A historical marker was unveiled in 2009 to honor the Biloxi Wade-Ins also known as “Bloody Sunday.” In 1960 Biloxi’s twenty-six mile Gulf of Mexico shoreline was segregated. Frustrated by the segregated shoreline, African American residents protested&nbsp;their exclusion from the public shoreline. 

There were a total of three wade-in protests. The first protest occurred on May 14, 1959,&nbsp;when nine people held a public protest with a purpose of seeing how the police would respond. The second wade-in was a solitary protest by one African American citizen, Dr. Mason. Although he was well-known and respected whites refused to allow Dr. Mason to use the beach.&nbsp;The protest commemorated by this marker and known as “Bloody Sunday” took place on Easter Sunday in 1960.&nbsp; Led by physician Gilbert Mason, the Black community sought to rectify restricted access by enacting a series of “wade-in” protests. Chaos and violence, though, quickly marred this particular demonstration. <div>Children began swimming in the ocean, while adults attempted to&nbsp;enjoy beach activities, but all were prepared for the possibility&nbsp;of arrest. Instead, a white mob attacked the beach-goers soaking the sand with the blood of peaceful protests. White mobs also began to roll through African American neighborhoods firing guns and making threats of violence.&nbsp;&nbsp; </div>

The marker was dedicated in 2009 and is in the parking lot by the beach.


This marker commemorates the actions of over one hundred civil rights protesters who were attacked by a white mob on April 24, 1960. The protesters were raising attention to the exclusion of African Americans from public beaches in the South and expected to be arrested. Instead, the all-white police force watched as a white mob attacked the protesters. It was not until a court victory eight years later that the city no longer barred African American citizens from using the beach. 

Biloxi Beach Wade-In Historical Marker (Bloody Sunday) 

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Beginning with the Biloxi Beach Wade-In Historical Marker, this tour guides those wishing to admire varying historic sites in tandem with the beauty of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. With stops at the Biloxi Lighthouse and the Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum, this tour highlights the relationship Biloxi, Mississippi has with the sea.

The Biloxi Lighthouse, which is adjacent to the Mississippi Sound of the Gulf of Mexico, has served as a navigational aid on the Mississippi Gulf Coast for over 170 years. On March 3, 1847, the U.S. Government authorized $12,000 for the construction of a lighthouse in Biloxi, Mississippi. The U.S. Department of the Treasury signed a contract, dated October 15, 1847, to Murray &amp; Hazlehurst to build an iron lighthouse for $6,347. The construction on the lighthouse was completed in 1848. The tower is a prefabricated, cast iron structure with a balustrade encircling the watch room.The conical tower is believed to be the first lighthouse in the South to have been constructed of this material. The lantern, unlike most lighthouses of the period, is also constructed of cast iron rather than the usual copper. The lighthouse has withstood the ravages of time and hurricanes while masonry towers along the Mississippi coast have crumbled. The inside wall of the lighthouse is brick having been laid in a conical fashion to conform to the cast iron sections. Originally the illuminating apparatus designed by Winslow Lewis consisted of nine cast brass lamps and separate reflectors with a Fifth Order Fresnel lens.  Throughout the 90-year light keeper history, female keepers maintained the light for 74 of those years thus earning the distinction of having been maintained by female keepers for more years than any other lighthouse in the United States. The role of lighthouse keeper ended in 1939 when the light was automated. In 1941, the city of Biloxi acquired the Keeper’s Dwelling, which was used by the Chamber of Commerce until it was destroyed by Hurricane Camille in 1969.

The Biloxi Lighthouse was erected in 1848 and was one of the first cast-iron lighthouses in the South. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 as a prominent landmark and navigational aid. The tower was conveyed to the city in 1968 through the Historic Surplus Property program and operates as a private navigational aid. The lighthouse was damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but was restored in 2010. Reaching a height of 64 feet, it is open for guided tours depending on the weather. The Biloxi Visitor Center is located across the street. In addition to serving as a starting point for visitors, the Center also includes several multi-media exhibits that explore the history of Biloxi and a theater that shows a short movie about the city. The Center itself opened in 2011.

Biloxi Lighthouse & Visitor Center

The Biloxi Fire Museum is housed in a former fire station built in 1937. It is dedicated to preserving the history of fire fighting in Biloxi and honoring the men who have died in the line of duty. The museum features photographs and antique equipment on display, including old fire pumpers and fire trucks. It is operated by volunteers and can be visited on Saturday or by appointment. 

