Decided upon by King Louis XIV that the crown should make a more permanent stake in this vast area, Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d'Iberville, was commissioned to plant a colony somewhere near the mouth of the Mississippi. In October 1698, he set sail from France with about 200 colonists aboard. Six months later, he arrived at Biloxi Bay and landed on its East Side. It was then on April 8, 1699, d'Iberville selected the site of present-day Ocean Springs to build Fort Maurepas for the first settlement by the French for Colonial Louisiana. A replica of this fort was created and may be visited. It is a particularly lively place for the Fort Maurepas Reenactment or the annual Landing of D'Iberville, celebrated in Ocean Springs.

Mississippi Gulf Coast, once home to the Biloxi Indians and later to d'Iberville's French, changed hands countless times over the centuries. With each new flag, a new culture was infused. Traces of Spanish rule may be seen--and touched--at the Old Spanish Fort in Pascagoula, built in 1718.

Located on West Ship Island, Fort Massachusetts was one of the last masonry coastal fortifications built in the United States. Construction began prior to the onset of the Civil War, but almost immediately following its onset, Confederates seized the unfinished fort. By late 1861, Federal forces regained control of the fort, and used it as a prisoner-of-war camp. In 1862, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers resumed construction of the fort, completing it in 1866.

Although Fort Massachusetts fell victim to advancing military technology, its beauty and craftsmanship remain as symbols of a strong, yet passive coastal defense. An enchanting, seventy-minute ferry ride transports visitors to West Ship Island, where park rangers provide guided tours of Fort Massachusetts.

The graceful, antebellum homes along Beach Boulevard (Hwy 90), remaining from the bygone era, are evidence that part of the legacy Southern planter society bestowed upon Mississippi's Gulf Coast lingers. Historic homes open to the public include: Beauvoir, built in Biloxi from 1852 to 1854; The Father Ryan House Bed & Breakfast, built in Biloxi in 1841; Grass Lawn, built in Gulfport in 1836; The Old Santini House Bed & Breakfast, built in Biloxi in 1837; and Tullis-Toledano Manor, built in Biloxi in 1856.

Beauvoir, the retirement estate of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, is an exceptional example of the antebellum and Victorian homes gracing the Coast. The exquisite, pristinely preserved cottage-style residence was completed in 1851 and stands on a spectacular 52-acre site overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. Given that Beauvoir is on the National Register of Historic Places and holds designations as both a Mississippi Historical Landmark and a National Historic Landmark, touring the home is essential.

For those interested in Southern culture and mansions, there's no better time to visit than in March, when the Gulf Coast Garden Club is hosting the annual Spring Pilgrimage. This ever-popular annual event includes free tours of historic homes and gardens, churches and municipal buildings, and museums and historic sites along the Mississippi's Gulf Coast. It's a celebration of the beauty, history, and hospitality that you won't want to miss.

Click Here for listings of Historic Sites along Mississippi's Gulf Coast.