What's New

Pascagoula Library Genealogy department displays

collected items from old Carver High School

    Old classmates and families of anyone who attended the old Carver High School will be fascinated at the new display located in the Pascagoula Public Library Genealogy and Local History department that will run through the month of March.
    Mr. Robert Jennings would like help with obtaining other artifacts from anyone connected with the old high school. Jennings donated many items that were almost lost due to Katrina but saved most all items he had. Donated items include annuals, photos, letters, banners, and much more - including an old hand-made scrapbook which is on display.
    The display and the Genealogy department is located on the second floor of the library. The building is at the intersection of Pascagoula Street and Delmas Avenue.
    For more information on donating items to the collection, call 769-3078. Information about Genealogy is available on the library web site at www.jgrl.lib.ms.us/genealogy.html.

 

Gulf Islands National Seashore Announces Call

for Fort Massachusetts Volunteer-In-Park Applicants

   “Gulf Islands National Seashore is recruiting volunteers to help park
staff in the field of visitor services on West Ship Island.  This is a
wonderful opportunity to work with other people interested in the park’s
military history and to provide information about Fort Massachusetts to the
visiting public,” says Gulf Islands National Seashore Acting Superintendent
Nina Kelson.  Individuals selected for volunteer work receive training and
volunteer uniforms.

   Park volunteers serve as a point of contact for providing information to
visitors and are responsible for answering basic questions, giving
directions, and assisting with other park duties as assigned.  Applicants
should possess good communication skills, interest in learning about Ship
Island’s history, and ability to work with the public.  Most visitor
services work takes place outdoors at Fort Massachusetts on West Ship
Island.  Summer temperatures can be extreme, but the rewards are
immeasurable.  Shifts will be either eight or ten hours on a regular or
occasional basis.

   Individuals interested in applying for a volunteer position may call
(228) 875-9057 extension 4106 for more information and an application.  A
training session for selected applicants is scheduled for Wednesday, March
4, 2009 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Davis Bayou in Ocean Springs.  The
William M. Colmer Visitor Center is located two miles south of U.S. Highway
90 East on Park Road in Ocean Springs and is open daily from 8:30 a.m. –
4:30 p.m.  For more information about Gulf Islands National Seashore call
228-875-9057 or visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/guis.

Stacy Speas
Interpretive Park Ranger
Gulf Islands NS

Society joins with USM, Chevron, CEI

to explore Greenwood Island gravesites

Members of our Society participated in an anthropology expedition Dec. 28 on Greenwood Island in East Pascagoula, which was the site of Camp Jefferson Davis at the end of the Mexican-American War in 1848.

 Twice in the last 30 years, local fisherman have discovered wooden coffins containing the remains of U.S. veterans exposed by ongoing beach erosion. After years of wondering, “what else is out there,” the Jackson County Historical and Genealogical Society (JCHGS), Coastal Environments, Inc. (CEI) and the Mississippi Department of Archives and History teamed up with Southern Miss for a final comprehensive search of the beach.

“We learned from Post Records that 105 soldiers, many of whom had arrived sick or wounded, died in East Pascagoula, and a few on Greenwood Island,” said Dr. Marie Danforth, Professor of Anthropology at Southern Miss. “When we arrived on the beach, another coffin had been exposed by the sand being churned up from wave action. The work on Greenwood Island has allowed Southern Miss students the unique opportunity to learn about the lives of these soldiers by analyzing their remains and interpreting their findings within the rich historical context that has become available through the dedicated efforts of many JCHGS members.”

With a little help from Chevron’s HumanKind program, which reimburses employee volunteer time; the team rented a high-tech Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) system to scan the beach.

 “We had plans to re-inter the previously found remains at Biloxi National Cemetery, but before we did so, we needed to ensure we didn’t leave any others behind,” said Roger Hansen, Chevron Pascagoula Refinery employee, Veterans of Foreign Wars member and JCHGS military committee member.

When tides were at a optimum low, anthropologist Kelsey Lowe of CEI conducted the analysis while Southern Miss faculty and students, JCHGS volunteers and additional CEI professionals mobilized to assist with the work. Subsequently, the entire stretch of beach where the graves were found was searched using GPR technology. Although the findings have yet to be fully analyzed, it does not indicate that more coffins are present.  

Coordinated by Hansen, the JCHGS plans to re-inter the newly found remains and those of three other previously discovered soldiers into Biloxi National Cemetery on Memorial Day 2010. This will make a total of six soldiers interred at the cemetery from Greenwood Island in 20 years.

“We eventually hope to uncover the names of all 105 soldiers who died at the camp,” said JCHGS President Barry Mclllwain. “We have confirmed 40 of the names and there are plans to erect some type of memorial to the history of the camp.”