Cannon at Fort Toulouse
A cannon aims out from the
reconstructed stockade of
Fort Toulouse.
Walls of Fort Jackson
The historic fort built by
Andrew Jackson during the
Creek War of 1813-1814 has
been partially reconstructed.
Fort Toulouse - Fort Jackson - Wetumpka, Alabama
ExploreSouthernHistory.com - Fort Toulouse - Fort Jackson, Alabama
ExploreSouthernHistory.com - Fort Toulouse - Fort Jackson, Alabama
Fort Toulouse in Wetumpka, Alabama
The Fort Toulouse-Fort Jackson State Historic Site
features a reconstruction of one of the French forts
that stood here between 1717 and 1763.
Historic Forts of Early Alabama
Located at the confluence of the Tallapoosa
and Coosa Rivers, the Fort Toulouse-Fort
Jackson State Historic Site in Wetumpka
preserves one of the most historic settings in
the South.

Archaeological research at the beautiful park
has revealed evidence of Native American
presence dating back thousands of years.
The point of land formed by the confluence of
the rivers was the location of a large mound
complex and fortified village during the
Mississippian era (A.D. 900-A.D. 1500).

Survivors of Hernando de Soto's army, which
passed through the area during the 1540s,
reported visiting large palisaded villages, but
it is unclear if the mounds at Fort Toulouse-
Fort Jackson were still in use at that time. A
large mound still survives at the site and is
one of the features that can be seen on the
walking path leading through the grounds.

In 1717 the confluence of the Tallapoosa and
Coosa Rivers had become the literal center
of the Creek Nation. The French came up the
Alabama River from Mobile that year and built
a fort that they named for the Count de
Toulouse, a son of King Louis XIV. Fort
Toulouse served as an important trading
establishment for the Creeks and also
served as a bulwark against English and
Spanish influence in the region.

The French occupied the site from 1717 until
the end of the French and Indian War in
1763. Over that time, the elements and river
erosion forced them to rebuild Fort Toulouse
several times. A reconstruction of the second
fort, built in 1751, can be seen at the park
today. It features restored stockade walls,
cannon, barracks, officer's quarters and even
a garden.

The fort rotted away after the French left the
site in 1763 and by the end of the century,
only a few cannon lying in the weeds could
still be seen. Creek Indians lived adjacent to
the Fort Toulouse ruins during that era and a
portion of their village has been rebuilt near
the reconstructed fort.

In 1814, General Andrew Jackson and his
army arrived at the site during the closing
days of the Creek War of 1813-1814.
Under Jackson's direction, a massive fort
was built at the site. Named in the future
President's honor, Fort Jackson was a large
bastioned work with strong earthwork walls
and a moat that was seven feet deep.

It was at Fort Jackson that the noted Creek
leader William Weatherford surrendered at
the end of the war and it was also here that
the Treaty of Fort Jackson was signed later in
1814, taking hundreds of thousands of acres
in modern Alabama and Georgia from the
Creeks as reparations for the cost of the war.

A portion of Fort Jackson has been rebuilt
and the complete outline of the fort can be
seen.

Fort Toulouse-Fort Jackson State Historic
Site is located at the end of Fort Toulouse
Road off U.S. Highway 231 in Wetumpka,
Alabama, just north of Montgomery.
Restored Creek Village
The site of the old forts was
also the location of a Creek
Indian town.
Mississippian Mound
The park was also the site of
a palisaded Mississippian
mound complex and town.
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Copyright 2011 by Dale Cox
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