Fort Adams, Mississippi
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Fort Adams is a small, river
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...
community in Wilkinson County,
Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
,
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, about south of
Natchez Natchez may refer to: Places * Natchez, Alabama, United States * Natchez, Indiana, United States * Natchez, Louisiana, United States * Natchez, Mississippi, a city in southwestern Mississippi, United States ** Natchez slave market, Mississippi * ...
. It is notable for having been the U.S.
port of entry In general, a port of entry (POE) is a place where one may lawfully enter a country. It typically has border control, border security staff and facilities to check passports and visas and to inspect luggage to assure that contraband is not impo ...
on the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
, before the acquisition of
New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
; it was the site of an early
fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...
by that name. The town was called Wilkinburg and was incorporated in 1798. Prior to that time, the community was known as Loftus Heights and formerly had been a
Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
mission called the Rock of Davion, first settled as such around 1699. This is also the site where the
Choctaw The Choctaw ( ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States, originally based in what is now Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The Choctaw language is a Western Muskogean language. Today, Choct ...
Treaty of Fort Adams The Treaty of Fort Adams was signed on December 17, 1801, between the Choctaw (an American Indian tribe) and the United States Government. The treaty ceded about of Choctaw land. The commissioners reported to President Thomas Jefferson that ...
was signed in 1801.


History

In 1699, a
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
named Father Albert Davion established a
mission Mission (from Latin 'the act of sending out'), Missions or The Mission may refer to: Geography Australia *Mission River (Queensland) Canada *Mission, British Columbia, a district municipality * Mission, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * ...
on the Mississippi River bluffs at or near the site of Fort Adams.Noël Baillargeon, “DAVION, ALBERT,” in ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography'', vol. 2, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed April 24, 2025, https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/davion_albert_2E.html Davion was a Catholic missionary previously stationed in Quebec who "came to bring the religion of Christ to the Tunica Indians. He erected & cross on Block House Hill, the highest peak of Loftus Heights, where he said
mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...
every morning." The hill became a landmark and stopping place for people traveling on the river or on the overland trails that connected Natchez with
New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
. Davion left the mission by 1722, but the site continued to be called ''Roche Davion'' (Davion's Rock) for many years thereafter. It acquired the name Loftus Heights in 1764, when a British expeditionary force led by Major Arthur Loftus was ended after being attacked by Indians at this site. The site became Fort Adams after the United States and
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
settled a
boundary dispute A territorial dispute or boundary dispute is a disagreement over the possession or control of territories (land, water or airspace) between two or more political entities. Context and definitions Territorial disputes are often related to the po ...
over parts of what is now southern Mississippi. The
Treaty of San Lorenzo A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, conventio ...
(Pinckney's Treaty), signed in 1795, established
latitude In geography, latitude is a geographic coordinate system, geographic coordinate that specifies the north-south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from −90° at t ...
31 N as the boundary between
Spanish West Florida Spanish West Florida ( Spanish: ''Florida Occidental'') was a province of the Spanish Empire from 1783 until 1821, when both it and East Florida were ceded to the United States. The region of West Florida initially had the same borders as the e ...
and
Mississippi Territory The Territory of Mississippi was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that was created under an organic act passed by the United States Congress, Congress of the United States. It was approved and signed into law by Presiden ...
. U.S. General
James Wilkinson James Wilkinson (March 24, 1757 – December 28, 1825) was an American army officer and politician who was associated with multiple scandals and controversies during his life, including the Burr conspiracy. He served in the Continental Army du ...
selected Loftus Heights for a military post in 1798 on the advice of Captain
Isaac Guion Isaac Guion (April 6, 1755September 7, 1823) was American military officer, settler, and cotton plantation owner. Born in New York, he served as in the American Revolutionary War and then in the regular army. After securing the Natchez District ...
. The site, on a
bluff Bluff or The Bluff may refer to: Places Australia * Bluff, Queensland, Australia, a town * The Bluff, Queensland (Ipswich), a rural locality in the city of Ipswich * The Bluff, Queensland (Toowoomba Region), a rural locality * Bluff River (New ...
overlooking the Mississippi River about six miles upriver from the new international boundary, was judged to be a good position for observing and thwarting military movements on the river and was described by Wilkinson as the "most southerly tenable position within our limits." It was also close to the plantation of Wilkinson's business associate Daniel Clark Jr. and the planned town of Clarksville. The new fort was named for the sitting
U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
,
John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before Presidency of John Adams, his presidency, he was a leader of ...
.Museum of Geoscience,
Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

