Editing Pascagoula, Mississippi (section)

===Modern history===

The region changed hands over the next century, being occupied variously by the English, French, and Spanish until well after the [[American Revolutionary War]]. It came into the permanent possession of the United States in 1812, when it was added to the [[Mississippi Territory]]. At one point, for 74 days in 1810, Pascagoula was a part of what was known as the [[West Florida|Republic of West Florida]].<ref name=Cain/>{{rp|47–49}} Pascagoula was incorporated as a village in 1892. It obtained city status in 1901. Today's downtown Pascagoula used to be the town of Scranton, Mississippi, incorporated in 1870. The two towns merged in 1904 by governor's proclamation and in 1912 by Mississippi legislative act.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://casetext.com/case/city-of-pascagoula-v-krebs |title=City of Pascagoula v. Krebs |access-date=2023-03-24 }}</ref>

In October 1973, an alleged [[unidentified flying object]] sighting and [[alien abduction]] is said to have occurred when co-workers Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker claimed they were abducted by [[extraterrestrial life|aliens]] while fishing near Pascagoula. The incident, the [[Pascagoula Abduction]], earned substantial [[mass media]] attention.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Amy |first1=Jeff |last2=Plaisance |first2=Stacey |date=October 11, 2013 |title=Man says 1973 UFO incident turned life upside down |url=https://www.twincities.com/2013/10/11/man-says-1973-ufo-incident-turned-life-upside-down/ |newspaper=[[St. Paul Pioneer Press]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |access-date=June 27, 2019}}</ref> In June 2019, Pascagoula placed a historical marker near the alleged abduction site.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Brockell |first=Gillian |date=June 26, 2019 |title=The men claimed they were abducted by aliens. In Mississippi, police believed them. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/06/26/i-floated-inside-man-returns-site-ufo-abduction-it-gets-historical-marker |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=June 27, 2019}}</ref> The city honors the abduction every year during an event called Goula Palooza. The festival takes place in the downtown area of the city.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wxxv25.com/51st-anniversary-of-pascagoula-alien-abduction/|title=51st anniversary of Pascagoula Alien Abduction|last=WXXV Staff|date=October 11, 2024|access-date=December 2, 2024|publisher=WXXV News 25|website=wxxv25.com}}</ref>