MARITIME & SEAFOOD INDUSTRY MUSEUM

Newly Constructed Museum in 2014

In 1986 the original Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum was housed in the old Mississippi Naval Coast Guard Base. It was established to preserve the heritage and maritime history of Biloxi and the Gulf Coast. However, in August 2005, the museum was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. A newly constructed museum opened nine years later in 2014.

The bell was a showpiece at the entrance to the former museum. It survived Hurricane Katrina intact in 2005.

Shrimp Peeling Machine

In 1943 James Lapeyre designed a shrimp peeling machine based on his experience while wearing rubber boots. When he stepped on a shrimp it popped from its shell. The Lapeyre machine peeled 1000 pounds of shrimp per hour in place of 30 to 150 people peeling shrimp by hand.

Wheel House From Old Kovacevich Lugger

Beautiful Fresnel Lens

On display is the Ship Island Lighthouse lens. The 250 pound Fresnel lens was made in Paris the late 1800's. The lens is made of several prisms that were scattered after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. One year and $3,000 later, every piece was found. It was restored but the scratches and chips that the hurricane left on the prisms still remain.

Nautical Treasure

The Nydia was built around 1898 on Biloxi's Back Bay. It is the only known Johnson Shipyard boat left. The 30 foot gaff rigged cabin sloop represents the ultimate in boat building skills. This impress sloop is constructed of cypress and steam-bent oak with brass fixtures.

Ship Island Lighthouse

The Biloxi Lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built in 1848 and one of the first cast iron lighthouses to be erected in the South. The civilian lighthouse was operated from 1848 - 1939 and has been kept by more female keepers than any other lighthouse in the U.S. The storm surge from Hurricane Katrina enveloped a third of the 64 foot lighthouse.