Gulfport, Mississippi on the Gulf of Mexico. Source: Wikipedia Commons

Gulfport, a city (1950 pop. 22,659; 2000 pop. 70,000) on the Gulf Coast, in Harrison County, Mississippi. It is "Mississippi's gateway to world commerce," the nation's largest producer of tung oil, and a heavy producer of pine products.

Mennonites first settled about 20 miles (33 km) northwest of Gulfport in 1921 on a 5,000-acre tract of land with intentions of farming. Of the 29 families who settled on this tract only four remained in 1955, 18 having left the community and the others having moved toward Gulfport. About one third of the approximately 100 Mennonites in the area in the 1950s lived in Gulfport or nearby Handsboro. Nearly all belonged to the Mennonite Church (MC).

There are two Mennonite churches in the community at that time. Gulfhaven with 63 members is located on the tract originally settled. Wayside with 24 members was a mission church organized in 1948, located about four miles north of Gulfport.

In 1945 the Mennonite Central Committee Civilian Public Service (CPS) Camp #141 (Camp Landon) was opened at Gulfport. The camp operated as a Voluntary Service unit after the termination of CPS. Approximately 250 young people spent from a few weeks to several years in this unit.

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Scottdale, Pennsylvania, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 610. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

©1996-2008 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.

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