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D’IBERVILLE, MISSISSIPPI CHRONOLGY
D’Iberville, Mississippi History
17th, 18th,
19th, 20th and 21st Century Chronology of D’IBERVILLE
Commencing
with the year 1682 and continuing to present day, I have
subjectively gleaned salient dates and facts relating to our local
chronology from journals and other authoritative sources.
French Colonial Period
[1699-1763]
1682
Robert
Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle (1643-1687) reconnoitered the
Mississippi River from the Great Lakes locating its deltaic mouth on
the Gulf of Mexico in April 1682. He claimed for France the
vast area between the Rocky Mountains and the Alleghenies drained by
the Mississippi and all of its tributaries. We know this territory
as Louisiana, i.e. belonging to King Louis XIV of France. La
Salle called the Great River, Colbert, in honor of the French
Minister of Marine.
1699
1763
British Colonial Period
[1763-1780]
The
Treaty of Paris often called the Peace of Paris, or the
Treaty of 1763, was signed on
February 10,
1763, by the kingdoms of
Great Britain,
France and
Spain, with
Portugal in agreement. Together with the
Treaty of Hubertusburg, it ended the
French and Indian War or
Seven Years' War.[1] The treaties marked the
beginning of an extensive period of British dominance outside of
Europe.[2] While the bulk of conquered territories were
restored to their pre-war owners, the British made some substantial
overseas gains at the expense of France and, to a lesser extent,
Spain.[3] Preferring to keep
Guadaloupe, France gave up
New France [Canada] and all of its claims to the territory east
of the
Mississippi River to Britain. Spain ceded
Florida to the British, but later received
New Orleans and
French Louisiana from France;
Manila and
Cuba were restored to Spain. France retained
Saint Pierre and Miquelon and recovered
Guadelupe,
Martinique, and
Saint Lucia in exchange for
Dominica,
Grenada,
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and
Tobago going to the British. In
India, the French lost out to the British, receiving back its
"factories" (trading posts), but agreeing to support the British
client governments, as well as returning
Sumatra and agreeing not to base troops in
Bengal. The British garrison on the
Mediterranean island of
Minorca was returned to her control, having been captured by the
French at the outbreak of hostilities in Europe. Britain returned
the
slave station on the isle of
Gorée to the French, but gained the
Senegal River and its settlements. Britain agreed to demolish
its fortifications in
Honduras, but received permission from Spain to keep a
logwood-cutting colony there. Britain confirmed in the treaty
the rights of its new subjects to practice the
Roman Catholic religion[4] and received confirmation
of the continuation of the British king's
Hanoverian right as a
Prince-elector of the
Holy Roman Empire.
1768
In June 1768, George A. Gauld
(1732-1782), a Scottish cartographer and surveyor, in the employ of
the British Admiralty, made a map of coastal Mississippi. He was
operating from HMS Sir Edward Hawke. During his
reconnaissance and charting of the region, Gauld made many
observations about Horn Island. He discovered that it was some
sixteen miles in length, but in width no more than one mile.
Orientation was nearly east-west. As regards to vegetation, Gauld
noted that there were uneven groves of trees on the west end of the
island. The middle was characterized by dense growth, and the
eastern end of the sand bar was fairly devoid of tree growth.(Ware,
1982, p.107)
1776
On July 4, 1776, the
thirteen American colonies declared their independence
from Great Britain.
1779
In June 1779,
Spain declared war on Great Britain. In September,
General Bernado de Galvez (1746-1786), Spanish governor of the
Louisiana Territory, captured Fort Bute at Manchac,
Louisiana; the English garrison at Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and
accepted the surrender of Fort Panmure at Natchez.
Spanish Colonial Period
[1780-1811]
1780
On March 14,
1780, General Galvez captured Fort Charlotte and the city of
Mobile, Alabama. The Mississippi Gulf Coast became a part of
Spanish West Florida.
1781
In
May 1781, the English at Pensacola, Florida surrendered to
Spanish forces led by General Galvez.
1783
American
Revolutionary War ends with Great Britain the signing of
the Treaty of Paris. America is now bounded on the north by
Canada; east by Atlantic Ocean; south by Spanish
West Florida; and west by the Mississippi River.
1797
The
Mississippi Territory was
organized on
April 7,
1798, from territory ceded by
Georgia and
South Carolina; it was later twice expanded to include disputed
territory claimed by both the
U.S. and
Spain. Land was purchased (generally through unequal treaties)
from Native American tribes from 1800 to about 1830.
1803
The
Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the
United States of approximately 530 million
acres (828,000 sq mi
or 2,100,000 km²)
of
French territory on April 30, 1803, at the cost of about 3¢ per
acre (7¢ per
ha); totaling
$15 million or 80 million
French francs. Including interest, America finally paid
$23,213,568 for the Louisiana territory.[1] The land
purchased contained all of present-day
Arkansas,
Missouri,
Iowa,
Oklahoma,
Kansas,
Nebraska,
Minnesota south of
Mississippi River, much of
North Dakota, nearly all of
South Dakota, northeastern
New Mexico, northern
Texas, the portions of
Montana,
Wyoming, and
Colorado east of the
Continental Divide, and
Louisiana on both sides of the Mississippi River, including the
city of
New Orleans. (The Oklahoma Panhandle, and southwestern portions
of Kansas and Louisiana were still claimed by
Spain at the time of the Purchase.) In addition, the Purchase
contained small portions of land that would eventually become part
of the Canadian provinces of
Alberta and
Saskatchewan. The land included in the purchase comprises around
23% of the territory of the modern United States.[1] The
purchase was an important moment in the presidency of
Thomas Jefferson. At the time, it faced domestic opposition as
being possibly
unconstitutional. Although he felt that the Constitution did not
contain any provisions for acquiring territory, Jefferson decided to
purchase Louisiana because he felt uneasy about France and Spain
having the power to block American traders' access to the port of
New Orleans.
United States of
America [1811-2007+]
1810
The
Republic of West Florida was declared independent of Spain in
September at St. Francisville, Louisiana. It lasted only forty-five
days.