Biloxi Fire Museum

Unfortunately, John died in 1848 but his wife kept the business going for many years. Over time Biloxi became known as a good place for vacation and as a result tourism was an important economic driver for the city, which remains to this day. The hotel stayed in the family until the end of&nbsp;WWII. It was badly damaged during a hurricane in 1969. Recognizing its historical value, the city bought the building, moved it 100 yards away from the coast, and renovated it. The museum opened in 2013.&nbsp;

The Magnolia Hotel, now home to the Mardi Gras Museum, is the oldest known hotel to exist on the Mississippi coast. It was built in 1847 by German immigrant John Hahn who owned coffeehouses in New Orleans. The museum features exhibits and memorabilia about past and present-day Mardi Gras celebrations. In this way, the museum changes its exhibits on a regular basis. 

Magnolia Hotel (Mardi Gras Museum)

On August 17, 1969, the Mississippi Coast was devastated by Hurricane Camille. Winds exceeding 170 miles per hour destroyed buildings while 30-foot tidal waves ravaged the coast. This beautiful but somber memorial is located in front of the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed the church and damaged the memorial. Community and church members repaired the memorial and built a second where their church once stood. They also rebuilt the church at 1904 Popps Ferry Road. As a result, the two memorials serve as a reminder of the 172 dead or missing on the Mississippi Coast in Hurricane Camille as well as the estimated 1,833 who died in Hurricane Katrina. 

Hurricane Camille Memorial

Pleasant Reed was born into slavery in 1854. At the age of eleven, his family was freed from slavery and moved away from their plantation in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. While living in Biloxi, Mississippi, Pleasant met his wife, Georgia, in 1884 and began their own family. After the birth of their first child, Pleasant began working as a carpenter to provide for his family while Georgia worked domestic jobs with local families.&nbsp; In 1887, Pleasant Reed &nbsp;pursued a land contract with a local developer and merchant by the name of Jacob Elmer. Jacob was the developer of Elmer Street in Biloxi, where Pleasant purchased a lot measuring 50' by 104'. After signing his contract, Reed began purchasing lumber from local businesses and began the construction of their house through the knowledge he obtained &nbsp;as carpenter.&nbsp; The construction of the house was finished before the land was paid off, which Pleasant and Jacob Elmer came to an agreement to exchange labor for payment. During this time, Elmer Street was developing as an ethnically diverse street as Mr. Elmer sold land to families of different races and backgrounds. Over the next 91 years, this was the home of the Reed family. In all, six children were born to Pleasant and Georgia and grew up on Elmer Street in Biloxi.&nbsp; Georgia passed in 1933 and her husband followed her in 1936. Therese Reed, one of the daughters of the couple, transferred ownership of the house to Delta Sigma Sorority in 1979. The sorority added rooms to the house as well as a new tin roof and kept this historic site from demolition. In 2000, the sorority donated this house to the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art&nbsp;and it was moved from Elmer Street to the site of the museum in 2002.&nbsp; In 2005, the Pleasant Reed House was demolished during Hurricane Katrina. The following year, the board voted to replicate the house and name it the&nbsp;Pleasant Reed Interpretive Center to further the memorial of the Reed family and provide knowledge of how one man&nbsp;overcame slavery and became one of few former slaves to build a strong future for his family.&nbsp;

The original Pleasant Reed House was built in Biloxi, Mississippi, during the late 1800s. Pleasant Reed, a former slave, worked as a carpenter during the post Civil War economy. Thirty years after his family was freed from slavery, he began construction of their home in Biloxi. This historic landmark was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and later reconstructed and became a part of the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art. Visitors can take a tour of the house and view original items used by the Reed family during the late 19th Century and early 20th Century. 

The Pleasant Reed House 

Located on the Eastern tip of the Biloxi peninsula, the Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum is housed in a Spanish influence structure built in 1934 as part of a U.S. Coast Guard station.

The museum was established in 1986 to preserve and interpret the maritime history and heritage of biloxi and the Mississippi gulf coast. It accomplishes this mission through an array of exhibits containing historic photographs and objects.

Visitors can experience the tremendous impact of hurricanes on biloxi through an exhibit and film on hurricane Camille, which devastated the Gulf Coast in 1969. the museum has brought biloxi’s maritime history to life by replicating two full-size Biloxi schooners, which sail the Gulf waters daily.

Historic Landmarks and Historical Markers in Biloxi Along the Gulf of Mexico

Biloxi Beach Wade-In Historical Marker (Bloody Sunday)

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources