Editing Gulfport, Mississippi (section)

==History==
Two villages predated the founding of Gulfport: [[Mississippi City, Mississippi|Mississippi City]], located along the gulf, and Handsboro, founded in the 1800s along the northern bayous.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Early History |url=http://www.historicalsocietyofgulfport.org/early-history.html |access-date=2025-01-05 |website=The Historical Society of Gulfport |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Handsboro |url=http://www.historicalsocietyofgulfport.org/handsboro.html |access-date=2025-01-05 |website=The Historical Society of Gulfport |language=en}}</ref> Mississippi City was born out of the Mississippi City Company that was formed in 1837 to build a town to serve as the terminus for the [[Gulf and Ship Island Railroad]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Howell |first=Elmo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MgcZCCi_Z4UC |title=Mississippi Scenes: Notes on Literature and History |date=1992 |publisher=Roscoe Langford |isbn=978-0-9622026-2-9 |pages=109–110 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Stephens Nuwer |first=Deanne |title=Six Sisters of the Gulf Coast |url=https://mississippiencyclopedia.org/entries/six-sisters-of-the-gulf-coast/ |access-date=2025-01-05 |website=Mississippi Encyclopedia |publisher=Center for Study of Southern Culture |language=en-US}}</ref> The purpose of the railroad was to transfer [[yellow pine]] for ship-based trade.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Hellmann |first=Paul T. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5aFyDLBIjJ8C |title=Historical Gazetteer of the United States |date=2006-02-14 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-135-94858-0 |language=en}}</ref> While a depression led to the abandonment of the railroad, the town was nevertheless built and later made the county seat upon the creation of [[Harrison County, Mississippi|Harrison County]] in 1841.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |url=https://www.apps.mdah.ms.gov/nom/dist/220.pdf |title=National Register of Historic Places Registration Form {{!}} Gulfport Harbor Square Commercial Historic District |publisher=United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service |year=2012 |pages=27–30}}</ref>

The Gulf and Ship Island Railroad company was later reorganized and selected [[William H. Hardy]] as its president. Desiring to connect the railroad from the town of [[Hattiesburg, Mississippi|Hattiesburg]], which he founded, to the coast, he steered away from Mississippi City because of its lack of proximity to deep water.<ref name=":1" /> He selected the site of Gulfport in 1887, and the town was founded that year.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Cooper |first=Forrest Lamar |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt2tvknv |title=Looking Back Mississippi: Towns and Places |date=2011 |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |isbn=978-1-61703-148-9 |page=73|jstor=j.ctt2tvknv }}</ref> Because of the cost of the project, Hardy went bankrupt in 1893, and the town became a [[ghost town]].<ref name=":1" /> However, [[Philadelphia]] oil tycoon [[Joseph T. Jones]] purchased the company.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> Jones funded not only the railroad, but much of the city, the harbor, and the dredging of the channel.<ref name=":2" /> In 1888, the city was given its name from the [[The Clarion-Ledger|Jackson Clarion-Ledger]] editor, [[R. H. Henry]] after a conversation between him and Hardy.<ref name=":2" /> On July 28, 1898, the city was incorporated.<ref name=":0" /> In 1902, Harrison County voted to move the county seat to Gulfport.<ref name=":0" />[[File:Steamer loading resin, Gulfport, MS 1906 cph.3b18580.jpg|thumb|left|Steamer loading resin in Gulfport, 1906]]In 1900, the railroad was completed, and in 1902 the '''Port of Gulfport'''<!-- bolded per [[WP:MOSBOLD]] as a redirect target --> was completed.<ref name=":1" />  On April 28, 1904, the [[United States Department of the Treasury|Treasury Department]] changed the [[port of entry]] for the district of the Pearl River from [[Bay St. Louis, Mississippi|Shieldsboro]] to Gulfport.<ref>{{Cite book |last=United States Department of the Treasury |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Auk9AQAAMAAJ&dq=Removal+of+the+port+of+entry+for+the+district+of+pearl+river&pg=RA18-PA2 |title=Treasury Decisions Under the Customs, Internal Revenue, and Other Laws: Including the Decisions of the Board of General Appraisers and the Court of Customs Appeals |date=1904 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |location=Washington, D.C. |pages=2ff |language=en}}</ref> At the time, the Gulfport port had greater ease of access than comparable ports like Mobile or New Orleans.<ref name=":1" /> The port soon made Gulfport the largest lumber export city in the United States, shipping over 293 million feet of lumber in 1906; however, the depletion of the yellow pine ended this status in the early 20th century.<ref name=":1" />