1811
When
Dr. William 'Fat Doctor' Flood, the representative of Governor
Claiborne of the Orleans Territory, was dispatched to the
Mississippi coast to hoist the flag of the United States in January
1811, he found the population between the Pearl River and Biloxi to
be about four hundred people chiefly French and Creoles. Dr. Flood
in his report to Governor Claiborne wrote: proceeded to the
Bay of Biloxi, where I found Mr. Ladnier (Jacques), and gave him the
commission (Justice of the Peace). He is a man of excellent sense,
but can neither read or write, nor can any inhabitants of the
bay of Biloxi that I can hear of. They are, all along this beautiful
coast, a primitive people, of mixed origin, retaining the gaiety and
politeness of the French, blended with the abstemiousness and
indolence of the Indian. They plant a little rice, and a few roots
and vegetables, but depend on subsistence chiefly on game and fish.
I left with all these appointees copies of the laws, ordinances,
etc. But few laws will be wanted here. The people are universally
honest. There are no crimes. The father of the
family or the oldest inhabitant, settles all disputes......A more
innocent and inoffensive people may not be found. They seem to
desire only the simple necessities of life, and to be let alone in
their tranquility. I am greatly impressed with the beauty and value
of this coast. The high sandy lands, heavily timbered with pine,
and the lovely bays and rivers, from Pearl River to Mobile will
furnish New Orleans with a rich commerce, and with a delightful
summer resort. For a cantonment or military post, in consideration
of the health of the troops, this whole coast is admirably fitted.
1812
Jackson
County was created on December 12, 1812 as part of the
Mississippi Territory.
1817
Mississippi entered the Union on December 10th as the 20th State
of the United States of America.
1841
Harrison
County, Mississippi was formed from Hancock and Jackson
County, Mississippi on February 5, 1841.
1844
1847
On June
22nd, John Fayard sold the Federal Government a tract of
land at Biloxi to build a lighthouse. The consideration was
$600.(Harrison Co., Ms. Land Deed Bk. 3, p. 392)
1853
Yellow
Fever struck Biloxi on June 29th, when it was brought to
Biloxi by someone from New Orleans. Dr. Andreas Byrenheidt
(1768-1858) reported following the crisis that there were 533 cases
of Yellow Fever in Biloxi, which resulted in 111 deaths. He
estimated that the population at this time was 5500 people, which
included summer tourists and those fleeing the epidemic at New
Orleans.(Testimony of Dr. A. Byrenheidt, M.D. in Report of the
Sanitary Commission of NOLA on the Yellow Fever of 1853,
1854, p. 540)
The 1853
Yellow Fever epidemic at New Orleans killed about 10,000
of the 30,000 persons infected with the mosquito borne virus. It
earned the Crescent City the epithet "Necropolis of the South".
1855
The
Hurricane of 1855 of September 15th-16th hits near Bay St. Louis,
and destroyed bath houses, piers and many houses at Biloxi
between its three miles of waterfront development from west of the
Biloxi Lighthouse to Point Cadet.(The New Orleans Daily Picayune,
September 20, 1855, p. 1 and Sullivan, p. 135)
1856
The
Last Islands [Isles Dernieres] Hurricane mauls this seaside
resort off of Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana on August 11th and kills
about 200 people. According to modern estimates by the
NOAA the storm was probably a
Category 4 hurricane with central pressure of around 934 mb. It
tied with
Hurricane Hugo as the 10th most intense hurricane to hit the
mainland United States.
1858
Dr.
Andreas Byrenheidt (1786-1858), Biloxi physician and native of
France, expired on March 4th.
1859
In 1859,
Joseph H. Bellande (1813-1907) sold
to Bishop William H. Elder of the Diocese of Natchez a lot measuring
192 x 100 feet for the first site of St. Alphonsus Catholic
Church on Porter Avenue for $100.
1860
John B.
Toulme (1795-1860), native of Saint Domingue, now Haiti,
expired at Bay St. Louis, on August 17th. He was a pioneer settler
of this village and assisted General Andrew Jackson
(1767-1845) with information on the British invasion forces in this
area during the War of 1812.(The Daily Picayune, August
25, 1860, p. 2)
1861
The War
of the Rebellion or American Civil War commences on April 12,
1861 in South Carolina.
“The
Biloxi Rifles”, Company E, 3rd Mississippi Infantry
Regiment, C.S.A., were sworn into State military service on May
21, 1861 and mustered in Confederate service on October 5,
1861.(Howell, To Live and Die in Dixie,
1991, p. 565)
1865
The
Civil War ends on April 9, 1865 in Virginia.
1870
On October
29, 1870, the New Orleans, Mobile, & Chattanooga Railroad
(Chartered 1866) completed the rail line between Mobile and New
Orleans. Rail service commenced on November 21, 1870.
1871
The N.O.M.
& C. was reorganized on April 18, 1871 and became the New
Orleans, Mobile & Texas Railroad.
1875
An
editorial in The Star of Pascagoula blasted the New
Orleans, Mobile & Texas Railroad as "nothing more that or
less than a gang of highway robbers, entitled to as little
consideration from the people as so many bandits who rob and plunder
the weak and defenseless in defiance of the law. The only remedy
for these wrongs is the sale of the road. Refuse to patronize the
road, even if undergo inconvenience in doing so.(The Star
of Pascagoula, May 22, 1875, p. 2)
In
June, D.B. Seal, District Attorney of Hancock County filed
litigation against the New Orleans, Mobile, & Chattanooga
Railroad (sic?). The plaintiffs were asking that the
railroad build a draw bridge across the Pearl River. The
present bridge was blocking the East Pearl River channel,
which was needed for the lumber trade.(The Star of
Pascagoula, June 12, 1875, p. 3)
1889
Jefferson Davis (1808-1889) died at New Orleans on December
6th. His remains were interred in the Metairie Cemetery.
1893
In late May, the corporal remains of Jefferson Davis
(1808-1889) were sent from New Orleans by a L&N funeral car to
Richmond, Virginia for burial on May 31st in the Hollywood
Cemetery.(The Biloxi Herald, May 29, 1893, p. 1)
The Mexican Gulf Coast Illustrated written by T.H. Glenn
of Ocean Springs is complete and being bound.(The
Biloxi Herald, July 8, 1893, p. 8)
Casmir Harvey commenced his ferry operation across Back Bay
to Biloxi on December 2nd. His vessel was called ‘the
Shrimp’. Captain Ed Richards took over he rope or skiff ferry
and handled the oars.(The Biloxi Herald, December 2, 1893, p. 1)
1898
The
Spanish American War commenced on April .
