Monday September 12, it was time to hit the road again. We
drove just over 80 miles to our next destination: Martin Lake RV Park in Biloxi,
Mississippi.
The park is quite old, and the water table is high, so the
grassy areas are really soggy. With the forecasted rainy weather, we should
have invested in duck boots! Ha! There are a few families of ducks in the park,
as well as geese, which are free to wander through the sites.
We arrived there at 1 p.m. in 93° heat and humidity almost
as high. After we got setup a huge thunderstorm hit, with rain pelting like you
wouldn’t believe. It did stop long enough for us to head to Walmart for a few
items, and to dinner at Olive Garden. Yummy! We noshed on their wonderful
endless salad and breadsticks, triple-cheese ziti and Portobello
mushroom-stuffed ravioli. Oh, so very good!
Just a bit about Biloxi… It’s one of the most historic
cities in America, although Hurricane Katrina in 2005 wiped out most of the
historic homes and buildings. Biloxi was named after a group of American
Indians who were living here in 1699 when Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d’Iberville
landed here February 13, 1699. Just 21 years later Biloxi was named capital of
French Louisiana, but held that title for only 3 years before losing out to New
Orleans. In 1763 Biloxi became an English possession after their victory in the
French and Indian War. Then, 2 decades later it became a possession of Spain.
In 1810 Biloxi became part of the short-lived Republic of West Florida, for
just 1 year, before being occupied by the forces of the United States, becoming
a U.S. city at last. (And we think it’s tough when we change presidents every 4
or 8 years!) Biloxi grew as a resort city, thanks to its beautiful white sand
beaches and warm gulf breezes. Mississippi became a state in 1817. The outbreak
of the Civil War in 1861 brought a sudden, albeit temporary halt, to the city’s
development as a summer resort. Biloxi surrendered to the Union Navy on
December 31, 1861. It would take quite a few years for Biloxi to regain its
favored resort destination status, but it did so, thanks to the arrival of
Jefferson Davis, who lived out the final years of his life here.
During the 20th century Biloxi became the Seafood Capital of the World, with as many as 40 seafood factories lining the shore. Gulf Coast shrimp are still known as the finest in the world. Keesler Air Force base is here in Biloxi, which played a big role in America’s entry into WWII, and its medical facilities became well-known it the early fight against cancer for veterans and their families.
In 1969 and in 2005 Biloxi and the Mississippi Gulf Coast were hit by 2 of the worst hurricanes in human history. Camille hit in 1969 with sustained winds of 190 mph and gust of more than 220 mph and a wall of water more than 17’ high. Katrina hit in 2005, with a 2-day path of destruction plowing through the area. The highest storm surge ever recorded at 28’, demolished an estimated 90% of the buildings in the city, and taking its toll as far as 11 miles inland.
A symbol of hope was seen on the Biloxi lighthouse after
Katrina, when people looked up to see an American flag hanging from it.
Biloxi again tackled the process of rebuilding. However, redevelopment
has been stymied by high insurance and construction costs, and by owners of
vacant property asking exorbitant prices for their land. Today, in spite of
that, Biloxi continues to rise from the rubble and once again is becoming one
of the premier destinations on the Gulf Coast, boasting beauty, history,
hotels, casinos and restaurants. Even though debris from the hurricanes has
been removed, there are still blocks and blocks of land standing empty with
only grass, concrete and brick remnants of what came before. Plaques now take
the place of the many historic and beautiful mansions that lined the shores as
a reminder to us how temporary life is.
The next day, Tuesday, we did a walk-about through the park.
Stormy weather wasn’t conducive to being out and about so we settled in for the
day to catch up on computer stuff, knitting, etc. It appeared that we’d have
this kind of weather for most of the week. Dang.
Wednesday we ventured out to the visitor center in Biloxi,
and the last home of Jefferson Davis and his presidential library.
We were particularly interested in the sculptures on display
in the visitor center. Wood sculptor Marlin Miller of Fort Walton, Florida,
wandered devastated Biloxi after Katrina seeing feathers, fins and beaks in the
trunks of the dead trees and driftwood remnants that blotted the area and
beaches. For 3 years he donated his time and talent carving a trail of Katrina
Sculptures that stretch for 40 miles along the gulf coast.
The Biloxi Lighthouse is directly across the road from the
visitor center.
The Biloxi Lighthouse was built in 1848, through a $12,000 grant from the U.S. Congress, to provide navigational aid to steamboats, schooners and sloops in the Mississippi Sound. It continued to light the way until Confederates darkened the beacon; it subsequently fell into the hands of the Union army and was relit. In 1860 a hurricane swept the coast destroying many of the lighthouses in its way, but not the Biloxi Lighthouse. In 1868 a portion of the sand under the lighthouse eroded away during another hurricane, causing the structure to lean, but not fall. To correct this, sand was removed from the opposite side. The lighthouse was again damaged by a hurricane in 1916, and then again by Katrina in 2005. Restoration of the structure was completed and a relighting ceremony was held on February 19, 2010.
