Welcome to Christie and Peter's wonderful website about Fort de Chartres. Our class took an interesting field trip to the fort, and we have a lot to share with you! Have fun!!!!! Fort de Chartres is a French fort, built in the 1750's. This fort was the seat of the French government in the Illinois country until 1765. The fort was then occupied by the British until 1772, when the fort was abandoned. It is located in Illinois, across the Mississippi river from St. Genevieve. Although some of the fort was destroyed in the flood of '93, it is still a great piece of history. The entrance to the fort is actually the back entrance. The front entrance was part of the fort that was destroyed in the flood. Above the doors is a lookout tower, where you can see miles in all directions. Surrounding the fort is a dip in the ground, where a moat once was. Since the 1750's, the moat has dried up and it is now covered with grass. Once you enter the fort, if you look on your left, there is a steep staircase leading up to the lookout tower.
Around the fort stands a large stone wall that is made of limestone. Every so often, there is a small rectangular hole in the wall. These were there so that people inside the fort could shoot at people coming towards the fort, but the holes are so small that the enemy could not hit them.
^holes in limestone wall^ ^view out of musket hole^ 
