Those of you who regularly read my postings may have noticed that I have not written anything for about a week. The reason is that I have been on a mission trip to the Mississippi Gulf Coast with my church to assist with restoring the damage from hurricane Katrina. Still, almost 2 years later, the coast is heavily damaged, and dependent on volunteers to help rebuild both the physical and spiritual devastation to the area. While on the trip, I purchased this book, which was written and photographed just months prior to Katrina, in order to preserve the unique history, culture, and architecture of the disappearing Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Author Jim Frasier, is a federal administrative law judge from Tupelo, Mississippi, and author of several books exploring the Mississippi lifestyle and culture, including Mississippi River Country Tales and The Majesty of the Mississippi Delta. Photographer Rick Guy, is an award winning photojournalist whose credits include Newsweek, and Time magazines and The Majesty of Eastern Mississippi and the Coast, his prior collaboration with Frasier. He currently works for the Clarion-Ledger newspaper in Jackson, Mississippi. The second collaboration from this team, Vanished Mississippi Gulf Coast, is a beautifully photographed chronicle of the pre-Katrina Mississippi Gulf Coast.

This beautifully photographed, 104 page, volume is divided into 6 sections, including a preface, acknowledgements, and introduction. The six sections recount the unique history, architecture, and culture of the cities along the the Gulf Coast; Ocean Springs, Pascagoula, Biloxi, Gulfport, Pass Christian, and Bay St. Louis, that sustained most of the damage from Hurricane Katrina, some of which were practically wiped off the map.

The pre-Katrina Mississippi Gulf Coast was a showcase of stately antebellum mansions, and historical landmarks such as Beauvior, the last residence of President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis, and the Dantzler House, the Mission-style home of one of Mississippi's most successful lumber exporting families. The primary architectural styles included Greek Revival, Mission-style, Twentieth-Century Victorian, French Colonial, West Indies, and Bungalow.

Originally inhabited by the Choctaw, Chicasaw, Natchez, and Biloxi Indians, the first French explorer to land on the coast, Robert Cavelier Sieur de la Salle, claimed the Mississippi River Valley for France. Other influences in the area came from Pierre le Moyne, Sieur d'Iberville, from Canada, bringing the French Canadian influence, to the earliest settlement in Ocean Springs. Boasting six historical districts, Ocean Springs features a variety of architectural styles including, Neo-classical Revival, French influenced raised cottage, and Italian Renaissance styles. Ocean Springs relives it's founding each spring with the annual Landing of d'Iberville, with children's pet parades, a historic ball and pageant, and a re-enacted landing. The Gulf Hills Hotel once served as a hide-out for Al Capone and summer escape for Elvis Presley. Most of the downtown area was flooded, but not destroyed by Katrina. The high point of Ocean Springs culture was the Shearwater Historic District, an artist colony where Shearwater Pottery and the Walter Anderson cottage were located.

Pascagoula, is known for the famous legend of the Singing River, that flows through the southern plains and marshland, emptying into the gulf, marked by the strange sound similar to the swarm of bees or strains of a harp. The lands on Pascagoula Bay were ceded in 1718 to Madame De Chaumont, by King Louis XIV, who established a colony of disreputable Frenchmen, slaves and women from Parisian jails. Memorable structures include the Bellevue home, where visiting poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow supposedly wrote his poem, "The Building Of the Ship." Pascagoula is the Gulf Coast's ground zero for annual festivals and parades such as their Mardi Gras and the Mississippi Coast Blues Festival.

The colonial French colony of Old Biloxi, was populated in 1800 by 420 French Creoles, subsisting on fish and crops and raising cattle and producing pitch and tar. The Catholic Church organized there in 1838, with the arrival of hundreds of Irish fleeing the Potato Famine. The coast's most famous landmark is the 53 foot tall, cast-iron, Biloxi Lighthouse, the only lighthouse ever to be situated on the median of a United States highway. The city is also famous for it's grand antebellum homes and moss covered oak trees. The cultural influences include deep-sea fishing, fresh seafood, competitive sailing, miles of white-sand beaches, and gulf-view casinos.

Unlike the Gulf Coast's other coastal towns, Gulfport is a twentieth-century city, that resulted from a union between the lumber industry and railroad, with a uniquely American atmosphere. In 1906, 293 feet of lumber, mostly yellow pine, were shipped from Gulfport, making it the largest lumber export city in America. The architecture is influenced by Second Renaissance Revival architecture, with a spattering of Greek Revival, Mission, and Colonial Revival styles. The culture is heavily influenced by Mardi Gras and St. Patrick's Day parades, the annual Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo, Octoberfest, and Scottish Games and Celtic Festival.

Pass Christian was the original home to Native Americans that settled on the St. Louis Bay. Other early influences included the French, and British who invaded during the War of 1812. Early Pass Christian architecture featured Greek Revival and creole cottage structures, with some Acadian Revival and Colonial Revival structures. The Saucier-Pratt House, a Greek Revival style home, was the Union headquarters during 1862. Cultural influences include art galleries, boutiques, The Catholic Church's annual Seafood Festival and regattas sponsored by the Pass Christian Yacht Club.

Bay St. Louis, was a camping area along the Mississippi Bay, named by d'Iberville in honor of St. Louis when the party landed there on the day of St. Louis. For decades after the war of 1812, pirates inhabited the Bay St. Louis area. The Waveland House, which was destroyed by Hurricane Camille, was reputed to be the home base of famous Pirate, Jean Lafitte. Before Katrina, more than 575 structures in Bay St. Louis were listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Beach Historic District featured Greek Revival, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Bungalow, and Mission-style homes. Prior to Katrina, some of the coast's best shopping could be found in the Old Town Shopping District. The Folk Art and Antique Museum was the residence and studio for renowned local artists. Annual festivals have included Our Lady of the Gulf Crab Festival and the Diamondhead Arts and Crafts Show.

According to the author,"While Bay St. Louis, Waveland, and Pass Christian bore the brunt of Katrina's wrath, the entire length of the coast endured high winds and a record storm surge that left the area in shambles." This is still evident almost 2 years later, based on my personal observation.

This well written, beautifully photographed, meticulously researched, book aptly contrast the the grace, beauty, and lifestyle of the pre-Katrina Mississippi Gulf Coast that was ravaged first by Hurricane Camille in 1969, and again by Katrina in 2005, to the post-Katrina devastation, with a number of before-and-after photographs. It also chronicles the rich and varied history, that has made it such a polyglot of cultures. The breathtaking beauty of stately antebellum mansions is often juxtaposed against the shocking destruction of cars washed into ditches, beautiful old homes, reduced to scattered debris, and the ruins of historical old churches. This book, however, includes few actual details about the storm itself. The emphasis is clearly on the pristine beauty of the by-gone pre-Katrina era, rather than the devastation of the storm.

Ultimately, Vanished Mississippi Gulf Coast, is a reminder of the world that existed before Hurricane Katrina, and the spirit and determination of the residents to return it to it's original glory. While the original beauty may never be replaced, it is in a constant state of restoration, of which I am proud to have played a very small part.



Recommended: Yes