Early Long Beach
Long Beach, Harrison County, Mississippi
Marker Inscription
Early Long Beach. In 1788, Nicholas and Marianne Ladner became the first Europeans to settle in this area. Their log house, known as "The Chimneys", was used as a navigation point for boats traveling from Mobile to New Orleans. After Nicholas's death, the Spanish granted the land to his widow. Much of modern Long Beach includes the Widow Ladner Claim. Mississippi Department of Archives and History, 1999.
Erected by Mississippi Department of Archives and History
The Story
In 1788 Nicholas and Marianne Ladner became the first Europeans to settle this stretch of the Gulf Coast, raising a log house known as "The Chimneys" that mariners used as a landmark on the run between Mobile and New Orleans. After Nicholas died, Spanish authorities granted the land to his widow, and the resulting Widow Ladner Claim still underlies much of modern Long Beach.
Why it matters
It preserves the memory of the frontier families who first anchored European settlement on the Mississippi coast, and of a widow whose land claim shaped a city's map.
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Related people
- · Nicholas Ladner
- · Marianne Ladner
Themes & tags
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