Ville de Fort Liberté (English: Downtown Fort Liberty) is the urban portion of this city. In 2015, the downtown population was measured at 22,416.
Fort-Liberte city gate
Neighboring sections
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Map of the Fort-Liberté Downtown area
Fort-Liberté Bay[]
Ville de Fort Liberté
The bay, one of the most beautiful on the island, 9 leagues (8 km) from east to west, and over half a league from north to south. It could contain many fleets. Its entrance is only 185 yards in the narrowest space. Several fortifications defend the approach, including the famous Fort Labouque. In 1801, Fort-Liberté was one of the 9 import and export ports of the colony. Today it is a port of scale, that is to say that foreign ships, after having landed elsewhere their imported cargoes, can go there to load cargo under the supervision of an employee of the financial administration of Cap-Haïtien which this port reports, on the condition of going to take their expedition to Cap-haitien, which is the nearest port open to foreign trade.
Fort Labouque[]
Located to the left of the bay of Fort-Liberte on entering it is this fort. Under the rule of Emperor Soulouque, when a prisoner was sent to Fort Labouque, he never returned. It was a fearsome state prison at that time. President Geffrard had the pits filled in 1860, as soon as he came to power.
• On February 3, 1794, while the Spaniards were blockading Fort-Liberté by land and sea, a coaster named Juan Delmonte reached the commandant of the fort. The Spanish 64-gun vessel San Ramon entered the port unimpeded. Candy dealt with Admiral Don Gabriel Aristizabal; but the Spaniards soon arrested Candy whom they sent to Mexico to work in the mines. Don Joachim de Saso took command of the place.
• In June 1796, Governor Laveaux, taking possession of Fort Dauphin in the name of the French Republic, armed Fort Labouque.
• In February 1802, on the arrival of the Leclerc expedition, Captain Magon launched all the broadsides of his squadron on Fort Labouque, whose commander Barthelemy responded vigorously. After the occupation of Fort-Liberté by Rochambeau, Fort Labouque was surrounded on all sides. Barthelemy, seeing himself threatened with a general assault, lowered his pavilion. The French none the less massacred the whole garrison. They hanged a large number of soldiers and officers. Among the latter, there was a son of the Duc de Châtre, Rochambeau's aide-de-camp. General Leclerc, to pay homage to the memory of the French who died in the army of Saint-Domingue, had this fort called Fort La Châtre. This name did not prevail.
Fort Saint-Joseph[]
Fort Saint Joseph is a coastal fortress located in Fort-Liberté, overlooking the tranquil yet strategically vital Baie de Fort-Liberté. Constructed by the French in the 18th century (1700s) during their colonial occupation of Saint-Domingue, the fort was part of a larger network of military defenses designed to guard against foreign invaders and protect the colony’s lucrative trade routes. Built with thick stone walls and equipped with cannon emplacements, its architecture reflects European military design principles of the time, adapted to the Caribbean terrain.
Perched on elevated ground, the fort offered a commanding view of the harbor, making it a key defensive position against both sea and land-based threats. During the turbulent years of the Haitian Revolution, Fort Saint Joseph—like many colonial strongholds—became a contested site, changing hands amid the chaos of rebellion, foreign incursions, and the fight for freedom. Though partially in ruins today, the remnants of the fort still stand as a solemn witness to the brutality of colonial rule and the resilience of those who fought for Haiti’s independence. As a historical landmark, Fort Saint Joseph embodies the layered legacy of oppression, resistance, and nationhood, marking Fort-Liberté as a place where history’s echoes remain carved into stone.
Marcade[]
In the Marcade area, located west of Fort-Liberté along the coastline, there is a claystone deposit situated near the sea.
History[]
in January 1793, Laveaux, governor of Saint-Domingue, passed through the Langardiere habitation on the way to attack Jean Francois.