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

---

page
12
Bay St. Louis - “A Place Apart”
cddmuingHANCOCK COUNTY
BY METRIC DOCKINS THE SUN HERALD
Bay St. Louis was the first Mississippi Coast town to apply for incorporation.
In 1818, when it was called Shieldsboro, the community was declared a "town" by the one-year-old state legislature.
"The Bay,” as it is called by locals, is a melting pot of French, Indian, Spanish and other cultures — a mixture that flavors accents almost as much as the pecans once used to make candy for this self-proclaimed Praline Capital of the World.
A change in traffic patterns did away with most praline shops, but the colorful language and history remain.
The name of the Hancock County city reflects the bay that separates it from Harrison County.
In late-summer 1699, the French-Canadian explorer Bienville checked out the land and named the bay in memory of King Louis IX, the French crusader and saint.
That December, the French landed a few families, a sergeant and 15 men for the Bay’s first white settlement. Thomas Shields, a later settler, gave the community his name, though in the end Bay St.
Louis won out.
The Bay, under white man’s direction, became a favorite resort for water sports and relaxation. It, too, was one of the New Orleans "Six Sister Cities,” a weekend and summer escape from the big city.
The Bay — although it is the county seat — remains a slow-paced city known for its heritage, seafood.
The official crest of Say St. Louis.
attractive old houses and other amenities that go with living in the small-town South. It also is a growing artists’ community.
In recent years, the city has embarked on a three-phase Main Street project to revitalize and promote its downtown area.
“The Bay” remains a slow-paced city well-known for its arts community, including painter Paula Leoni and many other artists of different mediums, who enjoy Bay St. Louis’ small-town ambiance.