Page 124 - South Mississippi Living - October, 2024

LIVING HISTORY
124 | October 2024
www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living
An American World War II Heritage City
story by Victoria Snyder photos courtesy of Ingalls Shipbuilding
World War II permeated every aspect of American life and resulted in a large migration of people within the United States. Many industrial centers became “boom towns,” growing at phenomenal rates. Workers from around the nation had to intermingle with each other and overcome differences in order to meet war demands, forever changing the cultural landscape of the United States.
On November 17, 2023, Pascagoula, Mississippi, was officially designated as an American World War II Heritage City by the National Park Service. Jurisdictions must meet requirements to be eligible for this recognition. Currently, Pascagoula is one of 30 communities in the country that have received this distinction.
The criteria include things like adaptations to wartime survival, presence of Armed Forces installations, the establishment of memorials, ceremonies of wartime event anniversaries, and more. The National Park Service wants to make sure that the city participated in wartime efforts and is commemorating the legacy of those contributions.
Pascagoula’s application outlined the great lengths the city and its inhabitants went to before and during the war to support the United States. The small fishing and boatbuilding town with a population less than 4,000 turned into a city with nearly 38,000 people that dominated industries.
Before the United States even entered the war, Pascagoula
was aiding in war efforts. In 1938, Ingalls Shipbuilding (at the time Ingalls Iron Works) began quickly building barges. Since then, Pascagoula has remained a global leader in shipbuilding. The shipyard built around 90 ships to aid in the war – not just for the United States, but also for the British Royal Navy.
Workers poured into the town and new housing had to be built. The Navy helped to build these new residences, and these “Navy Houses” are now a designated historical landmark.
While Ingalls played a large role in the city’s contributions to WWII, it is not the only business that helped. The Pascagoula Decoy Company switched from making wooden duck decoys to paddles, oars, tool handles, and more. The city produced uniforms for soldiers all over the world. Local farmers and fishermen produced agriculture to feed locals and the country.
Lasting impacts in Pascagoula can still be seen today and include infrastructure and buildings. Gas, water, sewer, telephone, and electric lines that are still in use today were built into the streets during the building boom. Schools still used today were built during this time. One of the most prominent long-lasting additions is the deep-water channel from the Pascagoula River to Horn and Petit Bois islands. It originally had a depth of 30 feet, but today it is retained at 42 feet and continues to connect the Port of Pascagoula and Ingalls Shipbuilding to the rest of the world.