The Mississippi Coast Historical & Genealogical Society will sponsor the 21st annual Mississippi Coast History Week Monday through Wednesday at the Biloxi Community Center.
The event, which is co-sponsored by the City of Biloxi, celebrates the anniversary of the landing of the French explorer Iberville, which took place on Feb. 13, 1699 at what is now present-day west Biloxi. The French Flotilla had anchored off Ship Island before coming ashore to explore the mainland.
The Biloxi Community Center, which is on Howard Avenue, will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Wednesday. Admission is free.
Visitors to the community center will find three days of history with re-enactors dressed in 18th century reproduction French clothing. There will be a presentation on French Colonial soldiers and their contacts with Gulf Coast Indians. There will be portrayals of the life of 18th century French ladies along with a display of foods that were growing here when the French arrived.
Bishop Roger Morin of the Catholic Diocese of Biloxi will conduct Mass at 10:00 on Tuesday.
History Week also will feature exhibits from the Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum, the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art, and Beauvoir. The Biloxi Library History Division will have a display and will be explaining the making of family tree charts and exploring your family history.
Also exibiting at the event will be
the Ocean Springs Genealogical Society, the Historical Society of Gulfport, the Hancock County Historical Society, the D’Iberville Historical Society, the Pass Christian Historical Society, the Long Beach Historical Society, the Coast Jewish Community, the Fleur de Lis Society, the Greeks, the Slavonian Club, the City of Biloxi, Delta Sigma Beta Society, the Department of Marine Resources, Biloxi Regional Medical Center, Keesler Archives, the Biloxi Fire Museum, the Ms Coast Archaeological Association, and the Southern Anthropology Department.
School groups are encouraged to attend. For scheduling groups or for more information, please contact Mary Adkinson at 435-4613.
If you would like to participate in this event, please contact Mary Adkinson or Jane Shambra at 435-4613 or Julie Suarez at 435-6280.
More online
— To see photographs from last year’s observance,
click here.
— To read Edmond Boudreaux’s history of Biloxi, one of the myriad archival offerings on the city’s web site, click here.