1901
The first pedestrian Bridge, a wooden structure,
across Back Bay Biloxi opened on August 3rd.(The Biloxi Daily
Herald, August 3, 1901, p. 1)
1907
Henry Krohn, overseer, commenced work on a new road
from the Tchoutacabouffa River south to the Back Bay Bridge
in September. It became known as the Lamey's Bridge Road.(The
Daily Herald, September 22, 1907 and September 22, 1947, p. 1)
1912
The
Harrison County Board of Supervisors ordered that a bridge
be built over the Biloxi River at the Lorraine Ferry.(The
Daily Herald, February 9, 1912, p. 1)
1913
In
July 1913, the Harrison County Board of Supervisors let a
$6300 contract to the Austin Brothers of Atlanta, Georgia to erect a
structure across the Tchoutacabouffa River to replace the Lamey
Ferry. In November 1913, board member, F.W. Elmer Sr., was
appointed to oversee construction of the bridge.(HARCO, Ms. Board
of Supervisors Minute Bk. 10, p. 274 and p. 391)
1914
At its
April 1914 meeting, the Harrison County Board of Supervisors
accepted the completed work and paid the Austin Brothers for the
Tchoutacabouffa River bridge. Philip Lamey was appointed bridge
keeper for one year and paid $30 per month for his services.(HARCO,
Ms. Board of Supervisors Minute Bk. 11, p. 6 and p. 10)
WW I commenced in Europe when Germany
declared war on Russian and France in early August.
1917
The United States declared war on Germany on April 6th.
1918
World War I ends in November 1918.
1934
Brother
Isaiah, nee John Cudney (1847-1934), healer and
miracle worker, who lived in the St. Martin area of Jackson
County in the early 1920s, passed on at Oroville, California in late
July 1934, breaking the pledge to his faithful cult that he would
never die!(The Jackson County Times, July 28, 1934, p. 2)
1935
On May 6, 1935,
the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) was created to help
provide economic relief to the citizens of the United States who
were suffering through the Great Depression.
1941
In June
1941, the U.S. Army Air Corps activated Station No. 8,
Aviation Mechanics School, at Biloxi, Mississippi. By late
August 1941, this military installation had been dedicated as
Keesler Army Airfield, in honor of 2nd Lieutenant Samuel
Reeves Keesler (1896-1918), a native of Greenwood, Mississippi.
Lieutenant Keesler had died in France from wounds received while in
aerial combat against Germany during the Great War. Keesler Army
Airfield not only became technical training center, but trained
basic recruits. The first contingent of recruits arrived at Biloxi
on August 21, 1941.
Byron
Patton 'Pat' Harrison (1881-1941) of Gulfport, former
Congressman (1911-1919) and US Senator (1919-1941) died in
Washington D.C. on the 22nd.
On
December 7th, the Empire of Japan attacked Pearl Harbor
in the Hawaiian Islands. America declared war on Japan the
next day. Germany and Italy sign an alliance with Japan
and enter the war on December 11th.
1927 Back Bay Bridge
[Circa 1926 under construction. Note 1901 wooden bridge in
background.]
1927
The Biloxi-North Biloxi [D'Iberville] Bridge was dedicated
on January 12th. Two parades, the largest barbecue
ever staged in this area, public speaking, and an
amusement show were part of the ceremony. Mayor
William E. Dever (1862-1929) of Chicago was invited to speak.(The
Daily Herald, December 30, 1926, p. 1 and January 6, 1927, p. 1)
1941
In June
1941, the U.S. Army Air Corps activated Station No. 8,
Aviation Mechanics School, at Biloxi, Mississippi. By late
August 1941, this military installation had been dedicated as
Keesler Army Airfield, in honor of 2nd Lieutenant Samuel
Reeves Keesler (1896-1918), a native of Greenwood, Mississippi.
Lieutenant Keesler had died in France from wounds received while in
aerial combat against Germany during the Great War. Keesler Army
Airfield not only became technical training center, but trained
basic recruits. The first contingent of recruits arrived at Biloxi
on August 21, 1941.
Byron
Patton 'Pat' Harrison (1881-1941) of Gulfport, former
Congressman (1911-1919) and US Senator (1919-1941) died in
Washington D.C. on the 22nd.
On
December 7th, the Empire of Japan attacked Pearl Harbor
in the Hawaiian Islands. America declared war on Japan the
next day. Germany and Italy sign an alliance with Japan
and enter the war on December 11th.
1975
The U.S. Interstate I-110 Back Bay Bridge between
D'Iberville and Biloxi opened on June 22nd.(The Daily Herald,
June 26, 1975, p. 1)
1988
The City of D'Iberville was incorporated on February 10,
1988.
1989
Mayor Jerry Lawrence (b. 1928) and his five councilmen, Thomas J. Moore
Jr. (b. 1942), Linda Davis, A.J. Penrow, Les Barnett Jr. (b. 1959), and Oliver Diaz Sr.,
the first city government of D'Iberville, Mississippi, was
sworn into office on July 1, 1989.(The Biloxi-'Iberville Press,
July 14, 1989, p. 1)
1990
M.
James Stevens (1909-1990) was born July 6, 1909 at Elizabeth,
New Jersey. He settled on the Coast in 1948 and owned the
Confederate Inn and Restaurant. at Gulfport. Mr. Stevens became a
great Mississippi Gulf Coast Historian and amassed a large
archives of documents pertaining to Mississippi Gulf Coast
chronology, which are now known collectively as, 'The M. James
Stevens Collection'. He expired at San Antonio, Texas on June
4, 1990.(The Sun Herald, June 12, 1990, p. C1)
1992
On
August 1st, dockside gambling commenced at
Biloxi when two riverboat casinos from Iowa, the Diamond
Lady and the Emerald Lady, opened for business
as The Isle of Capri Casino.(The Biloxi-d’Iberville Press,
July 22, 1992, p. 1 and The Sun Herald, July 29, 2007, p. G1)
1998
Charles R. "Bob" Stein (1920-1998), native of West Virginia,
and founder of The North Biloxian (1973) and
Biloxi-D'Iberville Press (1975), expired on
January 1st.(The Sun Herald, January 3, 1998, p. B2)
2003
Walter F. Fountain (1920-2003), journalist, historian,
and longtime Chamber of Commerce employee and general manager,
expired on December 30th.(The Sun Herald, January 2, 2004, p. A5)
2005
Russell ‘Rusty’ Quave elected Mayor of D’Iberville.
