A Tour Through Biloxi's Past: From Shrimp Factories to Luxurious Hotels

This article originally written by Jane Shambra with the title "The Views Change, But Diamonds Are Forever" for BNews Monthly, the monthly newsletter of the City of Biloxi. Photographs courtesy of the LHG Image Collection / Local History & Genealogy Department / Harrison County Library System unless otherwise specified. 

While traveling through Biloxi’s highways, waterways, and sidewalks, we often encounter that recurring question: “What used to be on this spot or how did that come about?” Many tourists, residents, and previous Keesler airmen frequent the Local History and Genealogy Department trying to figure out what was where, where was what, and how did that happen Back in the Day.

Batter Up Biloxi

It all began back in 2014, when a Minor League Baseball team set its sights on Biloxi, Mississippi. Then in November of that same year, a name for Biloxi’s minor league baseball team was formally announced at the Saenger Theatre amid much fanfare and celebration. The winner had been selected from six finalists. Shuckers was the winning name!

But, why do we call our team “The Shuckers”? What’s a shucker, anyway? Back in the Day, Biloxi’s shoreline was once lined with seafood factories where hard-working families provided the labor force for the harvesting, processing, and exportation of our renowned scrumptious seafood. Abundantly found in waters along our shoreline, oysters provide not only food for our own residents, but produced an industry that was desired worldwide. Fisherman would board their boats such as white-winged schooners, and ply the waters for seafood. Their bounties were sold fresh to locals or taken to canneries which provided an additional method by preservation or our seafood products.

Thus, in 1903, Biloxi was lauded with the title “The Seafood Capital of the World.” Factory workers prepared popular seafood which included shrimp, crabs, and oysters. The shuckers were the oyster industry workers who carefully pried open the hard shells of the harvested bivalve mollusks with special knives, a technique which is still used today.

Flourishing Hotels

The roaring 20s was a great time for American economy on the Coast. The Tivoli Hotel to the east and the Edgewater Gulf Hotel to its west (all along U.S. 90) were built during that decade, just before the depression and the stock market troubles.

Other thriving hotels during that decade included the Avalez, the White House Hotel, and the Hotel Biloxi. Travelers had several options for transportation: the motor car, the pleasure boat, and the popular train. With Biloxi’s nearby train depot, harbor, and improved Beach Boulevard, travelers had easy access to our famous hotel destinations.

Buena Vista

Before the days of downtown Biloxi Baseball, the square block was occupied by a famous hotel: The Buena Vista, Spanish for "good view," was a massive hotel designed in 1923 by Biloxi’s own Carl Matthes. Mr. Matthes’s original design drawings depicts a grand four-story concrete structure with a basement. (Imagine a basement in south Mississippi!) He even designed a little penthouse on top the roof. Following the Spanish motif, the original architectural plans show detailed archways for both windows and doorways throughout the hotel. The lot size of the complex was described as 165 feet by 400 feet in depth and included a greenhouse for nurturing its special plants on the north side. Perfectly matched grained wooden pine floors were found throughout the hotel along with “easy chairs,”cozy fireplaces, and rugs to provide warmth in the winter months. This amazing flooring provided an astounding opportunity for dancing which was. accompanied by live orchestras. The Buena Vista Hotel complex also included residences for workers as well as a covered garage. Opening day for the Buena Vista Hotel was July 4, 1924 with a budget of $400,000. Special amenities complimented the tourist’s yearn for comfort and pleasure, such as a barber shop, a pool, and a walking pier jutting out from the beachfront just south of the hotel property. Legend has it that this hotel hosted tremendous opportunities for gambling. Even though laws then didn’t permit gambling, folks arrived from miles around to take their chances. For a short time, iconic Jazz clarinetist Pete Fountain (Pierre Dewey LaFontaine Jr., July 3, 1930 – August 6, 2016), was once an owner of the Buena Vista Hotel. One famous section of the hotel was the Marine Room, remembered for its cocktail lounge and dancing venue. The Buena Vista often hosted gatherings for large conventions and competitions. The annual Miss Hospitality beauty contest was held at the hotel, complete with interviews, judging, special luncheons, and parties. The location of the hotel did not protect it from hurricanes. Pictures back in the day show debris piles lacing the Buena Vista’s property. Keeping with Biloxi’s resiliency, the forces of nature did not halt prosperity. Instead, after each hurricane, clean-ups and repairs went underway quickly and progress continued. A closer look at postcards and photos show an added feature to this property: a television antenna. There were no cell towers then, for sure! Years ago, WLOX-TV actually transmitted its signal live from the Buena Vista property. The life of this fine facility changed over time. It was utilized into the 1980s. In 1991, a mysterious fire destroyed much of the main building. Soon after that, in 1992, gambling was legalized, and the property began a new evolution. The buildings were torn down in 1993 to make way for ultra-modern gambling and entertainment venues. Since its opening in 1999 the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino has occupied the area where the south side of the old Buena Vista hotel once thrived; while our MGM Park proudly continues to entertain guests where the original Spanish-style Buena Vista hotel designed by Carl Matthes once stood.

Looking Up

Biloxi has recently added two new overhead pedestrian walkways crossing over Hwy. 90. This feature is not new to the area. As the Buena Vista hotel grew and expanded south of the highway, a similar walkway was added to provide a safer, more picturesque way to walk from the northern to the southern side of its Buena Vista properties.

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