At the turn of the century, Gulfport began to experience notable growth: by 1900, the population hit 1,000, and by 1910, over 6,000.<ref name=":1" /> As a result, the fire department and sanitation services were established, and by 1903, the county courthouse was built.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":1" /> The [[Louisville and Nashville Railroad|Louisville and Nashville]] railroad line also began serving the city around this time at [[Gulfport station|Gulfport Station]] (then the [[Union station|Union Depot]]).<ref name=":1" /> In 1910, the [[United States Post Office and Customhouse (Gulfport, Mississippi)|U.S. Post Office and Customhouse]] was built,<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/3fb92067-e239-48cc-896f-49d6086a74b4 |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form {{!}} U.S. Post Office and Customhouse |date=February 7, 1984 |publisher=United States Department of Interior, National Park Service}}</ref> and in March 1916, the construction of a [[Carnegie Library]] was announced by the mayor.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of Our Libraries |url=https://www.harrison.lib.ms.us/about-us/history-of-our-libraries/#:~:text=The%201910's&text=October%2027,%201911%20%E2%80%93%20First%20steps,section%20of%20Gulfport%20City%20Hall. |access-date=2025-01-05 |website=Harrison County Library System |language=en-US}}</ref> Other impressive developments include the building of the [[Historic Grand Hotels on the Mississippi Gulf Coast#Great Southern Hotel (Gulfport)|Great Southern Hotel]], the construction of an electric plant (later managed by [[Mississippi Power]]), and a [[Tram|streetcar]] line.<ref name=":1" />

In 1917, the city was set to hold the Mississippi Centennial Exposition, but upon the U.S. entering [[World War I]], the plans were abandoned. The building complex created for the exposition was transferred to the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] as a training center. The lands were eventually transitioned into a [[Gulfport Veterans Administration Medical Center Historic District|Veterans Administration Hospital]], which operated until 2005.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kennedy |first=Chatham |date=2021-01-15 |title=Centennial Plaza |url=https://www.mississippiheritage.com/elevation-blog/2021/1/27/centennial-plaza |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=Mississippi Heritage Trust |language=en-US}}</ref> The 1920s saw a construction boom with buildings like the [[Historic Grand Hotels on the Mississippi Gulf Coast#Markham Hotel (Gulfport)|Hotel Markham]] and the Bank of Gulfport being completed.<ref name=":1" /> By the 1930s, the population had increased to over 12,000, with growth continuing into the 1940s.<ref name=":1" />

During [[World War II]], two military bases were built in Gulfport. Camp Hollyday, established in 1942, would later become the home base for the [[Naval Construction Battalion Center (Gulfport, Mississippi)|Naval Construction Battalion Center]].<ref name=":1" /> Also in 1942, the [[United States Army Air Corps|U.S. Army Air Corps]] constructed a training base for heavy bomber crews known as [[Gulfport Army Airfield]].<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=Gulfport Field |url=http://www.historicalsocietyofgulfport.org/gulfport-field.html |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=The Historical Society of Gulfport |language=en}}</ref> After the war, the base was declared excess, and the city purchased most of the facilities for a new [[Gulfport–Biloxi International Airport|Gulfport Municipal Airport]] (the first airport was dedicated in 1930).<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite book |url=https://www.apps.mdah.ms.gov/nom/prop/102037.pdf |title=National Register of Historic Places Registration Form {{!}} Gulfport Army Air Field Hangar |date=2012 |publisher=United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service |pages=6}}</ref> In 1954, the [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]] resumed use of the facilities they still owned as Gulfport Air Force Base to train [[Air National Guard]] units.<ref name=":5" /> This lasted until 1958,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Air Force Base-Gulfport, 1954-1958 |url=https://msstate-archives.libraryhost.com/repositories/4/archival_objects/24308 |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=Mississippi State University Libraries}}</ref> when the facilities were transferred to the [[Mississippi Air National Guard]] as the [[Gulfport Combat Readiness Training Center]].<ref name=":4" /> [[File:President Ford during a campaign stop - NARA - 7027915.jpg|thumb|left|U.S. President [[Gerald Ford]] visited Gulfport during his [[1976 United States presidential election|1976 reelection campaign]]]]

By 1950, the population had grown to around 22,000 and by 1960, 30,000.<ref name=":1" /> Around the time of the [[Biloxi wade-ins]], Gulfport had its own protest wade-in in 1960.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gulfport Civil Rights Wade-in |url=http://www.historicalsocietyofgulfport.org/gulfport-civil-rights-wade-in.html#:~:text=across%20from%20the%20Island%20View%20Casino.&text=Near%20this%20spot%20on%20April,Americans%20use%20of%20the%20beach. |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=The Historical Society of Gulfport |language=en}}</ref> In 1965, the city annexed the original Mississippi City and Handsboro area.<ref name=":3" /> On August 17, 1969, Gulfport and the Mississippi Gulf Coast were hit by [[Hurricane Camille]], the second-strongest hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. in recorded history.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Hurricane Camille - August 17, 1969 |url=https://www.weather.gov/mob/camille |access-date=2025-01-05 |website=National Weather Service |publisher=NOAA |language=EN-US}}</ref> The most heavily damaged part of Gulfport was the waterfront areas: storm waters in Gulfport reached 21 feet, and the port of Gulfport was nearly completely destroyed. Otherwise, the downtown and inland areas received small amounts of structural damage.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Pielke, Jr. |first1=Roger A. |last2=Simonpietri |first2=Chantal |last3=Oxelson |first3=Jennifer |date=July 12, 1999 |title=Thirty Years After Hurricane Camille: Lessons Learned, Lessons Lost |url=https://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/about_us/meet_us/roger_pielke/camille/report.html |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=sciencepolicy.colorado.edu}}</ref>

