Page 127 - South Mississippi Living - October, 2023

The George E. Ohr Arts & Cultural Center opened in the hometown of the “Mad Potter.”
The Walter Anderson Museum of Art opened in Ocean Springs.
The Beau Rivage Resort & Casino opened in Biloxi.
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino was built.
Nearly 90 Coast WWII veterans took the
Honor Flight to Washington, D.C.
The Louisiana BP oil spill spoiled local beaches, swamps, and islands, caused massive cleanup, hurt seafood, and created lawsuits.
The $64.5 million
Mississippi Aquarium was built in Gulfport.
Gautier
became a city.
J.L. Scott Marine Education Center & Aquarium opened in Biloxi.
Singing River Mall opened in Gautier.
1985
The murders
of Judge
Vincent Sherry
and wife
Margaret in
Biloxi were
linked to the
Dixie Mafia on the Coast, and
Pete Halat, who later became
a Biloxi mayor, was eventually imprisoned as a murder conspirator.
MGM Grand bought the Beau Rivage, and Northrop Grumman bought Litton Industries, which owned Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula.
1998
1999 2000
The Centennial Plaza, a $100 Million, 48-acre resort, opened in Gulfport.
1982 1984
19861987
1988
1990 1992
1991 1994
2005
2015 2018 2020 2023 2010 2012 2017 2019
D’Iberville became a city.
Interstate 110
Hurricane Georges hit, killing none on the Coast but causing $310 million in damage.
The
Mississippi State Lottery was approved.
Scarlet Pearl opened in D’Iberville.
The Mississippi Coast Coliseum & Convention Center opened
in Biloxi, and Charley Pride stepped in as
the headliner instead of Elvis Presley, the scheduled performer, who had just died.
Gulf Islands National Seashore Park opened in Ocean Springs.
Hurricane Elena’s 110-mph winds danced up and down the Coast and then slammed into Jackson County, causing $352 million in damage.
The Navy tapped Pascagoula as a home port.
and the loop opened.
Voters approved dockside gambling in Hancock County but defeated it
in Harrison and Jackson counties.
Harrison County voters approved dockside gambling. The riverboat Isle of Capri was the first casino to open followed by Casino Magic.
Hurricane Katrina, America’s worst natural disaster, devastated
the entire coastline, did extensive damage inland, killed over 200, and caused Coast cities and tens of thousands of homeowners to rebuild.
In June, Moss Point was struck with an EF-2 tornado with maximum winds of 130 mph, a path 2.14 miles long, and 300 yards wide. The damage assessment is ongoing.
Hurricane Zeta caused $650 million in damage.
COVID-19, the pandemic of the century, dominated the national and local news and continues to be front and center even now.
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living | www.smliving.net October 2023 | 127