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Page Sixteen
SOUVENIR CENTENNIAL EDITION, HANCOCK COUNTY EAGLE
August, 1958
Thriving Industry 0! The Past
Peerless Oyster Company, Ltd., were the owners of the only canning factory in Hancock County. The plant covered five acres and the equipment, which was complete in every respect, included camps, fishing smacks and the power boats, Emma and L. F. Fairchild, which were used as tow boats. The factory was noted for its cleanliness and sanitary conditions, even in the busiest of times. It was equipped with the latest type of machinery. The factory buildings numbered five, which consisted of the Canning factory proper, the shucking rooms, shrimp rooms, and warehouses. The oysters and shrimp were taken from the boat at one end of the plant and carried through one department after the other until the
Wars-And Their Effect On Bay St. Louis
Many From this Area Gave Their Lives For Their Country In These Conflicts
Hancock County was formed during the war of 1812, because of the trouble with the Choctaw Indians in the six Townships, one of the Townships being Shields-boro, now Bay St. Louis.
There were two camps located Bere at that time, one Camp Goode, for the protection of this area against the British. There are brief accounts of a iNaval engagement fought off the Coast of Bay St Louis. General Jackson ordered a Lieutenant Jones to draw up
here for the protection of this area, but no battles were fought in the area. The two companies from the area did not take part in any active fighting, but spent much time drilling; and the soldiers stationed here were entertained lavishly by the populace. Only a scattered few Union soldiers on forays for food were seen in the area. During the time the citizens boiled water from the Gulf off of Pass Christian to obtain salt, which they took into the farming areas and traded off for sweet potatoes, corn, etc. They
also tanned hides, made their own shoes, wore cloth from cotton and wool. There was a shortage of cotton in this section so clothing was rather scarce, but game and fish were plentiful. Only Indian coffee made from corn was available and sugar was scarce, but the people here did not suffer nearly so much as the people farther North in the state.
Only two men from Hancock served in the Spanish-American War and apparently did nothing to distinguish themselves.
The first volunteer company
from Hancock County was formed on June 5, 1917, to serve in the first World War. It was composed of One Hundred and forty-four men from the Coast under a Captain Smith from Biloxi.
Many men from here served in this War, both in this country and overseas, and many of them gave their lives.
Naturally, all of the able-bodied men of this area served in the Second World War, in various parts of the world, and here again many of them gave their lives defending their country.
last building was reached, where the products were readied for shipment. The factory was protected from fire by perfect equipment of fire fighting apparatus, and hose distributed throughout the plant. The company owned their own electric light plant, and owned and operated their own shipyard, which was equipped with two sets of marine ways capable of raising any size boat up to 85 feet in length.
The shipyards were used principally for keeping their own fleet of vessels in perfect repair. The Products of the Peerless Oyster Company were shipped thoughout Canada and the leading markets of the U. S.
The Bay-Waveland Yacht Club is where the factory was located.
his small force of gunboats between Cat Island and Ship Island. This was the last defense, before New Orleans, against the advance of General Edward Pak-enham. Before the engagement Lt. Jones sent a boat into the shores of the Bay to destroy some guns and stores of ammunition to keep them out of the hands of the British. The American forces were defeated, boats destroyed, but the British suffered heavier losses than we did, as far as men were concerned.
During the Civil War two companies were formed in Hancock County, one called the Hancock Rebels and the other the Shields-boro Rifles. And there were two encampments of soldiers stationed
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