Historical figure

Jean Lafitte

Jean Lafitte, the Pirate of New Orleans

c. 1780 – c. 1823 (dates uncertain)

Who They Were

Jean Lafitte (c. 1780 - c. 1823) was a French privateer, smuggler, and slave trader who operated out of New Orleans and Barataria Bay in the early 19th century. By 1805 he ran a New Orleans warehouse dispersing goods smuggled by his brother Pierre; after the Embargo Act of 1807 the brothers moved their operation to an island in Barataria Bay, where they combined smuggling with piracy. Lafitte became a local legend during the War of 1812 when he aided Andrew Jackson's defense of New Orleans against the British. His birth and death dates are genuinely uncertain and his burial place is unknown (the Find A Grave memorial is effectively a cenotaph). The popular association between Lafitte and the Bourbon Street bar that bears his name - 'Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop' as his smuggling headquarters - is local tradition rather than documented fact.

Authority & Sources

About this figure

Birth and death dates are uncertain and are not asserted as precise. Lafitte's documented activity was smuggling and privateering out of Barataria; his ownership or use of Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop is local tradition, not established record.

The Stories

Documented history

Lafitte's Smuggling Operation

Jean Lafitte's smuggling and privateering are well documented: by 1805 he ran a New Orleans warehouse dispersing goods smuggled by his brother Pierre, and after the Embargo Act of 1807 the brothers based their operation in Barataria Bay, where they added piracy. Lafitte later aided Andrew Jackson's defense of New Orleans in the War of 1812. The popular claim that Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop served as his smuggling headquarters, however, is local tradition rather than documented fact.

Source: Documented record of Lafitte's Barataria operations and his War of 1812 role. The association of the blacksmith shop with Lafitte is traditional and is flagged as such.

Lafitte's smuggling is documented; his ownership or use of the blacksmith shop is local tradition, not established record.

Local legend

Buried Treasure and Underground Tunnels

A popular legend holds that Jean Lafitte hid pirate treasure in tunnels beneath Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop. No historical record supports buried treasure or such tunnels at the site.

Where You'll Encounter Them

Tours That Feature Jean Lafitte