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Biloxi in Harrison County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)
 

Point Cadet

— Historic Biloxi —

 
 
Point Cadet Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Mark Hilton, March 22, 2017
1. Point Cadet Marker
Inscription. Point Cadet encompasses the eastern tip of the Biloxi Peninsula. "Cadet" (pronounced Ka-day) is the French word for junior or younger. In early records, it is shown as "Point-a-Cadda." Over time it became "Point Caddy." More recently, it has been known by its phonetic pronunciation or simply "the Point." The name is derived from the first documented land owner, Jacques Mathurin Ladner II (1750-1832), who received a Spanish land grant in 1784. The western boundary of Point Cadet is just east of present day Kuhn Street and runs north to Back Bay.

Point Cadet was sparsely populated until the establishment of Biloxi's seafood industry. The Point's first shrimp and oyster cannery opened in 1882 and was quickly followed by others. Factory owners transported seasonal workers called "Bohemians" from Baltimore. Croatian immigrants and Acadian French from southwest Louisiana also came. These workers were housed in company owned c.c. camps." Point Cadet grew rapidly and soon resembled a small town with homes, schools businesses, churches, and a branch post office. Croatian and French workers, many melded through marriage, moved beyond the camps and became the main inhabitants of Point Cadet and dominated the seafood industry. From the Point's western boundary, antebellum homes stood along the north side of the beach road to Oak Street.
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From Oak Street eastward were dockside seafood factories, shipyards, and other related businesses.

During the 1960s, new technologies in cold storage and freezing eliminated the need for dockside canneries. The 20-foot storm surge of Hurricane Camille in 1969 destroyed homes, businesses, and the few remaining factories. The last three decades of the 20th century were a time of further change and transition. The fall of Saigon in 1975 brought Vietnamese refugees, mostly fishermen, to add to the Point's ethnicity. Development in the 1980s focused on historical and marine educational attractions and a 280-slip marina, Point Cadet Marina. The lsle of Capri, Biloxi's first dock side casino, opened at Point Cadet in 1992. By 1994, the majority of the city's dockside casinos and their attached hotels lined the beachfront where seafood canneries once stood.

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina changed the face of Point Cadet. The 32-foot storm surge came from all three sides of the Point and totally destroyed or heavily damaged 90% of the structures.

[Photo Captions]
Left Middle: The Tullis-Toledano Manor, built circa 1854, stood on the beachfront at the western boundary of Point Cadet. When the City of Biloxi acquired the property in 1975, it became a tourist attraction and a setting for special events. Hurricane Katrina destroyed the structure
Site of former Coast Guard aircraft hangar. image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Mark Hilton, March 22, 2017
2. Site of former Coast Guard aircraft hangar.
Marker on far left. Another marker, Coast Guard Barracks, in on the right.
in 2005. Credit: Biloxi Public Library

Middle bottom: By 1903, the Lopez and Dukate Company was known to be the largest cannery firm of its kind in the world. It could handle 4,000 barrels of oysters a day.

Top right: The U.S. Coast Guard Air Station stood on the eastern end of Point Cadet from 1934 to 1947. The pilots saved many lives through their search and rescue missions and operated extensive anti-submarine patrols during WWII. Credit: Randazzo Collection

Bottom right: This late 1960s photograph shows docked shrimp boats with St. Michael Catholic Church in the background. Known as the "Fishermen's Church," it was built by Point Cadet's fishing families in 1964. Credit: Biloxi Public Library
 
Erected 2015 by the City of Biloxi.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: DisastersNotable PlacesWaterways & Vessels. A significant historical date for this entry is August 29, 2005.
 
Location. 30° 23.626′ N, 88° 51.511′ W. Marker is in Biloxi, Mississippi, in Harrison County. Marker is at the intersection of Cadet Street and East 1st Street, on the right when traveling north on Cadet Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 121 Cadet Street, Biloxi MS 39530, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker
View of the marker and the Point Cadet Plaza image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Mark Hilton, March 22, 2017
3. View of the marker and the Point Cadet Plaza
The waterfront park is at the foot of the Biloxi Bay Bridge, features a pavilion, splash pad and playground equipment on a rubberized surface, a waterfront promenade, restrooms and benches along the waterfront. The park was constructed with $4.65 million in federal funds. Before Hurricane Katrina the Point Cadet Plaza, with its huge hangar that had once been used for Coast Guard seaplanes, was a popular spot for community festivals and other gatherings.
, measured as the crow flies. Coast Guard Station Barracks (a few steps from this marker); Slavic Benevolent Association (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Tullis-Toledano House (approx. 0.7 miles away); Deer Island Coastal Preserve (approx. ¾ mile away); Biloxi's Famous Schooner Races (approx. ¾ mile away); Tivoli Hotel (approx. 0.9 miles away); Birthplace of Barq's (approx. 1.2 miles away); Debuys-Hermann-Keller House (approx. 1.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Biloxi.
 
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on March 25, 2017. It was originally submitted on March 25, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 1,820 times since then and 191 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on March 25, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.

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Mar. 19, 2024