From there we drove a few miles down the coast to Beauvoir,
Jefferson Davis’s final home, and his presidential library.
Beauvoir, French for beautiful view (it faces the gulf
coastline), construction was started in 1848 by a local plantation owner and entrepreneur, and
completed in 1852. It was subsequently sold to Frank Johnston in 1873, and soon
after to Samuel and Sarah Dorsey. Following her husband’s death in 1875,
Sarah invited Jefferson Davis to visit the plantation, offering him a cottage
near the main house where he could live and work on his memoirs, “Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government.”
His personal and financial struggles brought about his move to Beauvoir, where
he spent he rest of his life.
Davis arranged to purchase the property in 1879 for $5,000
to be paid in 3 installments. However, in
1878, suffering from cancer, Sarah Dorsey (a staunch Confederate supporter)
rewrote her will, leaving Beauvoir and its 608 acres to Jefferson Davis and his
daughter “Winnie”. Sarah died in 1879.
Davis, wife Varina and youngest daughter Winnie moved into
the main house. (Later, Davis and Varina refused to let her marry into the
family of a Yankee abolitionist, so she remained single the remainder of her
life.) Davis lived in the house until his death in December 1889. Varina
remained on the property for about 2 more years, while she wrote her book, “Jefferson Davis: A Memoir” (1890). She
and Winnie subsequently moved to New York City in 1891.
(As an aside, after completing his memoirs, Davis traveled to Brierfield
Plantation, his home outside Vicksburg, MS. The weather was abnormally
cold and Davis fell ill with fever and sickness. He returned to New Orleans,
and died there of acute bronchitis complicated by chronic malaria on December
6, 1889. He died a “man without a country” but a Confederacy that no longer
existed. On October 17, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed into law a
unanimous resolution of Congress restoring citizenship to the last Confederate,
Jefferson Davis.)
After Winnie’s death in 1898, Varina inherited the property
from her daughter, and in 1902 she sold much of the property to the Mississippi
Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans for the token sum of $10,000. At that time, living out of state, she was
unable to maintain the property. She had turned down an offer for the property
of $90,000 from a business developer who wanted to turn the property into a
hotel. She chose, instead, to sell it to the Sons of Confederate Veterans, with
the stipulation that it was to be used as a memorial to her husband, and as a home
for Confederate veterans and wives, widows, orphans and slaves.
The organization immediately began working with the United
Daughters of the Confederacy to furnish and stock the property for use. The
first resident was admitted December 2, 1903. The organization also worked to
obtain state support for the Jefferson Davis Soldiers’ Home, which was
accomplished with a bill passed by the Mississippi Legislature which was passed
into law in 1904, providing for veterans and their wives; it did not provide
for orphans or slaves.
A dozen barracks were built, each containing 6 rooms shared
by 4 residents per room; in addition, a hospital, and a chapel were built
behind the main house by the Sons of Confederate Veterans. From 1903 to 1953,
approximately 2,500 veterans and their families lived at the home. Many
veterans and their wives are buried in a cemetery located to the rear of the
property. It was used as a veterans’ home until the last veteran of the
Confederate States Army in Mississippi died in 1953. Though the maximum
capacity of the home was 288, the most that ever lived there was closer to 250.
Beauvoir was then adapted as a house
museum, and in 1998 a Presidential Library was completed and opened on the
property. The compound consisted of Beauvoir, a raised cottage-style plantation
residence, a rose garden, the former Confederate veterans home, a gift shop,
the Presidential Library and Museum, and various outbuildings, and a historic
Confederate cemetery which includes the Tomb of the Unknown Confederate
Soldier.
In August 2005 the main house and
library were badly damaged during Katrina, and 5 of the 7 buildings were
destroyed, including the veterans hospital, the Hayes Cottage, the Library
Pavilion. (Previously, Beauvoir survived similar damage from Hurricane Camille
in 1969.)
 |
| These photos were taken from those on display in the library; the top was taken 3 days after Katrina hit; the other 2 were taken 7 days after. |
The shell of Beauvoir was
protected by 6 fireplaces that surround the core of the house; of those 6, only
1 of the rooftop chimneys collapsed during the hurricane. Five of the 6
fireplaces retained structural integrity to keep the walls from falling away
while under water. Green storm shutters kept storm debris from shattering the
windows.