2007
On October 2nd, Wayne H. Payne,
Saucier resident and former Chief of Police at Gulfport and Long
Beach, was appointed Chief of Police of D’Iberville. Chief Payne
has been tasked with developing the city’s first police force.(The
Bay Press, October 5, 2007, p. 1)
MAYORS of D’IBERVILLE
1989-2007
Jerry Lawrence was born at Biloxi, Mississippi, the son of Dewey
Lawrence and
Russell Quave was born at Biloxi, Mississippi, the son of Quave
and .
A HISTORY OF D'IBERVILLE, MISSISSIPPI
On February 10, 1998, the citizens of D'Iberville,
Mississippi held a party celebrating their 10th anniversary as an
incorporated city. D'Iberville is certainly one of the newest
incorporated towns in Mississippi, but it is also one of the oldest
areas of continuous habitation in the Magnolia State.
Many of the 19th Century families of Ocean Springs and
environs can trace their humble beginnings to the north shore of the
Bay of Biloxi. Among them are: Tiblier, Beaugez, Bellande, Dick,
Moran, Ladner, and Quave. With this brief introduction, I readily
give to you my interpretation of the history of this most
interesting area of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
GENERAL INFORMATION
The City of D'Iberville is located on the north shore of
the Back Bay of Biloxi in extreme southeastern Harrison County,
Mississippi. It was incorporated on February 10, 1988. The city
encompasses an area of about 2800 acres or 4.4 square miles. It is
bounded on the north by the Tchoutacabouffa River and a tributary,
Cypress Creek. The east side of the city is formed by the
north-south line between Harrison and Jackson County while the Back
Bay of Biloxi constitutes the southern border. Closure of the city
limits on the western perimeter is the range line between Sections 7
and 8 and 18 and 17 of T7S-R9W.
The 1990 population of D'Iberville was estimated to be
approximately 6500 people or about 1500 people per square mile. It
has grown from about 1200 people in 1960, a dramatic increase of
442% in 30 years. From the turn of the 20th Century until 1960, the
population of this area increased only 380%.
As the history of the Mississippi Gulf Coast commenced
with the French settlement at Fort Maurepas (1699-1702), called
Biloxy, within the city limits of present day Ocean Springs,
Mississippi in April 1699, this is the appropriate time to begin the
History of D'Iberville, one of the newest cities in Mississippi, but
certainly one of its oldest continually settled areas.
COLONIAL DAYS
(1699-1811)
D'Iberville acquired its name from the first hero
of New France, Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d'Iberville et d'Ardillieres
(1661-1706). Iberville was the name of a fief held by the Lemoyne
family near Dieppe in Normandy while Ardillieres was property that
he acquired near Rochefort in Aunis. Normandy and Aunis are regions
of France located respectively in the northwest and west central
areas of that nation. Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d'Iberville, was born
at Ville-Marie (now Montreal) on July 9, 1661. His father, Charles
Le Moyne de Longueil et de Chateauguay (1626-1685), came to French
Canada in 1641 from Dieppe. Here he rose from an indentured servant
interpreter, in the service of the Jesuit missionaries, to become
one of the most powerful men in the fur trade.
Catherine Thierry, the mother of Iberville, gave
birth to fourteen children, twelve sons and two daughters. Seven of
her sons became known as the "Machabees of New France" for
their military exploits.
After successful military expeditions against English
settlements and fur trading posts at James Bay (1686), Corlaer
(1690), York Fort (1694), Newfoundland (1696), and
Hudson Bay (1697), Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d'Iberville was selected
by Louis XIV, the King of France, to lead an expedition to relocate
the mouth of the Mississippi River. His mission was to defend the
French claim to Louisiana established by explorer, Robert Rene
Cavalier, Sieur de LaSalle, in 1682. Iberville planned to erect a
fort and prohibit entry into the Great River by other nations,
particularly the English, who were a threat
from the Carolinas.
Arriving on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in February 1699,
from France with a stop at Saint-Domingue (Haiti) to strengthen his
forces, Iberville's small fleet anchored at Ship Island. From this
base, the French reconnoitered the Mississippi River and surrounding
area. A decision was made to erect Fort Maurepas, on the east side
of the Bay of Biloxi, in April 1699.
Although the City of D'Iberville was named for the
French Canadian admiral and explorer, Iberville, it was his brother,
Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville (1680-1768), who was
probably the first European to visit the immediate area. This is
corroborated somewhat by an entry in Iberville's journal on April
23, 1699:
I sent my brother (Bienville) and two Canadians 5 leagues
(15 miles) from the fort (Maurepas), to the far end of
this bay (Back Bay of Biloxi), to inspect it and the land in
the vicinity. He found it perfectly fine for settlement. I went
and examined the back side of the little bay, and with one man, I
penetrated 4 leagues (12 miles) inland to examine the
country. I found it very beautiful with pine woods, mixed with
tress of other kinds in spots, many prairies, light, sandy soil
everywhere; I saw a good many deer. Deer are killed everywhere in
the vicinity of the fort.
Iberville returned to France in May 1699, leaving a
garrison of eighty-one men under the command of Sauvole at Fort
Maurepas, called Biloxi. The French fort at present day Ocean
Springs was abandoned in 1702, as the French elected to move the
Louisiana Colony to the Mobile region. Fort Louis de la Louisiane
was established by Iberville on the Mobile River in 1704, twenty
seven miles from the entrance to Mobile Bay.
The great French Canadian warrior, Iberville, then led
an invasion of the island of Nevis, the Garden of the Caribbean.
