My Ocean Springs: 2007 in Pictures

Live Nativity at Christus Victor

2007-12-22T16:37:00.000-08:00

The shepherds along Highway 90 prepare to visit the baby Jesus on a rainy, windy night. Christus Victor Lutheran has been an active part of Ocean Springs since 1964, and since 1967 the Lutherans have occupied a prominent location on the highway. The Reverend Terri Stagner-Collier became the pastor in 2007, and during the Christmas season the church came together once more to produce the traditional Live Nativity presentation for the public.

The Very Thing

2007-12-20T11:00:00.001-08:00

When you’re looking for “the very thing” to give to a special friend, why not try “The Very Thing” at the tip of Washington Avenue? In the picture, Judy Padon rearranges the offerings in the alcove of Angie Simms’ specialty shop. The Very Thing offers a unique selection of local art, antiques, and decorative items combined with personal services and charming conversation. Stop in, and you’ll be sure to find “the very thing.”

Christmas in Ocean Springs

2007-12-16T20:01:00.000-08:00

Don’t look for a white Christmas in Ocean Springs. There were a few snowflakes on Christmas Day in 2004, but your best bet is blue skies, white clouds, and warm temperatures. The tropical feel doesn’t dampen the mood in the least, however; the entire city takes advantage of the beautiful weather to decorate in full force. Alberti’s was a popular Biloxi restaurant with a beach view for decades until Hurricane Katrina led to its relocation to Ocean Springs. Cole and Alison Raiford pause for a picture with Alberti’s famed gorilla, who dresses up for every special holiday.

Hillyer House

2007-12-13T12:44:00.001-08:00

Hillyer House was a popular business in Pass Christian for thirty-five years before Hurricane Katrina swept away its irreplaceable works of art. One year later, Hillyer House found a new home on Washington Avenue in Ocean Springs. It has proven to be a perfect match. Sarah Dryden works at the popular business, which represents over two hundred local and regional artisans. Hillyer House features creative jewelry, pottery, blown glass, and original art with a coastal feel.

The Rebuilding Spirit

2007-12-08T07:19:00.000-08:00

Twenty-eight months after Hurricane Katrina washed it away, Shannon Lawler (left) oversees the pouring of the concrete for his family’s new house. The historic storm completely removed the Lawlers’ beautiful two-story home from it’s piers at the end of Lover’s Lane, and for two years they battled insurance companies, new building regulations, and construction plans. Yet as typifies the residents of the Gulf Coast, in spite of the challenges, the family never lost their spirit to rebuild.

Miner's Doll & Toy Store

2007-12-05T14:27:00.000-08:00

Since January 1987, Maryalice Miner and her husband John have graced downtown Ocean Springs with their beautiful toy store. After John retired from the Navy in the 1980s, the couple took a stroll down Fifth Avenue during a business trip to New York City. When they came to FAO Schwarz, they knew how they would spend their retirement years. Miner’s offers nostalgic and state-of-the-art toys, games, dolls, trains, wooden swings, and juvenile furniture at reasonable prices and with friendly, personalized service. As Ocean Springs knows, “The Fun Begins at Miner’s.”

The Historic L & N Depot

2007-12-05T14:24:00.000-08:00

Cynthia Dobbs, Public Relations Director at the Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce Main Street & Visitor Center, enjoys the beautiful December weather outside her office in the historic L & N Depot. The Depot originated in 1907, and was purchased by the Chamber in 1965 when it was no longer needed as a train station. Today, the century-old building is home to a permanent art collection and displays the work of several Ocean Springs’ artists and craftsmen. Best of all, the Chamber’s presence allows the Depot to continue its historic role of being a place to meet and greet visitors.

Flying Wild

2007-12-05T14:21:00.001-08:00

Catherine Biggs opened Flying Wild on the first day of September in 2007 in the Wilson Cottage on Desoto Street. The “Little Purple Cottage” was constructed in 1888, and now houses a unique business offering nature-inspired gifts for the bird hobbyist. Flying Wild sells bird feeders and houses, gourmet seed, books, bird baths, and distinctive gifts for the home or garden.

Evergreen Cemetery

2007-12-05T14:15:00.000-08:00

Barbara Haviland visits one of many family markers in beautiful, historic Evergreen Cemetery, including one of her in-laws who fought in the Civil War. Many of Ocean Springs’ well-known citizens are buried at Evergreen, located at the end of Sunset Drive overlooking Fort Bayou. The oldest marker in Evergreen is dated 1854, and though the specific origin of the cemetery is unclear, it carries the distinction of being the first public cemetery dedicated in Ocean Springs.

