Lizana, Mississippi
Encyclopedia
Lizana is a small, unincorporated rural community
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 in Harrison County
Harrison County, Mississippi
-National protected areas:* De Soto National Forest * Gulf Islands National Seashore - Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there were 189,601 people, 71,538 households, and 48,574 families residing in the county. The population density was 326 people per square mile . There were 79,636 housing...

, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Lizana is part of the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

Lizana is located at 30°32′22"N 89°15′01"W. Total area of this community is unknown as it is unincorporated.

History

According to Harrison County tax records, Lizana was settled by Henry Sabastian Lizana, from nearby DeLisle in the 1880s. The lumber boom in the area contributed to Henry Lizana's success as an entrepreneur. Henry established a general store and post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...

 near the logging railroad that once ran through the area. In the early 1920s, the logging industry fizzled out and Henry grew older. He deeded a small amount of his large parcel of land to his nine children, and what remained was relinquished to the state due to unpaid taxes.

In 1901, Father Rene Sorin, also from DeLisle, oversaw the building of the first Catholic mission in the area, St. Ann Catholic Church, on land donated by Henry. The mission fell into disrepair, and in 1937 was relocated to its present location on Mississippi Highway 53
Mississippi Highway 53
Mississippi Highway 53 is a state highway in Mississippi. The highway runs approximately from Lyman to Poplarville and is part of the Mississippi Highway System. It serves a total of 3 counties . The highway begins at the intersection of U.S...

.

From 1902 to 1906, the Gulf Coast Lumber Company operated the rail lines built in the area. The lines were built to transport the valuable long leaf pine trees being logged in the Lizana area to a sawmill Gulf Coast Lumber operated in nearby Lyman, MS. In 1906 the Gulf Coast Lumber Company was purchased by Ingram-Day Lumber Company which would later be sold to Batson & Hatten Lumber Company on May 10, 1924. Batson & Hatten discontinued operation of the Lyman mill in 1932.

Lizana post office was established August 7, 1908, with Henry L. Lizana as first postmaster, but was discontinued December 31, 1920, with mail to Saucier.

Recreation

One visiting South Mississippi must not miss out on Lizana's Annual Catfish Festival, organized by St. Ann Catholic Church. The festival has a mid 20th century county fair atmosphere with its funnel cake
Funnel cake
Funnel cake or funnelcake is a regional food popular in North America at carnivals, fairs, sporting events, and seaside resorts. Funnel cakes are made by pouring batter into hot cooking oil in a circular pattern and deep frying the overlapping mass until golden-brown. When made at concession...

s, rides and softball tournaments. The festival is usually held the last week in May (Memorial Day weekend).

Carnival

For the past few years, Lizana has hosted its annual Mardi Gras Parade organized by the Lizana Carnival Association. Despite being held in a rural area of Harrison County, the parade is considered to be one of the fastest growing parades as well as the most family-friendly.
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