Page 120 - South Mississippi Living - October, 2024

LIVING HISTORY
Hancock Whitney Plaza Downtown Gulfport.
Hancock County Bank, Bay St. Louis (circa 1900).
story by Cherie Ward photos courtesy of Hancock Whitney and Jeff Harrison
Hancock Whitney, Bay St. Louis.
Forbes recognition solidifies Hancock Whitney’s commitment to helping people achieve their financial goals, proving the company’s core values are still steadfast more than a century later.
The 125-year legacy milestone is set for a two-event celebration on October 3. At 4 p.m., Hancock Whitney will rededicate Hancock Whitney Lighthouse Park in honor of the late George A. Schloegel, who passed in October 2023. Schloegel was Chairman, President, and CEO of Hancock Bank as well as mayor of Gulfport.
Then, from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m., Hancock Whitney will host the Mississippi Coast Chamber of Commerce’s Coast Chamber After-5 at the bank’s downtown Gulfport Hancock Whitney Plaza corporate headquarters.
The events mark the bank’s 1899 charter and community history as well as recognizes Hancock Whitney Founders Month, which is each October. In anticipation of the milestones, Hancock Whitney President & CEO John M. Hairston recently rang the opening bell at the Nasdaq Stock MarketSite in Times Square in New York City, New York.
And, there is a lot of history to applaud, too. At the turn 120 | October 2024
of the 20th century, Hancock and Whitney banks were both founded to help people in the thriving Gulf Coast communities manage their money and succeed. The Coast was booming from seafood, agriculture, timber, and tourism, which expanded the railways.
Hancock County Bank was the vision of 19 Bay St. Louis business and community leaders who opened the bank on October 9, 1899. Amid a national recession and with $10,000 in capital and a core values business plan, opening-day deposits totaled $8,277.41.
A year later, Hancock County Bank built and moved to the brick two-story Old Town building on South Beach Boulevard in Bay St. Louis. The Hancock Whitney financial center still uses that building, which was the first two-story building in Bay St. Louis.
In 2011, the two banks formed one company. Its charter was rebranded Hancock Whitney Bank in 2018, paying tribute to both extraordinary legacies.
Now, 125 years and almost 200 branches later, the bank continues to grow, serving communities across the Gulf South, including, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas.
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