Cultural Resources Survey of Fort Adams Reach Revetment, Mile 312.2 to 306.0-L, Mississippi River, Wilkinson County, Mississippi
.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wor ...
New Orleans District, COELMN/PD-91/04. August 1993.
It was made of "brick and covered over in earth." In December 1801, Fort Adams was the site of the negotiation and signing of a treaty between the
Choctaw The Choctaw ( ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States, originally based in what is now Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The Choctaw language is a Western Muskogean language. Today, Choct ...
and the United States government. The
Treaty of Fort Adams The Treaty of Fort Adams was signed on December 17, 1801, between the Choctaw (an American Indian tribe) and the United States Government. The treaty ceded about of Choctaw land. The commissioners reported to President Thomas Jefferson that ...
was the first in a series of treaties that ceded Choctaw land to the U.S. government and eventually led to the expulsion of the Choctaw Nation from lands east of the Mississippi River. In exchange for of land, the Choctaws received merchandise worth about $2,000 plus three sets of tools for
blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...
ery. In 1803 General
James Wilkinson James Wilkinson (March 24, 1757 – December 28, 1825) was an American army officer and politician who was associated with multiple scandals and controversies during his life, including the Burr conspiracy. He served in the Continental Army du ...
had Colonel Thomas Butler arrested at Fort Adams on charges of being out of U.S. Army dress regulation because he maintained the old style queue (ponytail); Butler's court martial was held in
Fredericktown, Maryland Fredericktown is an unincorporated community in Cecil County, Maryland, United States. The ''Elf'' racing yacht is located in the Sassafras River at Fredericktown, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 26, 1980. F ...
. When Louisiana banned slave traders from out of state in 1832,
Austin Woolfolk Austin Woolfolk (17961847) was an American slave trader and plantation owner. Among the busiest slave traders in Maryland, he trafficked more than 2,000 enslaved people through the Port of Baltimore to the Port of New Orleans, and became notorious ...
set up operations at Fort Adams, which was the first steamboat landing beyond the state line. In the first half of the 19th century, before it was bypassed by both the river and the railroad, "this little place was of some commercial importance. It was quite a nourishing town and thousands of bales of cotton were loaded here, and an extensive business was carried on here; but its glory is now departed, and by reason of its inaccessibility is seldom visited by strangers, and it is but little known beyond the county in which it is situated...a quiet little village with houses of ancient architecture, whose crumbling walls and moss-covered roofs tell us that they were erected in generations that are passed and gone..." As of 1993, Fort Adams was a small community and the site of businesses that provided supplies to hunting and fishing camps in the region.


In literature

Fort Adams is the place where the protagonist of
Edward Everett Hale Edward Everett Hale (April 3, 1822 – June 10, 1909) was an American author, historian, and Unitarian minister, best known for his writings such as " The Man Without a Country", published in ''Atlantic Monthly'', in support of the Union ...
's famous novel "
The Man Without a Country "The Man Without a Country" is a short story by American writer Edward Everett Hale, first published in ''The Atlantic'' in December 1863. It is the story of a young American officer who declares himself disgusted with his country during a ...
", near death, asks a US military officer to see that a gravestone be placed in memory of him, since he's bound to be buried at sea.


See also

* U.S. annexation of the Republic of West Florida


References


External links


Fort Adams
at NorthAmericanForts.com {{authority control Unincorporated communities in Mississippi Unincorporated communities in Wilkinson County, Mississippi Mississippi populated places on the Mississippi River Forts in Mississippi 1699 establishments in New France