Here in 1706, Iberville and his forces pillaged
and burned the island capturing over 3,200 slaves. He became ill of
fever after the raid on Nevis and died at Havana, Cuba on July 9,
1706. Iberville's remains were interred at the Church of San
Cristobal.
In 1719, the French returned the capital of Louisiana
from Mobile to that area on the Fort Point peninsula at Ocean
Springs, formerly occupied by the "Old French Fort",
Fort Maurepas. In 1720, the seat of colonial government was
relocated across the Bay of Biloxi from Old Biloxi to New Biloxi
(present day Biloxi, Mississippi). From the French beachhead near
the present day Biloxi lighthouse, colonists settled at Bay St.
Louis, Pascagoula, the Red River, Baton Rouge, the Lower
Mississippi, and Arkansas. Although the colony at New Biloxi was
officially abandoned in 1727, some French and Canadian colonists
remained in the immediate area as fishermen, stockmen, subsistence
farmers, and traders.
After the Seven Years War (1756-1763) with France
terminated with the Treaty of Paris, the English took control of
this region, which became known as British West
Florida. They did not actively settle the Mississippi coast portion
of their newly acquired territory, but did send pioneers to the
Natchez District and the Florida Parishes of Louisiana.
The Spanish under Bernardo Galvez displaced the English
in 1783, when they captured Mobile and Pensacola. A small post was
established at Pascagoula, which may have given the name "Spanish
Fort" to the de la Pointe-Krebs House. Anecdotal history relates
that the Spanish sent a small detachment of soldiers to the Fort
Point peninsula at
Ocean Springs. This garrison was referred to as the "Spanish
Camp". It is further postulated that an outbreak of fever decimated
the soldiers and their families who are believed to have settled in
the Gulf Hills area north of Ocean Springs.
In 1784, Thomas Hutchins, Surveyor-General of the United
States, on a visit to the area observed:
There are still a few inhabitants at Biloxi, some of whom are
the offspring of the original settlers. Their chief employment is
raising cattle and stock, and making pitch and tar: but the natives
(Indians) are troublesome to them.
BACK BAY
(1811-1900)
In the early years of the 19th Century, Back Bay was the
name given to the area north of the village of Biloxi. It comprised
a large portion of the present city of
D'Iberville. In the late 19th century, Back Bay became known as
Harvey and Quaves (1885) when post offices by these names were
established. Later post offices enacted
were known as Lazarus (1901-1907) and Seymour (1907-1911). For most
of the 20th Century, the City of D'Iberville and surrounding area
was referred to as Seymour, North Biloxi, and D'Iberville. It is
believed the name D'Iberville came into general use in the 1920s as
the school district adopted this nomenclature.
When Dr. Flood, the representative of Governor Claiborne
of the Orleans Territory, was dispatched to the Mississippi coast to
hoist the flag of the United States in January 1811, he found the
population between the Pearl River and Biloxi to be about four
hundred people chiefly French and Creoles. Dr. Flood in his report
to Governor Claiborne wrote:
proceeded to the Bay of Biloxi, where I found Mr. Ladnier (Jacques),
and gave him the commission (Justice of the Peace). He is a man of
excellent sense, but can neither read or write, nor can any
inhabitants of the bay of Biloxi that I can hear of. They are, all
along this beautiful coast, a primitive people, of mixed origin,
retaining the gaiety and politeness of the French, blended with the
abstemiousness and indolence of the Indian. They plant a little
rice, and a few roots and vegetables, but depend on subsistence
chiefly on game and fish. I left with all these appointees copies
of the laws, ordinances, etc. But few laws will be wanted here.
The people are universally honest.
There are no crimes. The father of the family or the oldest
inhabitant, settles all disputes......A more innocent and
inoffensive people may not be found. They seem to desire only the
simple necessities of life, and to be let alone in their
tranquility. I am greatly impressed with the beauty and value of
this coast. The high sandy lands, heavily timbered with pine, and
the lovely bays and rivers, from Pearl River to Mobile will furnish
New Orleans with a rich commerce, and with a delightful summer
resort. For a cantonment or military post, in consideration of the
health of the troops, this whole coast is admirably fitted.
As Dr. Flood predicted, it was outlying villages like Back Bay that
would supply New Orleans, the ever growing port on the Mississippi
River which controlled trade with
interior North America, with essential raw materials. These
products were: charcoal and wood for fuel, seafood and fresh garden
produce, brick and mortar, lumber, naval stores, and ships.
Some of these activities were seen by Benjamin L.C. Wailes who
viewed the village of Back Bay from Biloxi on August 27, 1852.
State geologist, Wailes, wrote the following:
Rode in the morning, after a call from Judge Smith, to Back Bay 2
miles, which is the extension of the Bay of Baluxi (sic). Found a
steam ferry running across where it seems to be a mile in width.
The extensive brick yard of Mr. Kendall, where bricks are made on a
very extensive scale from dry compressed earth by steam power, was
in sight of the opposite side, about two miles distant. A number of
small craft were in the Bay, and several along the shore were
undergoing repairs. Several steam mills, which are very numerous on
the Bay, for sawing pine timber, were also in view.
The small population living in the area at the commencement of the
19th Century is believed to have been descendents of the followers
of d'Iberville. The Back Bay area had not yet been penetrated by
Americans. The French language and culture were pervasive. Early
Spanish land grants at Back Bay in T7S-R9W of what would become
Hancock County (not Harrison County until 1841) were given to the
French speaking descendants of Christian Ladner, a Swiss adventurer,
who arrived on the Mississippi coast aboard the French vessel, Le
Marie, in 1719. These recipients of then Spanish territory were:
Joseph Ladner (Section 23), Dominique Ladner (Section 22), and John
Baptiste Ladner (Section 16). The other claim (Section 21) was
awarded to Louis A. Caillavet, a native of the Opelousas Post,
Louisiana, who settled at Biloxi before 1809. Other families
believed to have descended from the early colonists who came to Back
Bay in the early 19th Century were: Moran (Morin), Quave (Cuevas),
Seymour, Fournier, Groue, Gollott (Grelot), Bosarge, and Rousseau.
