Katrina’s surge broke all records here
During Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Bay St. Louis got hit with a 28-foot storm surge—the highest ever recorded in U.S. history.
The water pushed 12 miles inland, beating the old record of 24 feet set by Hurricane Camille in 1969, also in Mississippi. Winds hit 120 mph as the eye passed right over the area. Weather stations picked up 12 separate tornadoes in nearby Waveland during the same storm.
More than half the homes in town were destroyed, and downtown streets near the water completely washed away. The Highway 90 bridge that connected Bay St. Louis to Pass Christian wasn’t just damaged—it was reduced to concrete posts sticking out of the water.
A tree helped three people survive Katrina
When Katrina hit, three people—Doug Niolet, Kevin Guillory, and Nikki Moon—and their dog saved themselves by climbing an oak tree on DeMontluzin Avenue. They hung onto branches about 20 feet high for hours while waves crashed over them.
In 2007, a chainsaw artist named Dayle Lewis from Indiana turned the dead tree into the Angel Tree, carving three angels to remember their survival. One angel faces town and another looks toward the water.
Workers moved the tree to where you can see it better today. Lewis also made other angel sculptures from damaged trees around Bay St. Louis, including two in Cedar Rest Cemetery and one in front of Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church.
Your mail had a different address before 1875
For 73 years, you’d have mailed letters to Shieldsborough instead of Bay St. Louis. The town got its first name from Thomas Shields, who received the land in a 1789 Spanish grant.
In 1875, the town switched back to its original French name through a special law. This change happened as tourism grew, with wealthy New Orleans folks building summer homes after the railroad came through in 1872.
Today, about 10,398 people live in Bay St. Louis, making it the 40th largest city in Mississippi. The town covers 14.7 square miles of land, plus another 11.9 square miles of water within its borders.
Only 12 men founded the 100 Men Hall
Despite its name, just 12 African American men started the 100 Men Hall in 1894. They called their group the One Hundred Members’ Debating Benevolent Association and helped sick members and paid for proper burials.
They laid the cornerstone for the building at 303 Union Street in 1922 and finished it in 1923. Today, the hall can seat up to 225 people or hold 400 standing.
After Hurricane Katrina nearly destroyed it, Mississippi gave $110,000 in 2006 to fix it up. On June 17, 2011, it earned a spot on the Mississippi Blues Trail for hosting music legends like Etta James, Ray Charles, B.B. King, and James Brown when it was a stop on the famous ‘Chitlin’ Circuit.’
Pirates dug tunnels under old buildings
The 1802 Pirate House supposedly connects to the waterfront through secret underground tunnels.
People say smugglers used these passages to move contraband and possibly enslaved people in the early 1800s. Land records from 1825 to 1850 show Jean and Clarisse Lafitte buying and selling property here, hinting at links to the famous pirate Jean Lafitte.
Bay St. Louis has a well-documented pirate history from the late 1700s, when all the little bays and inlets made perfect hiding spots for pirate ships. These days, the town hosts a yearly ‘Pirate Day in the Bay’ where crowds dress up as pirates.
Lafitte was a French pirate who worked throughout the Gulf of Mexico in the early 1800s and had a knack for slipping away from authorities while robbing passing ships.
Cedar Rest Cemetery was always mixed
Since the 1820s, Cedar Rest Cemetery on Second Street has buried people of all backgrounds together—unusual for the old South.
You’ll find African Americans, white people, Native Americans, and immigrants from many countries all resting side by side, without the separation you’d see in other Southern cemeteries.
Every Halloween, the Hancock County Historical Society runs a popular cemetery tour where descendants act out their ancestors’ stories, bringing in hundreds of visitors.
The cemetery also has two carved angel trees, made by the same artist who created the DeMontluzin Avenue Angel Tree.
Some graves go back 200 years, giving you a unique look at the diverse mix of people who’ve lived in Bay St. Louis throughout its history.
Houses now sit high above ground
New flood rules after Katrina changed how Bay St. Louis looks. In flood-prone areas likely to get hit by storm surges, the lowest floor of any new house must be at least 21 feet above ground.