The Mud Shack

2007-12-04T19:12:00.001-08:00

The Mud Shack on Government Street bills itself as “the paint your own pottery place,” and for four years now people have been coming to do just that. Co-owners Rebecca and Melanie discovered Ocean Springs to be the perfect place for their unique business that offers individuals and groups the opportunity to create their own masterpieces. In addition to regular hours five days a week, The Mud Shack offers after hours rates for group special events. In the picture, Rebecca’s sister, Mary Ann Taylor works behind-the-scenes preparing client-made masterpieces to be fired in the kiln.

Seaman's Memorial

2007-11-29T15:16:00.001-08:00

Chloe Daves enjoys a beautiful November afternoon at the Seaman’s Memorial on Front Beach. The memorial is dedicated to Merchant Mariners who have served their country in peace and in war, with a special section devoted to those seamen who were lost or buried at sea. Chloe’s great-grandfather, Robert L. Hoomes, was instrumental in establishing the memorial which was dedicated in September of 1994. Mr. Hoomes passed away in January, 2000.

Fort Maurepas

2007-11-20T13:20:00.000-08:00

My daughter, Hillary Sturgeon, stands on the site of Fort Maurepas imagining what it was like for the French explorers that landed here in 1699. The French, under the command of Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d’Iberville, built Fort Maurepas to discourage Spanish and English presence in the area LaSalle had claimed for France. Although the fort was abandoned in 1702 and the French eventually concentrated their efforts in New Orleans, Fort Maurepas remains an important historical site in the history of the Gulf Coast. A marker was placed at the site in 1949. A replica of the fort was constructed on-site in 1982. In 1993, the Fort Maurepas Society began hosting annual re-enactments of the landing of d’Iberville until Hurricane Katrina destroyed the structure in August of 2005. Plans are underway to rebuild the replica bigger and better to preserve the important history the fort represents.

Ocean Springs is truly the City of Discovery. If you visit, you’ll discover why.

AT&T Call Center

2007-11-17T12:04:00.000-08:00

Leah Chevalier, Market Support Manager at AT&T, talks on her cell phone outside the Ocean Springs Call Center. The Call Center opened in the old Wal-Mart building in 2001 and instantly became the largest employer in Ocean Springs. The business was known at the Cingular Call Center until 2007 when the corporate merger made it a part of the “new” AT&T. The Call Center specializes in customer support for the nation’s largest wireless network.

The Ocean Springs Chorale

2007-11-12T17:59:00.001-08:00

The Ocean Springs Chorale, under the direction of Mary Elizabeth Sawyer, is an intergenerational and interdenominational musical ensemble that has literally shared their faith in song around the world. The Chorale began rehearsals in 2005 shortly before Hurricane Katrina, but the storm didn’t dampen their spirit. In 2006, they performed at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Venice and St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Plans for 2008 include a summer tour in France and the United Kingdom.

Marble Springs

2007-11-11T11:54:00.000-08:00

The Martin family enjoys a sunny day at Marble Springs off Iberville Drive overlooking Fort Bayou. The historical marker at the park claims that Marble Springs was probably used by the Native American population prior to the arrival of European settlers, and between the 1850s and 1920s it was popular for its medicinal properties. Marble Springs was also known as Mineral Springs, and it was the best known nationally of Mississippi’s many mineral springs resorts.

Peter Anderson Festival

2007-11-03T11:02:00.001-07:00

Becky Dennis set up her Art in Clay tent in front of Hancock Bank on Washington Avenue amid several of her fellow artists. The biggest event in Ocean Springs every year is the Peter Anderson Arts & Crafts Festival, and the 2007 version did not disappoint the 700+ artisans who set up shop for the estimated 100,000 visitors that poured into the city. Absolutely gorgeous weather accompanied this year’s early-November festival, with blue skies, bright sunshine, and a high in the mid-70s.

Cleopatra's Secret

2007-11-02T09:32:00.001-07:00

Ashley Merriam gives a facial to owner, Laurie Authement, at Cleopatra’s Secret on Government Street. Ocean Springs is famous for its variety of spas, and Cleopatra’s Secret has been carving out its unique niche over its twelve years in existence. In addition to the normal spa treatments such as hair, nails, and massages, Cleopatra’s is the only salon on the Mississippi Gulf Coast that offers full body wraps. Laurie also specializes in artistic tattoos and other permanent cosmetics.

