Ocean Springs — The Artist Colony That Predates the City

Fort Maurepas stood here in April 1699 under Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville — the first permanent French outpost in Louisiana, a toehold against Spanish claims. The fort was abandoned by 1702. The French found the site difficult: crops died, fresh water ran short, illness spread. The capital moved to Mobile, then briefly back to Biloxi during the construction of New Orleans, but the coast never again anchored French colonial power in the region. What began as empire became something quieter. Dr. William Glover Austin coined the name Ocean Springs in 1854, believing the local springs had healing properties. The town became a prosperous resort. By the early 1900s, the Anderson family arrived and turned it into an art colony. Louis Sullivan, father of the skyscraper, built vacation cottages here. Walter Inglis Anderson, a nationally renowned painter and muralist, drew inspiration from the coastal landscape and nearby barrier islands. He would row his skiff to uninhabited Horn Island, a dozen miles offshore, to paint landscapes and wildlife. The festival that now bears his name was first hosted in 1978 after local artist Klara Koock brought the idea to the Chamber of Commerce. It takes place the first weekend of November each year and celebrates Anderson and the arts community. Ocean Springs has the densest concentration of galleries per capita on the Gulf Coast. The historic downtown, with streets lined by live oak trees, is home to several galleries, shops, restaurants, and bars. Coastal Living voted it a top 10 Happiest Seaside Town in 2015. USA Today named it a top 10 Best Coastal Small Town in 2022. No casinos. No shrimp canneries. No military bases. Just galleries, oaks, and water. Ten minutes from Biloxi and a world away from it. Hurricane Katrina's 28-foot storm surge destroyed the Biloxi Bay Bridge on August 29, 2005, along with many buildings on the shoreline, including the Ocean Springs Yacht Club and the wooden replica of Fort Maurepas. A new bridge opened November 1, 2007. The population was 18,429 at the 2020 census. The town rebuilt what mattered.