Of all the news that I have cited lately, this one affected me more than any. I have spoken at length about Pascagoula and Gulfport, now happy memories of times spent in Biloxi race through my mind. When I was in high school our Catholic Education Business Club held it's annual meetings and award ceremonies at the Edgewater Hotel. In July 1971 I watched on television as the hotel, in controlled blasts, was demolished to make room for the Edgewater Mall.
I spent many hours on Biloxi's beaches enjoying the sun and water. I and girlfriends went to USO dances and sometimes attended dances in Vandenburg Hall at Keesler Air Force Base. It was at one of these dances that I met my future husband.
Our choice of which city to go to for Mardi Gras was always Biloxi. I have a link below to the history of Mardi Gras and why it is celebrated. Mobile, Alabama was the first to celebrate this festivity and Biloxi, Mississippi was the first city on the coast to celebrate Mardi Gras. I have provided a link that will explain what the "hooplah" is about. History of Mardi Gras
Our annual office Christmas party was held each year at the then "swank" Broadwater Beach Hotel. Pianist Leon Kelner from the "Blue Room" in New Orleans was the entertainer. The Broadwater also has a history that I have provided a link to. Gambling in Mississippi Its Early History
"Because gambling was so profitable, the Broadwater Beach Hotel was built in 1938 specifically to cater to out-of-state and Mississippi gamblers who could afford to gamble. People flocked to the gaming establishments that lined the Mississippi Gulf Coast. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, gambling was viewed as a means to stimulate the economy, especially along the Gulf Coast."
There was Beauvoir, the home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. The following link will give you the history of: Beauvoir in Biloxi, MS
There was the historical Episcopal Church of The Redeemer whose grounds housed the Camille monument. History of The Church of the Redeemer
There was the Biloxi/Ocean Springs bridge that connected us all.
As the article stated it will be a very different kind of tourism this summer. I am opting for those who will come to help rebuild our coastal cities and that special emphasis be put on Biloxi.
3 comments:
Wow. There really is nothing new under the sun.. That's interesting about gambling on the Coast.
Thanks Anita I remember a grocery store that had a one arm bandit as they called them. The local grocer used it to get by as times were hard. Seemed perfectly innocent cause I remember people winning a few dollars here and there. Also there were those cards that you scrape off three numbers and if you had three that matched you won. I was a kid and I use to get the cards. Couldn't have cost no more than a nickle.
Thanks Mary I didn't know all the details at the time but now I look back and remember different things. Even Bingo was a big deal. An uncle wasn't in to "white lightning" but he did brew his own wines in his bathtub.
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