PLAQUEMINES PARISH, La. — Tucked away near Triumph at the edge of the Mississippi River sits Fort Jackson.

“Most people don’t even realize it’s there, and they are really shocked when they go in and see what good shape it’s in,” says Plaquemines Parish historian Rod Lincoln.

Lincoln says Fort Jackson was created as a defense weapon against any enemy who tried to venture up the Mississippi.

Surrounded by a moat, this star-shaped pentagon was built in 1822 and named after Andrew Jackson.

During the Civil War, the fort took action against the Union Navy.

“From the time they got to the curve in the river, south of it, they could start firing at the enemy fleet coming up. When the northern fleet came up the river, the fort was really bound and had a difficult time keeping the Union navy out,” says Lincoln.

Just up the road is the Fort Jackson museum.

It’s a new facility that holds artifacts from previous battles and from neighboring Fort St. Phillip.

“My biggest hope for the fort is that it will become a national park to draw people down so they can see all of the amazing things in lower Plaquemines Parish and help stimulate some kind of economic development in the lower part of the parish,” says Lincoln.

It’s a piece of history that continues to stand the test of time.

Whether it faces combatants or powerful hurricanes, Fort Jackson is rooted in the land and in the heart of Plaquemines Parish.