Old and New in Biloxi

Over the course of several drives through Biloxi, we saw some of the historic sites and some of the rebuilt hotels and casinos.

Barq's Pop Factory

"This building was constructed c. 1898. ...This is where Barq's Root Beer was first bottled. The company used the building until 1936 when the operation was relocated to the Downtown area."

Bowen House, early 1900s

"Built for a bar pilot, it is constructed of concrete blocks made from a mixture of oyster shell grit and cement. Since Biloxi was once the Seafood Capital of the World, plenty of oyster shells were discarded by the seafood factories along Front Beach and Back Bay."

Ring-in-the-Oak

The hole in the branch parallel to the ground is hard to see in the photo above, but is easily seen in the one below.

"A Native American legend tells that the daughter of a Biloxi chief requested to marry a man from a hostile tribe. Her father told her she could never marry him until a ring grew in the oak tree. Thus, the Ring-in-the-Oak is part of Biloxi's colorful heritage and a testament to the beauty and resiliency of its Live Oaks."

Hurricane Camille Memorial

"These lists of names memorialize those lost in the 1969 storm."

Our Mother of Sorrows School and Church, 1914

"This Eclectic Architectural style church was constructed by the Diocese of Natchez for the African-American Catholic population in Biloxi. Originally, sixty-seven families were members of the church. By 1917, the church served as an elementary school and later a high school" (Biloxi Heritage Driving Tour brochure).

We thought the car below was a somewhat unusual advertisement for the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

Before Katrina, the law had restricted casinos to barges.

All 13 floating hotel-casinos on the Mississippi coast were damaged or destroyed when Hurricane Katrina slammed ashore. The killer winds and storm surge tore the walls off many gambling houses and tossed some of the massive barges on land.

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino

The new law allows the casinos to build up to 800 feet inland. Previously, religious conservatives had fought successfully to keep the casinos off dry land.

Golden Nugget

But is was the structure just across the street from the Golden Nugget that we found to be nothing short of magnificent. More tomorrow.