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

Gulfport Civil Rights Wade-In

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, March 9, 2024

1. Gulfport Civil Rights Wade-In Marker

Inscription. Near this spot on April 17 and April 24, 1960, Gulfport NAACP president Dr. Felix Dunn and his family joined in peaceful "wade-in" demonstrations to challenge the laws denying African Americans use of the beach. Gulfport police officers removed the protestors but filed no charges. In Biloxi, similar protests led to arrests and white mob violence. These protests prompted the first intervention of the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Justice Department challenging Mississippi's segregationist laws and practices.

Erected 2021 by Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights. In addition, it is included in the Mississippi State Historical Marker Program series list. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1850.

Location. 30° 22.175′ N, 89° 4.799′ W. Marker is in Gulfport, Mississippi, in Harrison County. It is at the intersection of East Beach Boulevard (U.S. 90) and Pratt Avenue, on the right when traveling east on East Beach Boulevard. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1542e E Beach Blvd, Gulfport MS 39501, 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: Kellier-Sternberg House (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Old Gulfport High School

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(approx. 0.4 miles away); Gulfport - Harrison County Library (approx. 0.4 miles away); First Baptist Church, Gulfport (approx. 0.6 miles away); 1863 East Pascagoula Raid (approx. 0.7 miles away); Ship Island (approx. 0.7 miles away); Harrison County Confederate Monument (approx. 0.7 miles away); The Magnolia Route (approx. 0.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gulfport.

Additional commentary.
1. Marker replaced in a different location.
After being vandalized some years ago, this marker has been replaced 10 years after it was originally installed in 2011. Now it is on the boardwalk just east of Jones Park, about 1.2 miles east of its former location. It is no longer “near this spot.”

— Submitted November 18, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, March 9, 2024

2. Gulfport Civil Rights Wade-In Marker

Gulfport Civil Rights Wade-In Marker - old location image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, September 5, 2013

3. Gulfport Civil Rights Wade-In Marker - old location

Beach near marker - old location image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, September 5, 2013

4. Beach near marker - old location

Photographed by Jeff Leichsenring, July 10, 2025

5. Gulfport Civil Rights Wade-In Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on July 29, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 6, 2013, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 1,017 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 16, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 3, 4. submitted on September 6, 2013, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 5. submitted on July 29, 2025, by Jeff Leichsenring of Garland, Texas. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.