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Looking out across the beautiful sailing ivaters of the Bay of St. Louis from Beach Drive north of the U.S. 90 highivay bridge.
HANCOCK COUNTY
Western Gateway of the Gulf Coast
By Hay M. Thompson • Photos by Hamill
When you cross the Pearl River coming east on U. S. 90 you have entered the Hospitality State of Mississippi via Hancock County which, like that Declaration of Independence signer after whom it was named, once scrawled its signature big and bold over half of what is now the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Hancock County was created in 1812— six full years before the Territory of Mississippi became a state—out of the great sweep of treaty surrendered Indian land that suddenly released to the infiltrating white settlers all of Southern Mississippi.
Over the succeeding century, as Southern Mississippi’s population spread out and communities increased, huge Hancock sacrificed part of its magnificent coastline to help form Harrison County and relinquished a section of its northern area to Pearl River County. But it is still big and bountiful—still stretches along U. S. 90 from the Pearl River to Bay St. Louis—and is still 469 square miles of that healthy combination of piney woods, running streams and subtropical seashore which inveigles so many of those who casually come to visit to linger a lifetime.
For well over the first hundred years of its county existence only a few hun-
Hancock County’s “Miss Hospitality” of 1957 is lovely Miss Dianne Seuzei.au >f its coast capital city of Bay St. Louis.
died peonlo really knew the charm of Hancock behind the coastline. Its mile after mile of tall timber country which the sawmill crews passed through and passed on. Its almost endless realm of irees and streams ideal for the hunter and the fisherman. Us sp’awling oper> cattle range sparsely spot;oH with farm ing communities.
But today rural electric powei lines and secondary rc ads have penetrated its piney woods, home site seekers are scouting its rivers and bayous and coast cuddling subdivisions are shouldering their way back farther and farther through the trees beyond the highway. Just in the last two years three huge suburban developments began opening new home sites on the outskirts of Bay S.. Louis. The most recent on the Kiln Road at the intersection of the Jordan River and Bayou LaCroix is clearing 8,000 waterfront lots on a 5-year program.
Hancock County until recently was two separate worlds: the populated and popular beach area around Bay St. Louis and Waveland and the practically unknown back country. But today it is proudly pointing out to Gulf Coast tourists and travelers the beauty and availability of its woods and waters, and the attractive opportunities for comfortable modern living back a few miles in the country and only a few minutes from the
November—December 1957
Tell them you saw it in DOWN SOUTH. Thanks!
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