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other little known cemetery is to be found right in the center of the Diamondhead community almost directly behind the Community Church. At present it displays evidence of eleven graves simply marked with little white wooden crosses, all unnamed except for the last interment that took place there in 1952 - that of Nicholas (Nicola) Mikovilje (Michael-Joe) and other graves largely belonging to that family. His descendants still reside on the banks of the Jourdan River just north of the I-10 bridge where the family has resided since arriving here from an island off Yugoslavia. They emigrated here in the early 1900?s and set up a fishing camp on the river, after having first worked in the oyster business. That family is a member of this congregation.
SCHOOLS
Some records exist of a Catholic school here at Annunciation in 1880 when Fr. Schmitt was pastor and acted as Principal. One record indicates attendance of 11 boys and 17 girls but the school was short-lived, as it occupied the old church structure soon demolished to accommodate the sacristy of the church built in 1886. Not much seems to be known of this little school.
One of the earliest public schools, located at Bayou Talla, served the educational needs of the children at that time. It appears to be a roughly built wooden two-story structure, and somewhat cramped - from the number of students that appear in one photo taken in front of the building. In 1914, after the passage of the Consolidated School Law, petitions were circulated in Kiln and Fenton for a new school district and a school to be established. These petitions were presented to the School Board, and in due time, they w'ere acted upon favorably. As a result, a magnificent two-story structure was erected on the site of the present school structure. It was known as Kiln Consolidated School, and served an area of fifty-two square miles. Enrollment shortly afterward reached 350 pupils - 125 being transported by motor trucks and later by canvas-sided buses. The Principal was Prof. S.P. Powell, ably assisted by six instructors. Mr. W.A. Cuevas was President of the School Board, while Adolph Depreo (uncle of Elus Depreo, a parishioner) served as Secretary .<22) Fr. Chauvin was then pastor, and he wrote an article that can be found in a booklet issued to celebrate this historic milestone in the history of Kiln. This magnificent structure only served its purpose until the late 1930?s or early 1940?s when it was declared a fire hazard, and the present solid concrete and block school structure was constructed. These were known as the W.P.A. (Works Progress Administration) days and served as an effort to assist in creating some employment in the area. The present gymnasium structure was
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apparently built with wheel-barrows of concrete with steel reinforcement. Because of its solid nature, it still serves as a hurricane shelter for Civil Defense in times of need - and indeed many of our parishioners still have memories of the night they spent there due to Hurricane Camille in 1969 (August). Many remember the words "Kiln Consolidated School? w ritten in bold black letters on the parapet wall across the front of the building. These blocks conveniently served to contain the words ?Annunciation School? in later years, with the first block of letters being painted over. This school offered agricultural studies, home economics, foreign languages, and science as part of the curriculum.
In the year 1959, the Public School System constructed a new school some miles north of here on Highway 603 to be known as Hancock North Central -a school to be remembered as the last school to combine elementary and high school students on one campus. With the demise of the old school in Kiln, this parish purchased it, together with the home economics building and the Principal?s home, and opened it as Annunciation Elementary School in 1960. Much remodelling had to be done to make it suitable after its years of use. The old underground solid fuel furnaces were removed, and it was given a more modem gas-operated central heating system, and later A/C was added to most of the building. It continued to operate as a Catholic school until 1984 when declining enrollment and financial problems brought about its closure. It is still used by the parish for CCD instruction, and many of the youth of the area get their regular basketball exercise in the gym.
In 1991, the School Board built its new state-of-the-art High School facility by Stennis Airport to accommodate the needs of all high school students of the county, excluding the Bay-Waveland area. Its student population today exceeds 1400, and is now at capacity due to the rapid growth of the county population, largely, it appears, as a result of legalized casino gambling that has now become a feature of life on the Coast for the past two years. This rapid increase in population growth of Hancock County is bringing about many changes to once quiet communities.
A school in the Dedeaux community also once served as a public school for the children of that area. In the same way, Sacred Heart Parish purchased that structure w hen it was no longer needed as a county school, but the parish never operated it as a Catholic school. While this school once served as a center for diocesan ?Search? youth retreats and such, it has become the central venue for the Cursillo movement of the diocese and is now commonly referred to as the ?Dedeaux Hilton?.
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