Page 3 - Hancock County Tourism ~ 2021 History

Do you know about...
Kiln, Mississippi
Kiln is one of the oldest Catholic settlements in southern Mississippi. In the late 1700s, the French settled this area which until then had been inhabited by Choctaw and Muskhogean Indians. The town was originally known as the Jourdan River Settlement because of its location next to the Jourdan River. As time went on, a thriving lumber industry was built, and by the 1840s this community was producing charcoal for much of the New Orleans area. Sawmills, two shipyards, a shingle mill, and a turpentine plant were operating by 1860.
In 1880, the name was changed to Kiln since
so many kilns in the
area produced pine tar. A hospital, restaurant, stores, hotel, movie theatre, high school, and several churches led Kiln in becoming one of the busiest towns between New Orleans and Hattiesburg.
According to local
legend, the stock market
crash of 1929 created a
new enterprise for residents of this wooded hamlet – manufacturing illegal whiskey. This highly alcoholic brew was affectionately known as the Jourdan River Dew, and Kiln thus became known as the “Moonshine Capital of the World.”
Top: Annunciation Catholic Church in Kiln
Center: Jourdan River Lumber Company Sawmill in Kiln
Bottom: Charcoal kiln in Kiln
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