In 1976, the [[Armed Forces Retirement Home]] relocated from Philadelphia to Gulfport on the land of the former [[Gulf Coast Military Academy]]. The facility was destroyed in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina but rebuilt as a much larger facility in 2010.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Welcome to the Gulfport, MS Community |url=https://www.afrh.gov/gulfport |access-date=January 5, 2025 |website=[[Armed Forces Retirement Home]]}}</ref> A new county courthouse was built in 1977. In 1993, the city opened its first two casinos, and later that year in December, the city annexed {{convert|33|sqmi}} north of Gulfport. This annexed land included [[Turkey Creek Community Historic District|Turkey Creek]], a historic community founded by emancipated slaves before the founding of Gulfport.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thames |first=Hardy |date=Winter 2013–14 |orig-date= |title=Looking for Justice at Turkey Creek: Out of the Classroom and into the Past |url=https://www.civilrightsteaching.org/resource/justice-turkey-creek |access-date=January 5, 2025 |website=Civil Rights Teaching |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2003, the [[Dan M. Russell Jr. United States Courthouse]] was completed.<ref name=":3" />[[File:GulfportHarbor2005.jpg|thumb|right|Damage to the Marine Life Oceanarium and casinos after Hurricane Katrina|upright=1.25]]

On August 29, 2005, Gulfport was hit by the strong eastern side of [[Hurricane Katrina]] with wind speeds of at least {{Convert|100|mph|km/h}} and storm surge of at least {{Convert|19|ft|m}}.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 29, 2005 |title=Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees: Hurricane Katrina Slams Gulf Coast |url=https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/acd/date/2005-08-29/segment/01 |access-date=January 6, 2025 |website=CNN Transcripts |quote="that it felt like it would never end, saying winds were at least 100 miles per hour in Gulfport for seven hours, between about 7:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. For another five or six hours, on each side of that, they [Gulfport] had hurricane-force winds over 75 miles per hour; much of the city of 71,000 was then under water."}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Fritz |first1=Hermann M. |last2=Blount |first2=Chris |last3=Sokoloski |first3=Robert |last4=Singleton |first4=Justin |last5=Fuggle |first5=Andrew |last6=McAdoo |first6=Brian G. |last7=Moore |first7=Andrew |last8=Grass |first8=Chad |last9=Tate |first9=Banks |date=2008 |title=Hurricane Katrina Storm Surge Reconnaissance |url=https://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/%28ASCE%291090-0241%282008%29134%3A5%28644%29 |journal=Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering |language=en |volume=134 |issue=5 |pages=644–656 |doi=10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2008)134:5(644) |bibcode=2008JGGE..134..644F |issn=1090-0241}}</ref> 9,571 houses were damaged or destroyed, and the town was left with a $3 million deficit. The city received over $300 million in federal aid which it used to repair infrastructure and facilities for essential services.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Brown |first=DeNeen L. |date=August 26, 2015 |title=On Mississippi's Gulf Coast, what was lost and gained from Katrina's fury |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/on-mississippis-gulf-coast-what-was-lost-and-gained-from-katrinas-fury/2015/08/26/2c00956a-4313-11e5-846d-02792f854297_story.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9CNot%20bad%2C%E2%80%9D%20allowed%20Pass,better%20off%20after%20the%20storm.%E2%80%9D |access-date=January 6, 2025 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> In 2020, on the 15th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the [[Mississippi Aquarium]] opened, replacing a dolphin-oriented facility destroyed by the hurricane.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tobias |first=Lori |date=November 18, 2019 |title=Nearly 15 Years After Katrina, an Aqarium Rises on the Gulf Coast |url=https://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/nearly-15-years-after-katrina-an-aqarium-rises-on-the-gulf-coast/46611 |access-date=2025-01-06 |website=www.constructionequipmentguide.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Perez |first=Mary |date=August 29, 2020 |title=Mississippi Aquarium brings generations for an opening day experience |url=https://www.sunherald.com/news/local/counties/harrison-county/article245330680.html |access-date=January 6, 2025 |work=The Sun Herald}}</ref>