This has created what locals call ‘pole houses’ around town, which some say look like ‘praying mantises.’ Building this way adds $30,000-50,000 to construction costs but keeps homes safe from future floods.
These tall houses have changed how neighbors interact since traditional porches and yards aren’t at ground level anymore. Katrina’s destruction led to the biggest building code changes ever on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast.
Beach Boulevard has been rebuilt twice
What you know as Beach Boulevard used to be called Front Street until Hurricane Camille wiped it out in 1969. When they rebuilt it, they gave it a new name to highlight the town’s beach and tourism.
After Katrina damaged it again in 2005, workers rebuilt it with a stronger seawall to handle future storms. Beach Boulevard runs 3.7 miles along the Mississippi Sound shoreline through the heart of town.
It connects to Highway 90, which cost $267 million to reconstruct after Katrina, including a new 2-mile bridge across the bay.
When you drive Beach Boulevard today, you’ll get clear views of the bay that gave the town its name and easy access to the historic waterfront district.
French word inspired those tree decks
That weird circular deck around the oak tree at City Hall isn’t named for keeping flies away. ‘Shoofly’ comes from the French word ‘chaufleur,’ meaning ‘cauliflower,’ describing its round shape.
People built these wooden platforms around trees in Gulf Coast towns before air conditioning to have cool places to sit in summer. The City Hall building went up in 1905 in Georgian revival style with a front gabled entrance and is an official Mississippi Landmark.
It stands in the Old Bay St. Louis Historic District, which covers 504 acres and includes 933 buildings, 4 cemeteries, and 2 religious shrines. The whole district is on the National Register of Historic Places for its special late 1800s and early 1900s architecture.
A sea battle changed the War of 1812
During the War of 1812, the bay hosted a naval fight against the British called the Battle of Bay. This little-known battle happened in 1814 when British ships tried to gain control of the Mississippi River to reach the American interior.
It took place just a year before the more famous Battle of New Orleans that ended the war. American defenders pushed back the British ships, stopping them from getting a foothold in the strategically important bay.
You can learn about the battle site from historical markers along Beach Boulevard. This small clash played a key role in limiting British naval movements along the Gulf Coast during the final part of the war.
A Black builder housed the first bishop
Three fancy Queen Anne style mansions in Bay St. Louis were built around 1890 by Eugene Ray, an African American who worked as the town undertaker.
Ray was also a talented contractor who built elegant homes for important residents, pushing back against racial barriers after the Civil War. The biggest of these houses became home to Bishop Leo F. Fahey, Mississippi’s first bishop.
These beautiful buildings still stand today, showing off Ray’s craftsmanship with fancy details like decorative spindles, wraparound porches, and uneven facades.
These preserved buildings show how African Americans helped shape the architectural look of Mississippi’s Gulf Coast.
Mardi Gras here came before New Orleans
Bay St. Louis has celebrated Mardi Gras since the early 1800s, and some old records suggest these parties actually started before the more famous New Orleans celebrations.
The first official Mardi Gras group in Bay St. Louis, called Les Mysterieuses, formed in 1832, making it one of the oldest in the Gulf South. Local traditions include the unique ‘Walking Parade’ where people go on foot through the historic district instead of riding floats.
During segregation, the 100 Men Hall hosted many Mardi Gras balls for the African American community, including performances of the ‘Manless Wedding’ where women dressed as men for fun.
These celebrations still happen today with multiple parades and events throughout carnival season.
Visiting Bay St. Louis
Bay St. Louis is 58 miles northeast of New Orleans and 24 miles west of Gulfport.
Get here by: Highway 90 (Beach Boulevard) through downtown Interstate 10 from the north at Exit 13 Amtrak train to the historic Train Depot
The Old Town area centers on Main Street and Beach Boulevard with parking throughout.
The post Why Bay St. Louis is one of the most resilient historic towns in Mississippi appeared first on When In Your State.