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S-A HERITAGE EDITION-SEA COAST ECHO, MAY 29, 1977
Jean Baptiste Necaise first settler in
BY NORTON HAAS
NOTE: This article on Kiln Is based upon tradition, discussions with people and my own knowledge. While not documented, it is acceptable.
I am pleased to acknowledge information and pictures from the following: James Stevens, Jeanne Williams, Jack Lott, Hazel Selph, Judge Selph, Dan Frederick, Lillie Hart, Fr. Pierre, Sr. Loraine, Birdie Mae Ladner, George Curet, Sam Favre, and Lander Necaise.
The first settlers in the Kiln Community located on Jourdan River were Jean Baptiste Nicaize (Necaise) and Family. It is likely they moved from Wolf River Area (De Lisle) to Kiln and acquired the J. B. Necaise Claim under a Spanish Grant around year 1800 or before. There is record of a marriage
May 11, 1745, Jean Baptiste Nicaize (Necaise) to Marie Catherine Miot (Meaut) in the Wolf River Area. It was also noted the father of J. B. Necaise was a native of Paris, France. A daughter was born to this union on December 22, 1749 in the Wolf River Area and named Marie Jeanne.
The Community established on Jourdan River became known as Kiln because of the tar Kilns used	in	the
manufacture of tar and' shipped by schooner to New Orleans for use in the caulking of ships and known as Naval Stores products.
Jourdan River received its name from Noel Jourdan, an early settler on the river under a Spanish Land Grant at the present site of Diamon-dhead. He later served as delegate to the Mississippi Constitutional Convention of
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FATHER SMITH WITH students of the Kiln Catholic Church
School in 1890. Photo courtesy of Lillie Hart.
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THE KILN HIGH SCHOOL as It appeared in 1918-1919. .. Photo courtesy of Jack Lott
1817 and first representative in the Legislature from Hancock County.
The first census of Kiln was taken in 1840 by John Mc-Caughan, Enumerator who before that time was a U.S. Custom Collector for the Town of Shieldsborough (later Bay St. Louis). After that he became the first Postmaster of Biloxi. At the same time, Kiln had a prosperous business in charcoal production and sold on the New Orleans Market. The great virgin forest north of Kiln was to be the backbone of the whole area in many years to come.
The sawmill era began around the Civil War when a sawmill was built in Kiln on Jourdan River by Capt. Sam Favre from Mobile, Alabama, also built a home in Kiln on Jourdan River in year 1859, later moved to present location near the Catholic Church and today owned by Sam Favre, Jr., a descendant of Capt. Favre, considered to be oldest house in Kiln.
Francois Haas from New Orleans built a sawmill on Bayou Talla in the Kiln area after the Civil War. Capt. Favre moved on to Logtown and Napoleon Area, and the Francois Haas’ sawmill was operated by Elisha Haas and Timothy Herlihy, later known as Herlihy and Haas. The next sawmill in Kiln was operated by Emilio Cue, who became the first Postmaster at Kiln on January 31, 1887.
During this era there were other industries set up in Kiln area because of water transportation on the River Jourdan and the vast virgin forest to the north. A shipyard was operated in Kiln on Jourdan River by Willie Curet, another shipyard on Bayou Talla operated by Jeremiah Haas, also a shingle mill operated by Salvadore Necaise. All familiar names and descendants today in Kiln Community.
The great timber supply brought in another large industry known as Naval Stores,
or turpentine business. The natural gum was tapped from the living pine trees and manufactured into turpentine and rosin by plants called turpentine stills. A large plant built near Kiln on Jourdan River owned and operated by A. J. McLeod, continued on into late 1950’s by his wife, Virginia McLeod and nephew, Norton Haas. The product was shipped by schooner and later by power boats down Jourdan River to parts of New Orleans and Mobile.
In the year 1906 the sawmill operated by Emilio Cue in Kiln was sold to the firm of Herlihy and Haas who also operated a sawmill on Bayou Talla. The operation of both mills continued by Herlihy and Haas until about 1909, Herlihy Family now in Waveland, Haas Family (Norton Haas) Bay St. Louis and Louisiana. In 1909 Herlihy and Haas sold out to W. W. Carre and Company, Ltd. of New Orleans who already had a vast timber holding north of Kiln and operated the first logging railroad at Kiln shipping logs to their mill in New Orleans by barge. Today on the West side of 603 from Jourdan River Shores we have Lake Carre. The Carre Company continued operations in Kiln until 1912 and sold out to Edward Hines Lumber Company of Chicago, Illinois.
The Kiln Community of today has not returned to its great and grand glory of the past. However, since the days of the big sawmills, Kiln has survived the great depression, the bootlegging era, the dairy farming and now enjoys improved employment, many new homes the advent of Coast Electric Power and Telephone service everywhere with a great future surrounded by new, modern airport and gas wells as a bonus.
Annn
I1USSK
REV. A.C. E
Kiln, situated 15 Bay St. Louis, on t river, and formerly the later name, is oldest Catholic setl the diocese. Indi Choctaw-Muskhoge inhabited this terri white settlers bega in it early in the 181 Baptismal recor pioneer Catholics found in the registers of £ Cathedral, New Oi and the Church of t of the Blessed Vii Biloxi, evidence dicated that missionaries fr< parishes visited tl River missions.
When the Dioce chez had sufficie Bishop Chanche Rev. Louis Buteiix 1847, to take charj dan River, Pearl I River and Pass C missions of Bay I Rev. H. LeDuc, si Father Buteux, co visit this territory, report under dat tember 17,1860, ind the Jourdan Rive was attended by every six weeks < chapel was bein, there. At this Catholic population to some 300 sou slightly lesser scattered around tl territory.
CJHURCH Bi
Rev. H.A. De took charge of Jou (Kiln) and its n April, 1869, being to his flock by Fat Who, writing to Bi on June 10, 187 “Father DeMorani and doing his best; /continually in the i
Kiln still depends upon the timberland, with a large pulpwood yard and loading ramp operating on Jourdan River at the old sawmill CTie.
Kiln Baptist meet fii‘st at .
The first and nearest Baptist church to Kiln was the LION BRANCH just after the War Between the States, with WILL HOLDEN as one of the deacons, and W.W. SELPH, grandfather of Judge A.
Frank Selph, as clerk. This church was located on the Texas Flat Road on what is known now as the old ELIZABETH SEAL place.
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This interested Dr. W. W. Moody, Mose Williams, James L. Morgan from Cardiff Wales, and others who purchased land near the present site of the old Shifalo home and built a church there.
This church prospered. Among the notables visiting preachers were D. V. T. Rowe, corresponding secretary of the Southern Baptist Con-
WILLIAMS, and a by the name of P licensed and orda church calle TABERNACLE CHURCH by . MORGAN, it was the TABERNACU NEWINGTON, ENGLAND.
In 1914, Edw Lumber bought CARRE CO.