[StBernard] New Superintendent Leads Ground-Breaking Team For Chalmette Battlefield Visitor Center

[Westley Annis]

New Superintendent Leads Ground-Breaking Team For Chalmette Battlefield
Visitor Center

 

Local officials and a new park superintendent officially broke ground for a
new visitor center at Chalmette Battlefield. Carol A. Clark, a 28-year
veteran of the National Park Service, was recently named as the new
superintendent for Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve and
New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park. Chalmette Battlefield, site of
the Battle of New Orleans in 1815, is located at 8606 West Saint Bernard
Highway in Chalmette and is one of six sites managed by Jean Lafitte as part
of the National Park Service system.

 

Clark was joined by St. Bernard Parish President Craig Taffaro, Honorary
Consul of Great Britain James J. Coleman, Jr., Louisiana state senator A.G.
Crowe, Amanda Beheyt of U.S. Congressman Charlie Melancon’s office, Patricia
Gallagher of the Chalmette Chapter, United States Daughters of 1812, and
representatives of many of the battlefield’s partners, including the
Historic New Orleans Collection, living history volunteers, and St. Bernard
Parish officials and residents. 

 

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed the battlefield visitor center and
severely damaged many other structures at the battlefield and the adjoining
national cemetery. A temporary visitor center has been in place since fall
2006. The new visitor center will be twice as large as the previous building
and will share the story of the Battle of New Orleans and its affect on
world history through displays, interactive exhibits, and films. The new
center is expected to open in fall 2010.

 

“The park staff and this community have made do with temporary and
inadequate structures at the battlefield for several years now,” said Clark.
“Now we can all look forward to a new visitor center which will be more
welcoming and contain more exhibit space to enhance the experiences of park
visitors.”

 

“We are happy to partner with the National Park Service at the Chalmette
Battlefield and we believe this will be one of the best National Historic
Parks and a premier visitor destination in St. Bernard,” said St. Bernard
Parish President Craig P. Taffaro, Jr.

 

During construction, the battlefield and a temporary visitor center in the
historic Malus-Beauregard House on the battlefield grounds will be open 9:00
a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily. The house and public restrooms are accessible by a
walkway from a visitor parking area at Cannon Battery Four near the
flagpole. The battlefield’s Tour Loop Road, visitor center construction
area, Chalmette Monument, and the parking area near the monument and visitor
center will be closed. Admission to the site is free. For more information,
call 504-589-2636 ext. 1 or visit www.nps.gov/jela.

 

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Photo by Karen Turni Bazile: Several officials gathered at the Chalmette
Battlefield Visitor Center official groundbreaking. From left: Jason Wiese,
Historic New Orleans Collection; Amanda Beheyt, U.S. Representative Charlie
Melancon’s office; Patricia Gallagher, President, Chalmette Chapter, United
States Daughters of 1812; Craig Taffaro, St. Bernard Parish President; Carol
A. Clark, Park Superintendent, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and
Preserve; A.G. Crowe, Louisiana State Senator; James J. Coleman, Jr.,
Honorary Consul, Great Britain; Tim Strain, living history volunteer of
Plauché’s Uniformed Battalion of Orleans Volunteers. (Plauché’s was a New
Orleans volunteer militia that fought at the Battle of New Orleans.)