Financial assistance from various
federal, state, private organizations and individuals allowed the restoration
of Beauvoir to start in early 2006. On June 3, 2008, also Jefferson Davis’s 200th
birthday, Beauvoir had been fully restored and reopened for public tours. The
mansion was restored to the original condition of the time when Jefferson Davis
and his family lived there. The 2 bedrooms below belonged to the daughters. (Bedrooms for Davis and his wife, and the dining room are located in the rear of the house but weren't available for viewing, due to the problem of maintaining proper humidity. There was too much reflection to take photos through the windows.) All furnishings are original. The trompe d'loeil, evident on the walls and ceiling, is absolutely beautiful!
 |
| Top: Entrance hall and trompe d'loeil on the ceiling. Bottom: the parlor and daughters' bedrooms (Winnie's on the left; Margaret's on the right--she married and moved away). |
The Jefferson Davis Presidential
Library and Museum reopened in June 2013. Many of the artifacts were recovered,
restored and/or repaired following Katrina. The library had maintained a
collection of 12,000 books on U.S. and southern history, as well as of the
Civil War. It also maintained collections of photographs, personal letters,
manuscripts, envelopes, postcards, newspaper clippings, records of Confederate
heritage organizations, and records from the veterans home that had been on the
property. Most of these records survived, except for those on display in the
museum.
At the rear of the property is the
Confederate Cemetery which contains close to 800 graves of Confederate veterans
and their wives/widows. The graves are numbered and the name and grave number
of each person buried is listed in records maintained by the superintendent of
Beauvoir. Among those buried in the cemetery is Samuel Davis, the father of
Jefferson Davis, who was a veteran of the Revolutionary War.
 |
| On the crypt of the unknown soldier are these words: "Ah, fearless on many a day for us, they stood in front of the fray for us, And held the foemen at bay for us, And tears should fall for'er o'er all, who fell while wearing the gray for us." Father Abram J. Ryan, Poet Priest of the Confederacy |
Then, we walked around the back of the
property to see the animals that were also in residence at Beauvoir, which
includes miniature horses, peacocks, white peacocks, a camel, goats and sheep.
It was so hot that most of the animals were staying hidden in the coolness of
the woods, but we did see the white peacocks, camel, goats and sheep.
We were pretty tuckered by the time we
were done there so we headed home to rest and recoup.
Thursday: happy birthday to me! Dick surprised me with 2 dozen long stemmed red roses--beautiful! Thank you, Honey! They're beautiful!
We
decided to do the historic walking tour through Biloxi, celebrating my birthday
on Friday with an all-you-can-eat seafood dinner at a local casino.
The walking tour gave us just a glimpse
of Biloxi’s history and its diverse architectural styles, from Spanish Colonial
Revival to antebellum, Creole, Queen Anne Victorian, and Gothic Revival, and
probably many more. There are 21 stops on the tour, but I won’t mention all of
them. We started our tour at the Katrina Memorial, located in the Biloxi Town
Green. Most, if not all, of the buildings were restored after Katrina.
The memorial is dedicated to those who
lost their lives in that horrific storm. The height of the memorial equals the
depth of the storm surge: 28’. Local
residents donated the items found in the aftermath which are in the glass case: toys, dishes, glassware, utensils, medals...the list goes on... It’s quite sobering to see. Names of those who lost their lives are listed on the right side.
From there we passed a raised platform that
encircles a live oak tree, known as a “shoo-fly.” In earlier times these
structures were a common sight because they provided respite from pesky insects
and offered a cooler place to pass the time and catch the gulf breezes. Then on
to the Old Biloxi Library (1924) which is the finest example of the Spanish Colonial
Revival style in Biloxi. From there we walked to the Clemens House (1846),
which is one of the earliest houses in Biloxi; and to the Scherer House (1840),
a 2-storied antebellum brick structure with interior end chimneys (unusual for
that time). The Brunet-Fourchey House, or Mary Mahoney’s Old French House (1737)
was our next stop, which is one of the earliest documented buildings in Biloxi,
representing a New Orleans Creole cottage.
The heat was getting to us, but we
persevered, heading across a greenscape to the Magnolia House (1847) now also
the Mardi Gras Museum, and a reminder of the early resort industry in Biloxi.
Heading north we walked through Rue Magnolia (1900), a pedestrian walk that
contains a variety of Neoclassical and Victorian wood frame structures. A
Creole cottage was next (1830) which housed the first free library in Biloxi.
This was followed by the Cousins House (1910) located at the end of Rue Magnolia,
with Queen Anne Victorian features. The Vieux Marché was next, meaning “old
market,” which was Biloxi’s earliest thoroughfare and the heart of downtown.
