The 14th Annual Krebs Cemetery Tour is set Thursday, Oct. 22, in Pascagoula.
Scheduled 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. the event will take place at 46200 Fort Street adjacent to the LaPointe-Krebs House and Museum. The event is free of charge; however, donations are encouraged and welcomed. The tour will feature character portrayals and give local historical insight with tour guides dressed in period costume and presenters representing families of those buried in the cemetery.
Following the theme “Growth of the Gulf Coast” the event is centered on stories about brides, patriots and tourists. Some re-enactors will tell stories about the Brides of La Baleine, which will soon celebrate 300 years. Revolutionary War descendants will talk about our nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary; others will portray characters from Pascagoula’s era as a national tourist haven 200 hundred years ago.
At the start of the tour, the Mississippi Heritage Trust will present the Jackson County Historical and Genealogical Society with the prestigious Education Award. Then, visitors will be guided through the cemetery in small groups with tours starting every five to 10 minutes. Social distancing will be honored due to Covid-19. Masks are required and will be available for purchase at the entrance.
Members of the Daughters of the American Revolution Duchess de Chaumont Chapter, dressed in period costume, will serve as guides and inform attendees about their Revolutionary patriots. The chapter will also have an America 250! Patriot Project booth. A guide will present an update on renovations at the LaPoint-Krebs house. Another will give inspirational messages near the cemetery entrance.
Also, near the entrance, high-school aged re-enactors representing the Brides of La Baleine will talk about their 300-year-old history. The brides were unmarried French women who arrived on the Gulf Coast in 1721 when it was under French rule. Most of them married within the first year, and many have descendants here, such as Isabelle Gautier who is one of the teenaged characters. She will play the role of Mary Ann Foucault. Isabelle’s friends will play other characters. Renee Hague will play Ursuline, the nun who chaperoned the girls.
Inside the cemetery Nelson Hague and Pame Cevallos will portray Valentine and Marie Delmas. Richard Lucas and Cindy King will portray Joseph and Hermina Delmas Ellison. Skip and Betty St. Amant will portray William Perrine Ellison and Henriette Delmas Ellison.
Immediately following the tour, the LaPoint-Krebs Foundation will host its Cattails and Cocktails Drawdown on the lawn of the museum. Drawdown tickets are $25. Door prizes will be awarded, and the holder of the first drawn ticket will win $100. The grand prize is $2,000; attendance is not required to win. For more information about the drawdown call 228-471-5126 or check out the Cattails and Cocktails Facebook page.
The Krebs tour is sponsored by Jackson County Historical and Genealogical Society. Officers are Dan Lee, president, Cheryl Frederic, president-elect, Tommy Wixon, vice president, Linda Grimes, treasurer, Rose Wittersheim, recording secretary, and Deidre DenBleyker, corresponding secretary.
Proceeds from the tour offset some of the routine expenses at the LaPointe-Krebs House as the Jackson County Historical Society is closely aligned with the LaPointe-Krebs Hosue. All drawdown proceeds go directly to the LaPointe-Krebs House.
