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Compliments of Hancock County Chamber of Commerce
History of Hancock County - Page 4
The Act creating Hancock County did not designate a county seat; hence, it seems that there have been several sites for the county seat. Harly records of the county were destroyed by fire, but it appears that originally there were two seats -- one at Pearlington and one at Bay St. Louis — probably due to difficulties of travel. Somewhat later, land titles indicate that Gainesville became the county seat, but for what lenqth of time is unknown. On April 1, 185 the court house at Gainesville burned and all county records were lost.
In 1867, the State Legislature authorized an election to determine the county seat of Hancock County. It is very evident that intense rivalry existed between several towns.	The election	was accordingly held	on March	18, 1867, and at	a
special meetion	of	the Board	of Police (now known	as Board	of Supervisors)
immediately following the election, the Board held that Gainesville had received the highest number of votes and ordered that Gainsville be declared the county seat of justice. However, court litigation followed and the Circuit Court decreed that the Board of Police of Hancock County shall proceed to provide public buildings and establish the seat of justice at Shieldboro in conformity with the choice of the qualified voters in said election. An Act of the State Legislature was passed in 1872 authorizing another election on the same subject, but no record is found that anything came of it.
The original settlement was given the name of Bay St. Louis by the French explorers and founders. Subsequently, it was called Shieldsboro, as previously explained; then, for many years both names were used by different people. The Mayor	and Board	of Aldermen at their	meeting,	January 4, 1858
made an attempt	to	clarify the matter by incorporating the	city under the : ame
of Shieldsboro. This, however, did not meet with general approval; so, on March 2, 1875, the first name was restored and the city was incorporated as Bay St. Louis. The City celebrated its Corporate Centennial with elaborate ceremonies in 1958; although incorporated under the name of Shieldsboro, the same charter is being used today under the name of Bay St. Louis.
■ - c-r the French ov"'>' "S unfurled'their barter, they brought religion, Planting at the same Lime the Cross of Christ. Side by side stood the nobliest knights, with the consecrated oriests, patient in suffering, fearless in danger, sublime in enthusiasm. The expedition of d'Iberville was no exception to this rule. Father Athanasius D;ouay and Father Donenave accompanied him on the first expedition to the Coast. From what is known, the p-'oneer settlers of Ray St. Louis were all Catholic and until today the denomination has remained dominant in Hancock County.
As the area was settled, homes, churches, schools, and roads were built.
Most of the earliest schools were denominational and even today there are probably more sectarian schools in Hancock County than in any other county in Mississippi. The first school of record in Bay St. Louis was established in 1852 by a Catholic Missionary, Father Louis Stanislaus(Mar£jBateaux. It was a boys' school named St. Stanislaus Academy and later grew into a large boardinq school with a national reputation. In 1855, the Sisters of St. Joseph started a boarding school for girls called Saint Joseph's Academy • ' ich also enjoyed an