Morne Fortune is an 853 foot hill overlooking Castries Harbor. In 1768, the French selected this elevated vantage point to begin constructing their primary fort on Saint Lucia. Citadelle du Morne Fortuné was finished in 1784. When the British controlled the “Hill of Good Luck,” they called their stronghold Fort Charlotte. The namesake was the wife of George III, the King of the United Kingdom. Little remains of these military installations on the 72 acre Morne Fortune Historic Area. Since 1985, a large share of the property has been home to the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College. Enclosed within the small picket fence is the grave of Sir Derek Walcott (1930 – 2017). The Saint Lucian native received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1992.
