This text was obtained via automated optical character recognition.
It has not been edited and may therefore contain several errors.

---

Some of the early church records kept in the Rectory date from 1869. A list of other attending priests and sisters affiliated with the parish can be found on following pages.
During the time of this parish growth, early settlers built huge kilns in which they burned charcoal, extracting turpentine and pitch form pine trees. This product was then sold in New Orleans. This town became known as Kiln. The large ovens were also used to dry and cure lumber. The lumber business boomed, as the Jourdan river and the railroads bustled, becoming a source of transporting timber to many destinations.
Construction of a saw mill was vital. It was built in 1870 by W. W. Carre, with its tall black smoke stacks reaching skyward. It became the largest sawmill in the South A whole community was then established in 1908, along with a general store, two hotels, hospital, drug store, bakery, saloon, commisary,jail house, and other accomodating small businesses. During its growth, resident workers helped build cabins along the river and further inland. Sadly, misfortune struck in 1912 when the mill burned. The business bankrupted and Edward Heinz bought the remaining interests. The name then changed to Edward Heinz Yellow Pine Lumber Co. This boom in the lumber industry lasted until 1930. Due to the depletion of local timber, together with the great depression it caused this thriving industry to collapse. Without work available Most businesses closed their doors. In seeking a livelyhood, most mill workers left the area, while many local residents resorted to distilling illegal whiskey, more common known as "White Lightning". At the time this clear liquid left the still, it was claimed to be 180-proof alcohol. This area named Kiln then became known as the "Moonshine Capital of the World".
In this year of 1994 the lumber mill is just a remnant of what once was. By driving down East or West Circle behind Annunciation Church, or viewed from the river, the scene encountered is what is left of the lumberyard. Buttresses, the base of one immense kiln, sunken barges across the river where ther once was a shipyard owned by William Curet, and two fresh flowing artesian wells are all that is left of that past era.
During that time, a consolidated public school had operated in Kiln. There were 260 students, of whom 240 were Catholic. This public school was closed in the 1950's when due to growth Hancock North Central was built. This parish purchased the old building. Renovations were made and in 1960 it became known as Annunciation Catholic School. Trinitarian sisters assisted with the schooling of local children, and later the Order of the Religious of Jesus and Mary (R.J.M.). The school operated until 1985 when it closed due to a lack of students and insufficient funds.