Page 47 - South Mississippi Living - July, 2023

photos courtesy of the
Historical Society of Gulfport
1917
Mississippi celebrates its 100th birthday! Land was chosen with a beachfront view to celebrate the centennial. The centennial was never celebrated officially as the Mississippi Centennial Exposition. The site was given to World War
I efforts for training, and afterward became a Veterans Affairs Medical Center. It’s where Centennial Plaza stands today.
1952
The man-made beaches we know and love are completed. The Mississippi Gulf Coast beaches are the longest man-made beach in the world.
August 17, 1969
Category 5 Hurricane Camille makes landfall on the
Gulf Coast. Gulfport, along with the rest of the Coast, is decimated by the storm. Camille is the second most intense hurricane to hit the continental United States.
1993
Gulfport’s first casinos open: Copa Casino and Grand Casino. The casinos were neighbors. Both were damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Now, Island View Casino Resort exists where they used to.
August 29, 2005
Going from a Category 5 to Category 3 by the time it made landfall, Hurricane Katrina hits the Gulf Coast. Gulfport, along with the rest of the Coast, is decimated
by the storm. Katrina is the fourth most intense hurricane to strike the continental United States. It is the costliest hurricane in recent history. Rebuilding since the storm has taken years, but we’ve come a long way.
As you can see, a lot has changed in Gulfport in the last 125 years! Happy birthday, Gulfport!
Port of Gulfport.
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living | www.smliving.net
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View of Highway 90 looking East of Grand Casino after Hurricane Katrina.
Man Made Beach.
Special thanks to the Historical Society of Gulfport, who provided much of the historical information and photography seen in this special section.
Want to get involved? The Gulfport Museum of History is in need of volunteers! Interested parties should contact Betty Shaw at 228.861.6600.
1419 27th Ave., Gulfport | 228.861.6600 www.historicalsocietyofgulfport.org