildings existing in Louisiana, equaled as a group by few in the United States.” In 1832, Congress authorized the construction of New Orleans Barracks and 2nd Lt. Frederick Wilkinson, a West Point graduate, drew the plans. The initial land for the barracks was purchased from Pierre Cotteret and Fannie Duprê in late 1833. On February 24, 1834, Major J. Clark, Assistant Quartermaster from Baton Rouge, began construction. By the end of 1835, fifteen major buildings were completed within a rectangular brick masonry-walled enceinte with four corner towers. President Andrew Jackson advocated construction of the barracks, which were renamed Jackson Barracks in his honor in 1866. , (Continued on other side) , Side B , (Continued from other side) , Jackson Barracks was established to provide a stabilizing military presence in New Orleans. It was a temporary internment camp for Indians forcibly removed from Florida on route to Indian Territory during the Second Seminole War (1835-1842) and a point of embarkation for troops. Many wounded veterans of the Mexican- American War (1846-1848) were treated at the barracks' hospital. Seized by Louisiana during the Civil War, it returned to Federal control in 1862. The military cemetery was moved from the barracks in 1864 to the newly established Chalmette National Cemetery. In 1869, a segregated unit of African-American soldiers became the 25th Infantry Regiment at the barracks. During World War I (1914- 1918) it was headquarters of the Coast Defenses of New Orleans. The barracks were transferred to the Louisiana Army National Guard in 1922. In the 1930s, the WPA employed over 1,300 to renovate the historic garrison and construct new facilities. The U.S. military reoccupied Jackson Barracks during World War II (1939-1945). In 1955, it was declared surplus and turned over to the Louisiana Army National Guard.