The Finley community was named after John Finley, a prominent local lumberman in the late 1800s. The area has a rich history of early education, having hosted the very first schoolhouse in all of Harrison County at the Union Baptist Church site. While that historic building was lost to a fire before 1925, its legacy as a center of learning remains part of our local heritage.
- Established in 1903: Lumberman Lyman Reeves donated this property to the Methodist Church at South to serve as a community cemetery.
- Deep History: The first recorded burial at this site took place in 1890, years before the land was officially deeded.
- A Resting Place for All: A dedicated section of the cemetery serves as a final resting place for individuals from the Harrison County "home for the poor".
- Preservation: The Coalville Methodist Church deeded the cemetery to Melton Saucier in 1974, who then transferred ownership to the Harrison County Board of Supervisors in 1976 to ensure it would be protected for future generations.
The massive lumber industry of the 1800s and early 1900s is the primary reason for the development of towns like Gulfport, Lyman, Saucier, and Perkinston.
- The Dummy Lines: Specialized "dummy line" railways were used to transport massive fallen trees from deep in the woods to local sawmills.
- Ingenious Engineering: Workers would dig trenches so locomotives sat low, allowing logs to be rolled directly onto flatcars without the need for heavy lifting. One of these historic lines crossed what is now Highway 53 near this marker.
- Global Hub: By 1902, a 19-foot deep channel was dredged to Gulfport Harbor, turning our region into the second-largest lumber export port on the Gulf of Mexico.
- Lyman's World Record: At one point in its history, the community of Lyman was home to the largest timber mill in the entire world.
When the Gulf and Ship Island Railroad was first built, the stop was originally called Reeves Crossing after founder Lyman Reeves. However, when the town applied for a post office, the name had to be changed because another town in North Mississippi was already using "Reeves". The community chose to use their founder's first name instead, officially naming the town Lyman.
The success of the Ingram-Day Lumber Company led to the creation of a massive "commissary" in Lyman. At 300 feet long, it was the Coast's first complete shopping center, offering everything from fresh produce and a soda fountain to home furnishings and a library.
Logs were sent to Gulfport Harbor and floated to ships waiting in Ship Island Harbor. The lumber was either shipped directly or taken to sawmills adjacent to the railroad tracks to be cut before export.
Turpentine collecting in South Mississippi was once a significant part of the region's economy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The process involved extracting resin from pine trees, which was then distilled to produce turpentine and rosin. Towns and communities were often built around turpentine operations. The industry began to decline in the early 20th century due to over-harvesting of pine trees and the rise of synthetic alternatives.
The 640-acre Harrison County Farm, established around 1880, has adapted to meet community needs for over a century.
- The Poor Farm: These were county-run residences where the elderly and disabled were supported at public expense before the modern Social Security era.
- Modern Uses: The 1958 building for the home for the poor now serves as the New Lyman Senior Center.
- Recreation Today: The historic farm grounds now provide space for the Harrison County Fairgrounds and local soccer fields.