Bridge Reopening

2007-11-01T14:29:00.000-07:00

Kelsey Reid, captain of the Ocean Springs High School volleyball team, checks out the competition in the beach volleyball tournament during the festivities surrounding the reopening of the Biloxi-Ocean Springs Bridge. Normally, the Peter Anderson Festival is the biggest event in Ocean Springs, but it was upstaged just two days before the Festival in 2007 by the bridge reopening. Katrina destroyed so much when it blasted the Mississippi Gulf Coast in August 2005, witnessed most dramatically by the bridge devastation, so its reopening twenty-six months later came with great fanfare, including live music and a massive fireworks display. The reopening of the bridge served as a metaphor to many Ocean Springs residents, representing in effect the healing of the city.

Downtown Trick or Treat

2007-10-31T18:47:00.001-07:00

One of the wonderful evenings in Ocean Springs each year comes when the city blocks off the downtown area and provides a safe place for children to trick or treat. The event is billed as “Trick or Treat Down the Street,” and business owners and their employees up and down both Washington Avenue and Government Street sit out in front of their stores in costume handing out candy to the scads of children who turn out every year. In 2007, Sonny & Cher made an appearance at the law offices of Dogan, Wilkinson, Kinard, Smith, and Edwards.

CSX Railroad

2007-10-30T18:33:00.001-07:00

The Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company began in 1850, and by 1870 the L & N had established service between Mobile and New Orleans, creating a sight that has been familiar in Ocean Springs ever since. After 132 years of service under the name L & N, the railroad company merged into Seaboard System Railroad in 1982, but just four years later, Seaboard lost its name to another merger that became CSX Transportation. With the eerie exception of the period immediately following Hurricane Katrina, the CSX line has been rolling through Ocean Springs for over twenty years now, naturally drawing the attention of Coast residents like Donna Barnes, who watches the train pass her by in Marshall Park.

Crooked Feather

2007-10-30T18:30:00.001-07:00

Pre-schooler Will Marts gets a close-up view of Crooked Feather on a sunny October day in 2007 just two days before the reopening of the Biloxi-Ocean Springs Bridge resumed travel by his prominent Highway 90 location. Hungarian sculptor, Peter W. Toth, completed the six-foot tall sculpture from a ten ton cypress log in 1976 as a tribute to the indigenous American Indian, then returned to Ocean Springs in 1987 to restore Crooked Feather after Hurricane Elena toppled him in 1985. The original was replaced in the year 2000 by local sculptor, Thomas King, for $20,000.

Martha's Tea Room

2007-10-24T13:58:00.001-07:00

Martha Reichard opened her Tea Room to enthusiastic reviews on Washington Avenue in 1991, and after sixteen popular years in that location, 2007 witnessed the restaurant’s move to a beautiful Victorian home on Government Street, featuring a wrap-around porch and outside dining. After all these years, Martha continues to make all her homemade breads, something she calls a “dying art,” along with scrumptious homemade desserts. Martha’s is a popular lunch spot, and despite its English tea room atmosphere, Martha taught me that it isn’t just for the ladies! At the restaurant entrance, a sign announces, “Real men eat quiche!”

B.B.'s PoBoys

2007-10-12T10:37:00.000-07:00

B.B. Minton, owner of B.B.’s PoBoys and Seafood on Highway 90, offers the most popular lunch spot in Ocean Springs. Diners enjoy the classic New Orleans dishes, such as a shrimp po’boy, bowl of gumbo, and a Barq’s root beer, along with a full lineup of seafood entrees and delicious desserts. B.B. and his wife, Cindi, have been satisfying customers since 1990.

Boating

2007-10-10T12:26:00.001-07:00

Ruby Entrekin, a lifelong resident of Biloxi and Ocean Springs, relaxes with her family as her son leads his boat out of Ocean Springs Harbor and into the open waters of the Mississippi Sound on a sunny October afternoon. Ocean Springs is an oasis for boating enthusiasts with far too many places to launch to even begin a list. The call of the open expanse of the Gulf of Mexico, the privacy of the intracoastal bayous, and the easy access to the barrier islands provides an opportunity for everyone to enjoy the call of the water.

Harbor Landing

2007-10-10T12:24:00.000-07:00

The brand new Harbor Landing towers over Ocean Springs Harbor, providing spectacular views of the harbor and the Mississippi Sound. Whether one chooses to relax in one of the shaded hammocks or dine in the restaurant, the Harris family’s Harbor Landing provides everyone with a place to unwind and enjoy the best view in Ocean Springs.