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Society recounts county history
Charles Gray, president of the Hancock County Historical Society, points out a picture to visitors in the Kate Lobrano House. More than 150 historic pictures and photographs are displayed. (Echo staff photo by Betsy Gagnet)
BY BETSY GAGNET
Anyone interested in history, or even just fun facts, is in for a real treat at the Hancock County Historical Society.
'"He Kate Lobrano House, he / to the society, is filled with photographs, memorabilia, documents and artifacts which bring alive the history of Hancock County.
Upon entering, visitors are immediately drawn to the 150 framed photos of Hancock County homes and sites from 1880 to the present, displayed along an entire wall.
On another wall hangs pictures of local homes shown in pictures the day before and the day after Hurricane Camille. The photos, from the Bob Hubbard Hurricane Camille Co'1 -'.tion, allow viewers to coi. it houses to many remnants still standing today.
A “Betsy Ball” is on display along with an explanation that it is a kind of tumbleweed which formed from rolling bits of debris in the Chandeleur Islands, which gathered as it was blown over the islands and marshes and eventually floated ashore in the Mississippi Sound.
The vault also houses over 1,000 photos of other homes, and numerous documents.
The man at the helm of the organization is Charles Gray, president, and a member of the society since 1986 when he moved to Bay St. Louis from New Orleans.
“We’re going to be the best found historical society in the United States, bar none,” said Gray. “We’re getting close now.”
Gray said ’’every written word on Hancock County” which is obtained is being put on the computer, including church records, newspapers, marriage books, cemetery records, wills and deeds.
Sitting in line under the 150 photos are five, on-line computers. The society has its own web site, which contains almost 1,400 pages of historical items.
Every copy of The Sea Coast Echo from 1892 is being entered on the computer, which Gray said is a valuable information soui'ce for more than the obvious reasons.
He explained that a wealth of personal data can be obtained from the personal
columns which used to run in the paper and discussed families visiting, births of children, birthday parties and who served what at their “tally-ho.”
A tally-ho was “like a hay-ride,” Gray said, and very often started on the beach and ended up at Brown’s Vineyard (located where Lil’ Rays now stands)
to make Scuppernog wine, a variation of muscadine.
With the recent purchase of a
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