NATCHEZ — Recent archaeological discoveries at Rosalie are transforming how the National Park Service is approaching the site’s tourism development.

NPS Director Kathleen Bond said the service’s understanding of the site changed drastically last year when two maps of the original French fort were presented to local historians that confirmed the exact location where the fort once stood.

Due to landslides and erosion, the most of the land where the 1730 fort stood no longer exists. The current bluff edge runs right through the old fort’s remains.

The eastern part of the property, however, may contain hidden treasures.

“It’s like peeling an onion, you’re peeling back layers of history,” Bond said. “I’m so excited that we’re getting down to the heart of the onion, and are beginning to understand what that colonial presence was like here in Natchez.”

Nearly 10 years of NPS archaeological investigations have taken place at the site to verify the fort’s actual location, plus concurrent investigations using contemporary LiDAR technology. LiDAR technology uses lasers to help make high-resolution maps of an area..

Dr. Vin Steponaitis of the University of North Carolina completed that effort with the overlays of the two historic maps.

Last year, many trees and modern houses were removed from the site, revealing the remains of the earthworks that surrounded the fort.

“Not until we cut the trees did it click in my brain that it’s not just a ridge,” Bond said. “I’ve lived here for years. There have always been houses and trees all over the site. It certainly didn’t read as a French fort. It’s just hidden treasure right in the middle of Natchez, this whole time.”

The NPS is now removing more trees and rethinking its original development concept plan, which included walking trails, amphitheaters and public restroom buildings.

“Now that you can stand at Canal (Street) and see the real fort, I don’t think you want to build a restroom in front of it,” Bond said.

The short-term goals at the site include the publication of a book and initiation of walking tours.

Eventually, the NPS hopes to create a walking trail through the site that connects the visitor center with the rest of downtown Natchez.

Bond said the service also hopes to renovate the 1930s log cabin, which was part of an early tourist attraction on the site and create historical exhibits to showcase the archaeological finds.

The physical development of the site will be delayed while the NPS continues to review the maps and locate important archaeological sites.

The 1732 map shows the location of a camp where the enslaved people who built the fort lived during the construction. Because the camp is east of the fort, that site may still exist.

The remains of the fort itself are also being excavated.

“We are committed to providing a safe and meaningful visitor experience,” Bond said.

That means fences will be constructed to keep people off of the earthworks and away from the property’s edge, Bond said.

“It’s an unstable earthen bluff, and erosion is an issue,” Bond said. “It’s a public safety issue, and now we know those are the earthworks, we don’t want them to be eroded.”

Bond said residents should also know the site is now an active research zone.

“People need to know it’s a federal crime to pick something off the ground, just because it looks interesting,” Bond said.

She said the artifacts uncovered at the site so far have been buried several feet below the surface, but a hard rain may wash an important item out of the old man-made hill.

“We have not found caches of gold coins, but you’ll find the occasional piece of china,” Bond said. “They need to be left where they are.”