In the 1830s, immigrants from France, Spain, Germany, Croatia, and
Switzerland began to discover the quite waters of Back Bay. Why
they came here may be never known. Most of the expatriates came
through New Orleans and possibly were seeking political asylum and
or the opportunity to make a fortune in a free land. Among these
adventurers and dreamers were: Manuel Sanchez, Jose Santa Cruz,
Francois Fountain, Henry Krohn, Bernard and Nicholas Taltavull,
Joseph Abbley, Pierre Hervai (Harvey), Jules Saujon, Louis Boney,
Stanislaus Beaugez, Antoine Bellande, Jacob Hosli, and John Baptiste
Foretich.
They found Back Bay conducive for settlement because of
the following: the abundance of seafood in the local fecund waters;
the vast amount of tall stands of yellow
pine, oak, and cypress to build boats, homes, and extract naval
stores; a deep, sheltered channel ran from the entrance of Biloxi
Bay to the Back Bay settlement allowing their fishing vessels and
trading schooners to moor in relative safety from violent storms and
hurricanes, although anecdotal history relates that the September
1860 Hurricane, practically devastated the Back Bay settlement.
Adequate supplies of fresh water were also readily available in the
area.
It took entrepreneurs from the eastern seaboard and New
Orleans to begin industrial development in the greater Biloxi Bay
area. Families such as, Alsbury, Kendall, McRae, Hand, Taylor,
McGuire, Bingham, Henry, Laughter, and Gautier began light
industries, i.e. saw mills, shipyards, and brickworks at Buena Vista
(Handsboro) on Bayou Bernard, on the Tchoutacabouffa River, and at
Back Bay. The focus of this industrial base was directed toward
supplying New Orleans only ninety miles to the west. New Orleans
could be reached from Back Bay by shallow draft schooners in a day
or two.
Although some Americans had arrived in the area earlier than the
European immigrants, they settled to the west and north along the
Tchoutacabouffa River and Cedar Lake area were land was available
and the French language and culture were rare. These people made
their livelihood by farming, stock raising, logging, and charcoal
burning. Families such as Wells, Latimer, Cruthirds, Morris,
Ramsay, Blackwell, Holley, Scarborough, and Parker were among this
group.
In the late 19th Century, several travelers related
their observations of Back Bay. The Biloxi Herald of
November 21, 1891 said:
Twenty minutes walk from the depot brings one to one of the
prettiest places of the Biloxi side of Back Bay, the Reynoir place,
near which the little tug
Jennie
lands for passengers. A ten minutes run on this beautiful sheet of
water lands you in the picturesque rambling village of Back Bay,
which is scattered along the shore for about two miles, giving
shelter, to nearly two hundred and fifty inhabitants, and boasting a
Roman Catholic church house, a school house, several stores, and a
yard for ship building.
The houses are chiefly small cottages nestled in groves of
trees on a rise, scarcely to be called a hill or ridge, which in
some places ascends directly from the water's edge, resembling the
terrace-like slopes of Ocean Springs' front, and in others a narrow
stretch of sandy beach or a marsh intervenes between the elevation
and the water. The schoolhouse is very pleasantly located; the
waters of the bay, half-veiled by a grove of trees, shimmer in the
distance in the front, and the woodland back is a perfect delight
with its mingling of deciduous and evergreen trees, forming charming
vistas and shady nooks. The gum, oak, sycamore and maple bear the
imprint of autumn's glorious reign in vivid fiery dashes from his
heart's very life, while the fall pines wave their plumed tops as
they breathe a low weird requiem for beautiful, passionate departed
summer.(p. 4).
In July 1892, Catherine Cole, New Orleans correspondent,
who was traveling from Ocean Springs to Back Bay, vividly described
a portion of the journey as:
An hour passes by and we have come, still under the feathery pines,
to beautiful Back Bay, famous for its oysters, its bathing, it
scenery and its drives. This is the chief suburb of Biloxi, just as
Biloxi is the chief town of the lake shore.(The
Daily Picayune, July 24, 1892, p. 12).
LAZARUS-SEYMOUR-NORTH BILOXI
(1900-1945)
After nearly a century of isolation, the village of
Lazarus, as it was called from 1901 to 1907 from the post office
there, became connected to Biloxi with a wooden bridge. The span
was dedicated on August 3, 1901. This eliminated the steam ferry,
which had run intermittently since 1843. With the bridge complete,
commerce between the two cities increased. Seafood, fresh produce,
dairy products, citrus and pecans, wool, and forest products from
the countryside flowed smoothly to the railhead at Biloxi.
Woolmarket and Stiglets Landing on the Biloxi River lost their
prominence as wool exporting areas due to the network of dirt and
shell roads now proliferating from a former wilderness towards the
Back Bay of Biloxi.
In August 1911, the rural post offices at Seymour,
Vinnie, and Woolmarket were closed. Postmaster Tyler of Biloxi
integrated their services into two rural routes operated from the
Biloxi post office. Mail carriers did not depart for their rural
deliveries until after the morning trains from New Orleans had
arrived in order that Crescent City morning journals be included in
their postings to patrons in rural areas.(The Ocean Springs News,
August 26, 1911, p. 1)
In 1915, a shell road was completed from Ocean Springs
to Seymour in the ruts of an old wagon trail.
After the concrete bridge was opened from Biloxi to
D'Iberville on January 12, 1927, North Biloxi and the Mississippi
coast became a connected part of the Old Spanish Trail from Los
Angeles to Jacksonville, Florida. The mayor of Chicago, William A. Dever, spoke at the dedication of this $350,000 structure.
From the late 19th Century until the 1920s, forests were
exploited in the backwoods north of Lazarus-Seymour. Sawmills and
timber rail lines, called trams, were built in these area to cut and
reach tall stands of yellow pine which lay some distance from the
creeks and streams, areas along which timber had been initially
harvested. The Vinnie and Lickskillet communities near Cedar Lake
thrived at this time, when the L.N. Dantzler Lumber Company of Moss
Point cut vast stands of timber here.
Turpentine pioneers from Georgia, D.J. Gay
(1870-1949) and C.B. Elarbee (1861-1917), built stills and made
turpentine and rosin from pine gum. Later Gay joined with
Chicago entrepreneur, Robert W. Hamill (1863-1943), to form the
Gay-Hamill Company. They were also active in turpentining at
Jackson and George County.