Several buildings along this street date from the 1890s, and are a reminder of
Biloxi’s one-thriving commercial and cultural center. Since Katrina, public and
private efforts have begun working in concert toward preservation and redevelopment.
Across the street is the Cathedral of
the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1902), an example of Gothic Revival
architecture. Built to replace an 1870 church destroyed by fire, the church
features stained glass windows imported from Germany in 1906.
Continuing our walk down the Vieux Marché,
we came to the Number 2 Mechanic’s Fire Company (1895), which has original
yellow pine paneling and the original staircase inside. Down the street is the Dukate
Theatre (1898) which, even though it’s now a bank, still retains its balconies
and grand presence with its fan windows and square half Doric columns. Continuing
still farther is the Old Peoples Bank Building (1896) which is now a hardware
store. This Victorian building was constructed for approximately $7,000. The
cupola is topped by an ornamental copper weathervane featuring a large witch
carrying a broom and sitting on a crescent moon. Diagonally across the street is
the Peoples Bank Building (1913), with 2 Ionic columns framing the 2-story
inset entrance. Down a block or so is the original United States Post Office
and Customs House (1905). Of all the buildings we passed I think this is my
favorite. It is faced with gray-white marble, the façade dominated by a grand hexastyle
portico supported on an arcade. Second-story full length windows are capped by
classical pediments. The marble floors and woodwork inside are original. Then it was on to the Redding House (1908),
one of the finest Colonial Revival houses still remaining in Biloxi. Today it’s
an event destination, used for weddings, receptions, etc.
The Biloxi Tricentennial Mosaic (1999)
is the last on our tour. Ideas for the mosaic were gathered from Biloxi
families, as well as neighboring communities, and local artists crafted them
into this mosaic.
Friday morning we woke to yet more
rain. Temps have been in the high 80s to low 90s—today was no different. Around
lunch time we drove to the Hard Rock Casino and Hotel in Biloxi to try our hand at Blackjack
(Dick) and slots (me). I came away the winner: $119.76. I played long enough to
get my dinner comped ($29.99 worth), and as we were standing in the dinner line we met a
gal who had 4 comped dinners and could use only 2. So—we joined up with her,
and Larry and Judy from Marietta, Georgia to split the comped dinners (they had
1 comp dinner, too). All 6 of us ate comped dinners! Whahoo!! It was an
all-you-can-eat seafood dinner, with king crab legs, shrimp, catfish, clams,
mussels, stuffed crab and blue crab. Oh, my goodness! We ate like royalty!!!
While I was playing, Dick had already gone through his stash, so he went outside and took these photos of the area.
 |
| Left: Hard Rock Casino guitar sign; and Right: the small craft harbor and marina with shrimp boats galore! |
 |
| War memorials to all from Biloxi who have lost their lives in all wars. |
We arrived back the camper in the early
evening, just before a deluge hit yet again at 9 p.m. We found we had developed
a leak in the bedroom right above our bed. (Apparently the leak was caused by a
rubber grommet cap covering the antenna wiring coming loose.) We didn’t realize
we had a leak until we got into bed and found the bedding a bit damp. Ugh… It
was too late and dark to attempt a fix that night so I fashioned a “diaper”
from paper towels and a plastic bag taped to the ceiling. That held it ‘til
Saturday when we could fix the problem. Pretty ingenious, I thought!
Saturday was another wet day. We stayed
in ‘til around 5 p.m. when we drove into Ocean Springs for dinner at Salvetti’s
and the 6th Annual Songwriters’ Festival. (Their pizza was good,
but still doesn’t measure up to Panjo’s in Rockport!)
The songwriters’ festival features professional
songwriters from Nashville, and Mississippi, as well as other areas of the
country, who share their music through acoustic performances held simultaneously
at various venues throughout Ocean Springs. During the day they attend
workshops and at night they entertain—free of charge. In 2010 a group of local
musicians were jammin’ and lamented that there was no vehicle to allow
songwriters to share their original music. Through this the Mississippi
Songwriters’ Festival was born!
Three musicians were at Salvetti’s (although we got a photo of only 2), entertaining
us for the entire time we were there. We ate outside on their patio, which held
24 tables—they were all full. Fun times!
Sunday was another
wet day. Soggy, soggy, soggy… Dick did venture out on the motorcycle during one
of the sunnier times of the day, heading toward “lighter skies” as much as
possible. He got home just as the skies opened up—again. We’re in for the day!
That’s it for this
week. Hope you enjoyed the little history lesson on Jefferson Davis and Beauvoir,
as well as the info on Katrina. Fascinating…
Hugs to y’all, ‘til
next week!
RJ and Gail
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