St. Mark's Episcopal Church
Gulfport, Harrison County, Mississippi
Marker Inscription
St. Mark's Episcopal Church. St. Mark's Episcopal Church, once located here, was organized as a mission parish in 1846. Originally a simple rectangular frame building with twin front doors, the church was altered and enlarged over the years and was moved from its original beachfront location in 1925 to face 16th Street. Jefferson Davis was once a member of St. Mark's. The church was badly damaged by Hurricane Camille in 1969 and destroyed by Katrina in 2005, after which the congregation relocated to the corner of Cowan and E. Taylor Roads.
Erected by Mississippi Department of Archives and History
The Story
Organized as a mission parish in 1846, St. Mark's began as a simple frame building with twin front doors and grew over the decades before being moved inland from the beachfront in 1925. Among its members was Jefferson Davis, who spent his last years nearby on the Mississippi coast. Battered by Hurricane Camille in 1969 and destroyed by Katrina in 2005, the congregation relocated inland.
Why it matters
A long-lived coastal parish tied to a figure at the center of the Civil War, it embodies the layered — and storm-scarred — religious history of the Gulf South.
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Related people
- · Jefferson Davis
Related events
- · Hurricane Camille (1969)
- · Hurricane Katrina (2005)
Themes & tags
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