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THE HISTORY OF MAIN STREET METHODIST CHURCH
PART I
According to history, Columbus discovered America in 1492.
Mississippi (Indian for "great river") was inhabited by three powerful Indian tribes:	the	Choctaws,	the Chickasaws, the Natchez
and several smaller tribes. It was first visited by Spanish Expeditions under De Soto circa 15^0, Louis Joilet, and Father Marquette.
And in 1682, La Salle took possession for the King of France, Louis XIV.
According to local historians, this area, Bay St. Louis, was discovered by Pierre le Moyne D'Iberville and his brother, Jean Baptiste le Moyne D'Bienville of France in 1699 and was named Bay St. Louis after King Louis IX on whose birthday it was discovered. The area, inhabited by Indians who were a branch of the Choctaw Nation, was called "Chicapoula" meaning "bad grass". D'Iberville brought settlers and colonized in 1721.
Mississippi came	under formal	possession	of the U. S. as a
Territory of the Union in 1798 and was admitted	as a State in 1817.
The Gulf Coast -	from Florida	to Texas -	was discovered, subdued,	and/or claimed by	the Spanish,	French and	English. From 1699
to 1869 (according to various historians) we have a history of eight to eleven flags:	four	before	the U. S., including the one of the
Independent Nation of the Republic of West Florida, and four after U. S. possession. Included in the "eleven" may or may not be the flags of pirates and renegades who ran the rivers or terrorized the territory.
Hancock County, named for John Hancock, signer of the Declaration of Independence, was created in 1812. In 1820 (according to the office of census) it contained 1,59^ people.
D'Bienville had named us Bay St. Louis but in I8l4, Thomas Shields, inspector of light houses in the Pearl River District, received a Spanish grant of a large part of this section. In his honor the name became "Shieldsboro". Culling from conflicting records (all official), the name remained until 185^ or 1875» take your choice.
Records show that Shieldsboro was a "preaching place" as early as 18^2. "Preaching place" was a term used by early Methodist Circuit Riders to designate the sites of their sermons.