In the early years of this century, fruit and pecan
orchards were common in the area. Nurseryman, James A. Brodie
(1855-1937), sold grafted pecans, satsuma oranges, grapefruit,
kumquats and roses from his nursery on Back Bay. Local orchard
owners of note were J.W. Balthrope, C.I. Simpson, Dr. Bernhart, and
J.R. Meunier (1880-1944). The severe winter freezes of 1917-1918
decimated most of the citrus orchards.
The descendants of the Pierre Quave family, which had
been in the mercantile business at Back Bay-Seymour since the 1840s,
continued their dominance of the local commerce. Ramon J. Quave
(1851-1908), called the father of the village of Seymour, and his
brother, Peter Quave (1863-1936), were active in every aspect of
business. Madelene Quave (1890-1970), a daughter of Ramon J. Quave,
continued the tradition by operating her Farmer's Cash Market from
1919 until her retirement in 1963. She also built the Star Theater
in 1921. The current mayor of D' Iberville, Russell A. "Rusty"
Quave, is also a merchant operating his meat market and convenience
store on the same road, now called Central Avenue, of his Quave
ancestors who toiled here over one hundred and fifty years ago.
Other pre-Depression entrepreneurial families were the
Averys, Seymours, Morans, Harveys, Borries, Granthams, Fountains,
Balthropes, Fourniers, Terrettas, Giamettas, Lepomas, Latimers,
Lepres, Rodrigues, Cannettes, Lauffers, Trochessets, Brashers,
Hengens, Fayards, and Mulhollands.
World War I saw a surge in the local economy as the
Biloxi shipyards of Francis Brander and J.D. Covacevich were busy
with government contracts. The post-War years saw several new
canneries open on the north shore. Arnaud G. Lopez (1880-1948), and
the Ocean Springs Packing Company built small factories, which were
located on the west end at St. Martin. They joined the Imperial
Packing Company and Quave Canning, which were on the east end of the
community. The latter packing companies had been in existence for
at least a decade.
Like every American community, the Depression was felt
at North Biloxi, as the community was called at this time. Factory
work was limited at the seafood plants along the Back Bay. People
survived by fishing, gardens, and local and federal government jobs
through WPA programs.
With the building of Keesler Field at Biloxi in 1941,
employment opportunities were created for those not engaged at war.
In addition, several shipyards were operating on the south shore of
Back Bay at Biloxi, Pascagoula, and New Orleans.
POST WW II
(1945-1988)
Post World War II, saw service men returning from the
various overseas combat theaters. With Keesler Field growing and
the Ingalls shipbuilding operation at Pascagoula providing steady
employment, North Biloxi became a bedroom community. Traditional
occupations such as fishing, oystering, and shrimping continued,
albeit on a slow decline.
In the late 1940s, Anthony Doty Fournier (1910-1990)
commenced his family run seafood factory, which is still in
operation. Other businesses in town at this time were: the Seymour
Beer Parlor; Fournier Tavern; the Bridge Tavern; Laz Quave & Son-a
market, grocery, and feed store; Moran's Ice Cream Parlor; Ladner's
Dry Cleaners; and the French Market Grocery.
As the population began to increase after WW II, the
homogeneity of the North Biloxi community began to erode. The
distinct dialect or brogue of the "hoss from across" began to
disappear, as the "old timers" born in the 19th Century of French
and Spanish descent passed on to the grave.
By the 1960s, many of the remaining wooded areas at
North Biloxi were removed to make room for small shopping centers
and subdivisions. A local newspaper, The North Biloxian, was
commenced by Charles R. Stein Sr. (1920-1998) in June 1973. This
journal evolved into The Biloxi-D'Iberville Press, which was
operated by Mr. Stein, until his recent demise on January 1, 1998.
The journal was sold to Lisa and Gary Michelle and the name changed
to The Bay Press. Its market was expanded to Ocean Springs
and St. Martin community.
In 1974, The Peoples Bank of Biloxi opened a branch in
January on Le Moyne Boulevard. A reflection of good economic
activity in the area was seen when the North Biloxi Area Chamber of
Commerce, received its charter in July of the same year.
As the growth pattern of D'Iberville was to the north
and west, the old town commercial district along present day Central
Avenue began to erode. It received a fatal blow, when by-passed by
the I-110 Bridge across the Back Bay, which opened on June 22,
1975. Fortunately, the Bill Holland shipyard, one of few in America
which builds wooden boats, and the C.F. Gollott factory, both
traditional industries in the area, remained.
D'IBERVILLE
(1988-1996)
With the swearing in of Mayor Jerry Lawrence and his
five councilmen, Thomas J. Moore Jr., Linda Davis, A.J. Penrow, Les
Barnett Jr., and Oliver Diaz Sr., on July 1, 1989, the city of
D'Iberville has shown rapid growth. A new city hall, library, and
civic center were erected on Auto Mall Parkway between 1992-1995.
Casino gaming taxes, which has filled the coffers of
neighbor, Biloxi, to the south, has thus far eluded D' Iberville.
The town has been mired in a conflict with conservationists who have
sought to block casino gaming on the north shore of Back Bay in what
they consider to be environmentally sensitive areas.
D'Iberville's fate as it moves into the 21st
Century will be determined somewhat by outside interests as
decisions concerning its economic potential and land area are made.
Future area growth of the community may be limited as it competes
with Biloxi for land to the west and north. Economic potential for
the city appears to be linked to its waterfront on Back Bay and the
Tchoutacabouffa River. Strong local government leadership is
essential and it must be willing to adhere to strict zoning codes
and have a keen awareness of the environment.
Royal D’Iberville-Casino hope
In mid-December 2001, the City of D’Iberville after eight years of
intensive labor, secured the interest of Diversified Opportunities
Group, an investment and development company, owned by the Jacobs
family of Cleveland, Ohio and Palm Beach, Florida, in its Harvey
Landing casino site. They are the majority interest owners of The
Lodge Casino, Blackhawk, Colorado, Gold Dust West Casino, Reno,
Nevada, and the Colonial Downs Racetrack, Richmond, Virginia. DVO
looking into a $250,000,000 multi-phased, development.
