The "In Defense Of Marigot" Story

It was an ordinary day.  The sky looked threatening when I asked my wife to take a walk to the top of the small town of Marigot which is the capital of the French side of St. Martin, French West Indies.  

Entering the fort.  The entrance doors were removed and
the pilasters and uprights were already deteriorated as of 1820.

The trip to the top took a bit of an effort since it is the highest point in the town and happens to be where Fort Louis is located.  It was in 1765 that Knight Descoudrelles organized the defense of French Marigot by installing three batteries of guns in three key places; Point Bluff, Round Hill and Marigot Hill.  Then, in 1789, under the direction of the Knight of durat, Governor of St. Martin and St. Bartholomew, Fort Louis was built, being named after King Louis XVI of France.  

Munitions storage for the fort.

The fortress was built to defend the warehouses of the port of Marigot where the products harvested by the inhabitants were stored; goods such as coffee, salt, rum and sugar cane.  Beneath the fort were built barracks which housed the troops and their horses.  They remain intact today and are part of the property owned by renowned St. Martin artist Roland Richardson.  

One of the cannons can be seen from below the fort.

Then in the nineteenth century, nearby Anguilla, an English stronghold, took control from time to time of the fort and town and looted the warehouses for their own use.  Eventually the fort was abandoned, but in 1993 was restored thanks to the Archaeological Association of Hope Estate in collaboration with the units of the adapted military service of Guadeloupe.  

The markings on one of the cannons.

The fort ruins were restored and provided with  signs explaining its historical context.  A 1765 map is displayed showing the surrounding seas and islands.  The name of Marigot comes from the French word referring to marshes in respect to the mangrove swamps and wetlands that surrounded the town along the seashore.  The town grew and eventually was named the French capital of St. Martin; the Dutch controlled the other part of the island.  Well, we made it to the top and the view from Fort Louis is spectacular with views of St. Martin, Sint Maarten (Dutch side) and the surrounding sea and neighboring islands.  

Surrounding land and water as seen from the fort.

Bi-lingual plaques in both French and English are part of the restoration telling the history of the fort.  Carol and I found our way to the top of the fort a dozen years ago and found that our trip to the top this time showed the damage that has been done to the historical site by Hurricane Irma two years ago.  

Three cannons can be seen in this view.

We spent time admiring the view from the fort and as the skies darkened we scurried back down just before the skies opened and washed the surrounding lands with much-needed rain.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The French flag flies high above Fort Louis.