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submitted by Dorothy Hastings Booth (dhb)
Martin Bluff History
One of the most beautiful spots in Jackson County is a high bluff
overlooking the West Pascagoula River called Martin Bluff, that took the name of
a family who settled here in the 1850s.
Today it is a growing settlement north of Gautier, where people say they
can live not far from the city of Gautier and Pascagoula, yet enjoy the quiet life and
the breathtaking river views.
Many of the homes that have been built along the two-mile bluff are on the
site of former weekend fishing cabins that were popular getaways in the first part
of this century.
A few fishing camps still dot the river, but there has been much residential
development around the bluff in the last 20 years.
In the 1700 s this land was among vast tracts owned by the family of Jean
Baptiste Baudreau dit Graveline.
But in the early 1800s James Ware, a Revolutionary War veteran, migrated
to this area. Hearing that the Baudreaus had abandoned the site, he obtained a
Spanish land grant for the bluff property. Years later, the Baudreau heirs, the
Lewises, fought the Wares to get back their land. But James Ware stayed put and
eventually received a U.S. land patent.
The man for whom the bluff is now named, James Martin, first saw the
property from the deck of a river schooner, on which he was working in the early
1850 s. As a 17-year-old in 1849, James came to this country from England with
his father, William Andrew Martin, and his brother William, then 11. By then, a
family named Sumrall lived around the bluff. James married Mary Sumrall, the
daughter of David Sumrall, and bought property on the bluff from her
wealthy cousin George Sumrall.
Mary's sister, Nancy, married William Martin, who eventually opened a
store on John's Bayou between Martin Bluff and Vancleave. Large families were
produced by both Martin-Sumrall unions. James and Mary had 11 children and
William had 22 by three wives. Today their descendants number in the thousands.
Many of the Martins still live in the area that became known as Martin Bluff, but
the original James Martin homestead and land was sold to people outside the
family many years ago.
James Martin's granddaughter, Mrs. Kathryn Stine of Gautier, said her
mother told her that James and Mary set up housekeeping on the bluff in a house
that was probably built by 1780. The rough-hewn log house, that greatly
resembled the style of the last remnant of the Old Spanish Fort in Pascagoula, was
riddled by termites by the 1940 s, Mrs. Stine said, and was torn down. "It was a
log house that had been seal ed. It had the most enormous fireplaces you
ever saw. You could roast an ox. It had a summer kitchen," Mrs. Stine remembers.
The people around Martin Bluff once made their living from the abundant
forests by extracting turpentine from the trees, they burning the wood for charcoal,
which was used as fuel. The charcoal was shipped on Bluff Creek and the
Pascagoula River. This commodity was sold for 10.5 to 12.5 cents
barrel about the turn-of-the-century.
After the 1906 hurricane, which devastated the woodlands, several sawmill
were established around the bluff to salvage the timber, which was shipped by
barge to the Dantzler Lumber Mill in Moss Point The river was also the best route
to get to neighboring towns in the early days and water travelers often stopped by
Martin Bluff to visit.
The Martins chose a beautiful spot high above the river for burying the
dead of the community which remains. The old Martin Cemetery, located at the
entrance to Hickory Hill Country Club, is shielded from the road by a high,
wooden fence. The land around the bluff has eroded and the cemetery was
probably much larger in the early day; descendants say.
Gradually people from the North came to the small settlement and built
homes around the bluff. In about 1914, Dr. Robert Morse a physician, bought the
property of James Martin's son, David, and named the sit Iowana. From 1915 to
1925, Iowana was th post office for the people of the bluff. Mail carrier Joe Ware
would pick up the mail at John's Bayou and transport it downriver to Iowana.
Often, residents would hitch a ride with Ware to Pascagoula, then return with him
that evening.
Families named Fairley, Taylor, King Broadus, Cowart, and McKay were
among those living at Martin Bluff in the early 1900s.
In the 1890' s, Robert L. Glenn of Chicago bought the old Farragut
property, after renting the Wing home on Washington Avenue, Ocean Springs, for
a time. He built a home and small cottages on the tranquil spot, then planted fruit
trees around what is now known as Farragut Lake. His son, Robert, married James
and Mary Martin's daughter Kate. But Robert died young and Kate Glenn
remarried.
In the mid 1920 s a grandson of James, James Ernest Martin and his wife
Olive Wilkerson, settled at Farragut Lake. A large portion of the original 670-acre
site is now used for scenic rest areas on Interstate 10.
But the Martin Bluff settlement was scattered and remained sparsely
populated through the 1950's. This would change in the1960's. Today there are
about 8,400 people in the community.
In 1965 the late businessman and philanthropist E.H. Bacot of Pascagoula
laid out the Hickory Hill subdivision and began selling lots to individual buyers. He
also set aside about 230 acres for the private Hickory Hill Country Club. But the
club did not do well financially and Hickory Hill was converted from a private club
into a public resort in the late 1970's under the ownership of Alvin Odom.
An upgraded golf course, condominiums and other improvements have
been made over the years at the club, now owned by National American
Corporation. In the early 1970's, subdivisions mushroomed along the Gautier-
Vancleave Road, spreading along Martin Bluff Road. Both residential and
commercial building heightened when the Gautier interchange opened on Interstate
10 and the area became more heavily traveled.
In 1986 when Gautier was incorporated, about 16 percent of the area
called Martin Bluff was included in the new city.
The Martin Bluff Volunteer Fire Department serves the community.
Today people in Martin Bluff receive their mail from the Gautier Post
Office.
In the last century, they would get their mail by boat route from Vancleave
to Pascagoula. In 1910, a post office was opened on Martin's Bluff with Nellie
Smith as postmistress. But in 1912, mail service was provided from Gautier.
When Dr. Morse arrived, he had a post office established at Iowana in his
home. He was postmaster from 1915 until 1917. Then William Boonstro took over
and soon after that James Martin. Lewis F. Culver served as postmaster between
1919 and 1925 when the post office was discontinued.
There have been few churches and few schools in Martin Bluff. A major
church here today is the Martin Bluff Baptist Church, which has grown from a
small congregation meeting in members' homes.( Note: The land for this church
was donated by the Martin Family and Mr. & Mrs. James S. Hastings.)
Although civilization has closed in on Martin Bluff in the last several years,
the descendants of many settling families stay on, blending with the newcomers in
thus lovely, riverside setting.by Regina Hines Ellison
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