Text of the Marker:
HANCOCK COUNTY BANK
Hancock County Bank opened on October
9, 1899. Week's later the bank's board of
directors purchased this property at the
corner of Main Street and Beach Boulevard as
the site of a new headquarters. Bay St.
Louis's first two-story brick building,
the bank was constructed by John T.
McDonald and completed in September
1900. The building later housed a post
office and a United States customs
office. It was renovated after suffering
extensive damage from Hurricane Camille
in 1969 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Mississippi Department of Archives and History, 2013
From the National Register application:
(
visit link)
"Location Information
(for the Hancock Bank)
Name: Hancock Bank
Address: 100 Beach Boulevard, South
City/County: Bay St. Louis, Hancock County
Architectural Information
Construction Date: c.1899
No. of Stories: 2
Registration Information
NR District Name: Old Bay St. Louis
NR Status: Contributing
Element No.: 89
MPS: Historic Resources of Bay St. Louis
Roof: flat"
From the Hancock Bank Website:
(
visit link)
"During the late 1800s, the Gulf Coast was booming. New railways, more roadways, and busy ports made travel and transport easier. Local connections expanded across the region and around the world. Cities and towns thrived; and visionary citizens became gatekeepers for extraordinary opportunities.
In the bustling waterfront community of Bay St. Louis, Miss., and the thriving port city of New Orleans, La., two new banks were booming, too. South Mississippians counted on Hancock Bank to help manage a turn-of-the-twentieth-century economy rooted in agriculture, seafood, timber, and tourism. Sixty miles to the west, the Crescent City and its own Whitney Bank organization flourished in the economic wake of the World Cotton Expo.
Throughout the new century, the banks grew with the communities they served. Many other local banks became part of Hancock and Whitney. As Hancock and Whitney entered up-and-coming economic centers around the Gulf South, each bank quickly became a recognized catalyst and trusted partner for opportunity.
Generations of Hancock and Whitney associates faithfully tended the banks’ legacies. They helped people manage and protect their hard-earned money by making decisions and delivering service according to solid, century-old founding principles. Those ideals carried each bank through decades of national crises, natural disasters, and social change and remained at the heart of how Hancock and Whitney helped people and communities succeed.
In December 2010, Hancock and Whitney decided to come together. The two neighbors had always shared similar history, geography, and values. Merging was a strategic next step in the relationship, creating a larger, stronger Gulf South banking leader grounded in regional traditions and poised for regional success."
Text of plaque:
Hancock Bank
Bay Main Branch
Built 1900
Has been placed on the
National Register
of Historical Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
1980