This project never came to fruition.(The Sun
Herald, December 15, 2001, p. A-11)
Casino
arrives?
REFERENCES:
J.F.H. Claiborne,
Mississippi as a Province, Territory, and State,
(The reprint Company: Spartanburg, South Carolina-1978), pp.
306-307.
Vincent K. Hubbard, Swords,
Ships
and Sugar, A History of Nevis to 1900,
(Third Edition), (
Thomas Hutchins,
An
Historical Narrative and Topographic Description of Louisiana and
West Florida (1784),
(University of Florida: Gainesville, Florida-1968), p. 63.
Richebourg Gaillard McWilliams,
Iberville's Gulf Journals,
(The University of Alabama Press: University, Alabama-1981), p. 96.
Benjamin L.C. Wailes,
Report
on the Agriculture and Geology of Mississippi, Embracing a Sketch of
the Social and Natural History of the State,
(Philadelphia: 1854), p. .
Dictionary of Canadian Biography,
Volume II (1701-1740), (University of Toronto Press: Toronto-1969)
pp. 390-39.
The
D'Iberville Plan, A Summary of D'Iberville's 1993 Comprehensive Plan,
(Community Associates and The Gulf Regional Planning
Commission-1993), p. 2.
The Biloxi, Mississippi 1990 City Directory, (R.L. Polk Company:
Richmond, Virginia-1990), pp. 21-22.
Journals
The Biloxi Herald,
“Back Bay”,
November 14, 1891, p. 8.
The Biloxi Daily Herald,
"A Bridge Needed", July 23, 1898, p. 1.
The Biloxi Daily Herald,
"Necrology-Ramon John Quave", October 3, 1908.
The Biloxi-D'Iberville Press,
"Ship Building Boom Hits Coast", May 17, 1989, p. 12.
The Biloxi-D'Iberville Press,
"Officials to be Sworn in July 1st", July 14, 1989, p. 1.
The Daily Herald,
"Mayor Dever to Speak at Biloxi Bridge Celebration", January
6, 1927, p. 1.
The Daily Herald,
"Biloxi-Ocean Springs Road to be Completed This Month",
January 6, 1927, p. 1.
The Daily Herald,
"North Biloxi Set For Biggest Week in History of Back Bay",
January 8, 1927, p. 1.
The North Biloxian,
"North Bay Area Chamber of Commerce Receives Inaugural Charter",
July 31 1974, p. 1.
The North Biloxi Press,
"Farmer's Cash Market Destroyed by Fire", July 3, 1975, p. 1.
The Ocean Springs News,
“Three Postoffices Abolished”, August 26, 1911, p. 1.
The Ocean Springs News,
"Shell Road From Biloxi to Ocean Springs", January 21, 1915,
p. 1.
The Ocean Springs Record,
"Peoples Bank to Open D'Iberville-St. Martin Branch", January
3, 1974, p. 8. The
The Sun Herald,
“Developers, investors plan D’Iberville casino”,
December 15, 2001.
The Sun Herald,
“Back Bay boomtown”,
June 1, 2006, p. A1.
Ray L. Bellande
PO BOX 617
Ocean Springs
Mississippi 39566-0617
September 10, 1997
HARVEY LANDING: A 19th Century Back Bay Steam Ferry Quay
Did you know when the D'Iberville Riviera casino barge (formerly
owned by Treasure Bay at Robinsonville, Tunica County, Mississippi)
was removed from its refurbishment moorings at Clay Point in Biloxi,
and relocated about three miles northwestward, and then anchored on
the silt, sand and mud bottom of the Back Bay of Biloxi, in the
early afternoon of October 20, 1997, that its temporary mooring
site, about a crap shooters roll west of the I-110 bridge, was once
the ferry landing of Casimir J. Harvey and others? Here, in the
middle and late 19th Century on the shore of a village called Back
Bay, later Lazarus, Seymour, North Biloxi, and officially
D'Iberville in 1989, various men were granted licenses by the
Harrison County Board of Police (now Board of Supervisors) to
operate a steam ferry from the south shore of the Back Bay at Biloxi
to
this area. It was the only form of public transit "across de la
baie" until the wooden bridge to Biloxi from "Lazarus" was dedicated
on August 3, 1901.
In August 1843, a New Yorker, William C. Seaman (1801-1844), was the
first to acquire a Back Bay ferry license from the Harrison County
Board of Police. Before he acquired property at Biloxi, Seaman
resided in Jackson County where he was active in County and State
politics. Seaman was president of the Jackson County Board of
Police in 1841-1842. Seaman Road, northeast of Ocean Springs, was
apparently named for this family.
The Seaman ferry appears to have operated from Lameuse Road (now
Street) at Biloxi and ran northwestwardly about one mile to its
terminus at present day Bay Shore Drive and Boney Avenue. Seaman
had acquired this property from Rene Lameuse in October 1841. He
also resided here with his family. W.C. Seaman sired nine children
with two wives: Julia Jane Seaman (b. 1820), William C. Seaman, Jr.
(1823-1850), Nancy Ann Seymour (1826-1853), Melinda S. Leinhard
(1827-1890), Sherrod Seaman (1831-1904), Henry Seaman, Pliney Seaman
(1830-1912), Ben Seaman (1833-1910), and George W. Seaman
(1837-1907).
When Benjamin L.C. Wailes, the State geologist, visited the
Mississippi coast in late August 1852, he reported the following
concerning Back Bay:
Found a steam ferry running across (Back Bay) where it seems to be a
mile in width. The extensive brick yard of Mr. Kendall, where
bricks are made on a very extensive scale from dry compressed earth,
by steam power, was in sight on the opposite side (present day
D'Iberville), about two miles distant. A number of small craft was
in the Bay, and several along the shore undergoing repair. Several
steam mills, which are numerous on the Bay, for sawing pine timber,
were also in view.
As Professor Wailes observed, William Gray Kendall (1812-1872), a
Kentuckian by birth, was the proprietor of the Biloxi Steam Brick
Works, the largest slave labor
operation in Harrison County in the 1850s. It was located on Back
Bay just west of Seventh Avenue in present day D'Iberville. Mr.
Kendall resided on Biloxi Bay east of the
present da |
