Ocean Springs in Jackson County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)
Ocean Springs Tree Tales...
Photographed by Mark Hilton, December 11, 2025
1. Ocean Springs Tree Tales... Marker
Under the graceful and protective limbs of century-old Live Oak trees, Ocean Springs has grown to become the vibrant, unique, and charming city that we enjoy today.
Consider some of the historic milestones Our coastal trees may have witnessed:
Native tribes named Bylocchy, Pascoboula and Moctoby lived in the region, enjoying the area's abundant natural resources.
French explorer Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur D'Iberville explored the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico, and in January 1699 established a French beachhead of Colonial Louisiana along the eastern side of Biloxi Bay.
Over the years, this community was called Biloxi, Vieux Biloxi, East Biloxi and Lynchburg Springs.
The community took its name from the 1853 Ocean Springs Hotel, which was located near Jackson Avenue at Cleveland. Robert Little was appointed Postmaster in 1853, and the US Post Office here has been called Ocean Springs since that time.
Did you know that you can estimate the age of the Live Oak trees you walk past as you tour historic Ocean Springs?
Every three feet across the diameter of the trunk at about 4 1/2 feet high represents approximately 100 years of age for the tree.
This informational sign is part of a community
this page online
We thank the City of Ocean Springs for their support of this project.
Erected 2022 by Historic Ocean Springs Association, Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Project, Mississippi Department of Marine Resources. (Marker Number 2.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Indigenous Peoples and Communities. A significant historical month for this entry is January 1699.
Location. 30° 24.808′ N, 88° 50.268′ W. Marker is in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, in Jackson County. It is on Porter Avenue 0.1 miles south of Williams Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Ocean Springs MS 39564, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, and on the Gulf Coast. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Viceroyalty of New France, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Lover's Lane Historic District (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Growth of Ocean Springs (approx. 0.2 miles away); Crooked Feather (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Roost (approx. 0.3 miles away); a different marker also named Ocean Springs Tree Tales... (approx. 0.4 miles away); St. John's Episcopal Church
Photographed by Mark Hilton, December 11, 2025
2. Ocean Springs Tree Tales... Marker (on right)
Located under the U.S. Highway 90 overpass.
Photographed by Mark Hilton, December 11, 2025
3. Marker looking east towards one of the Oak trees of Ocean Springs.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 15, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 15, 2025, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 52 times since then and 31 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 15, 2025, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
