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12li Today / November 2000
Ansley boasts a colorful history
Wally and Pam Ramage manage La France Marina and Fish Camp. Above, one of the canals lined with houses and docks in the Ansley area. Photos by Ken Fanning.
By Jill Easton
The elegant antique Chris Craft appeared to be moving across a sea of marsh grass as it headed toward La France Fish Camp. Actually, it was cruising up the winding Campbell Inside Bayou, but from our vantage point by the remains of the old Baldwin Lodge it looked like a boat that had taken on the ability to float on reeds.
Tucked in this Yiear-forgotten corner of our state is the most southern place in Mississippi and a small community that is the gateway to the huge salt marshes of Louisiana. At the center of this meeting of the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi Sound and the Pearl River is Ansley. This community is a spot on the map that is the center of pirate tales, failed American takeover attempts and another of the places developers at the turn of the century hoped to turn into a winter destination for northerners trying to escape the cold.
Today, Ansley consists of a few dozen homes plus some newer elevated ones built along waterways constructed during the "Go-South Boom" from the 1920s through the 1960s. La France Fish Camp is the only commercial establishment other than a few forgotten bars and lounges in the area.
Some folks claim that Ansley was originally larger than Bay St. Louis.
"No, it was never that big," said Jules La France who was born in Ansley in 1913. The original town was centered about where the main road crosses the railroad tracks.
"1 started building the fish camp in about
1940	or '41 and sold it in 1973," said La France, who is now 87 years old and still lives in the area.
La France Marina is an interesting blend of old and new. The land has been a destination for thousands of years as the Indian shell mounds and, more recently, the Campbell family cemetery will testify.
Folks have been coming to the camp for generations. One grandmother who was visiting when we were there has been fishing from the area all of her life. She remembers tales from her grandfather who fished the area before the turn of the century.
The boat launch, marina store, live bait shop, fuel dock, dry storage, recreational vehicle park and permanent slips are being repaired and expanded under the combined efforts of new owner Dave Robertson of Independence, La., and Pam and Wally Ramage, who took over management of the property a year ago. La France also has a boat lift, one rental cabin and a rental house.
"1 came over to go fishing one day, about
five years ago; when I left I'd bought a marina,? said Robertson. He is an entrepreneur who has interests in oil and gas, mobile home parks and mini-storage facilities. The day we visited La France, he was competently running a bulldozer to flatten out and dry dirt that came from his newly dredged channel.
When Robertson bought the place it was in need of an update. The former owner had not put much effort into maintenance for several years; salt water and erosion had taken a toll on buildings and equipment.
Now the camp is in the midst of a facelift. The fuel dock has been upgraded to meet Environmental Protection Agency standards, and fuel prices are kept reasonable.
Bulkheads that were washing away have been repaired, and the channels into the camp have been dredged to accommodate deeper draft boats.
Plans are being designed to add trailer spaces, increase the size of the store and add more slips. A small motel is also in the works. Construction depends on the ability to get municipal sewage lines out to the area, which has been promised to Ansley within the next two years. A municipal wastewater system would make this low area less subject to pollution in the marsh by malfunctioning septic tanks.
"Things are slow in happening," said Robertson. There are many reasons including the need to get a variety of wetlands permits
to build around marsh. Even though this area has been in use as a fish camp for a long time there is still the chance for additional expansion causing damage to the area.
"I'm not on outs, or anything, with the BMR (Bureau of Marine Resources), and a step at a time we're getting things done," said Robertson. "They watch and see what you are doing for a while to make sure you live up to your permits."
Robertson has tried to make his complex a good citizen of the area. He was even an unknowing assistant for Coastal Cleanup in September.
"All these people came down the road carrying sacks of trash," Robertson said. "1 put them in my loader and arranged for disposal.''
Good facilities are not of much use if the management doesn't provide service. The camper store, RV sites, fuel dock and live bait shop have been run for the last year by the Ramages. Since they have taken over, many services have been expanded.
"It's team management," said Robertson. "I'm over here on a seasonal basis and when they need me, but I have other work to do. They provide friendly service on a daily basis."
Hours have been expanded for the facility. Now there is someone at the store to dip live bait, take boat launch fees, pump gas and sell groceries from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.; during the summer they are open from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The Ramages have a lot of experience in running marina operations; they ran the Harbor Shop in Gulfport for a number of years, so they know the answers to most folks' questions about items such as boat repair and local attractions. ?