A view from the hill.... Fort Hill Fort Beauregard Memorial Park - Harrisonburg LA. Harrisonburg, Louisiana is located on the bank of the Ouachita River with Fort Beauregard standing guard in the hills above. Harrisonburg has the distinction of being the oldest historic town in the state, the seat of Catahoula Parish which is rich in history with the Ancient Anilco Indians, early explorers and the Civil War. In 1818, John Harrison acquired this tract of land, had it surveyed and plotted the township into lots. The name, Harrisonburg, was given this area which was incorporated into a village in 1872; however, records show that the site was selected as the parish seat in 1808. The City of Natchitoches was first incorporated on February 5, 1819 and claims to be the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase but these dates would lend to the argument that the little small village on the Ouachita should rightfully hold this claim. As an old Steamboat town, Harrisonburg and Catahooligans have always been a colorful bunch. In 1825, Jim Bowie lived on a plantation a few miles west of Harrisonburg along an area now serviced by LA Hwy 8. In 1827, Bowie made the Bowie hunting knife famous in a duel on the sandbar at Vidalia, Louisiana. On May 10, 1863, Federal gunboats anchored in sight of the town and demanded a surrender, giving one hour for the women and children to be moved out of town. With the Confederates holding high ground, that wasnt going to happen. After the shelling fell short with only minor damage to the town, the gunboats reconsidered their quest to continue further north along the river. On September 5, 1863, Confederate Col. George W. Logan evacuated Fort Beauregard in the face of a large expedition marching from Natchez MS. As the Union forces stopped for the night at the mouth of the Brushley Bayou just south of Harrisonburg, the decision to evacuate was made. Having only 40 men left in the fort, Logan destroyed supplies and larger guns before withdrawing along the Old Columbia Road for Alexandria LA. The Federals entered Fort Beauregard and finished the destruction. Today, Fort Beauregard is a memorial park to veterans of all wars. An amphitheater and picnic facilities have served the parish since the early 1930s when the CCCP Program cleaned up the hill and built the structures as a means to put young men to work during the depression.
Posted on: Sun, 23 Nov 2014 05:37:31 +0000
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