02/09/2022
History of Bernard Bayou.
Long before Gulfport was Gulfport, and even before Mississippi was a state, a free black man named Bernard Benoit had an affair with the slave of the wealthiest land owner in Pass Christian, known as The Pass of Christian back then. From that affair, a son was born. Lady Asmard, the wealthy land owner, was known for freeing her slaves after a certain amount of time and giving them land as payment for their “service”. She wasn’t in the business of selling her slaves, so when Bernard came to her asking to “purchase” his own son, she agreed upon the condition that Bernard raise his son as a free man, and not a slave. Bernard agreed, naming his son Bernard Jr., and raising him a free man just like his father.
Over 30 years later, Bernard Sr. died, leaving behind a substantial estate and no will. At this time, Mississippi had become a state and the vast region known as Hancock County had been cut in half, forming the newly incorporated Harrison County. Harrison County had just elected their first Sheriff, John Brill. When Bernard Jr. stepped inside the newly formed Harrison County Courthouse in order to make his claim to his father’s estate, he was met with a big surprise. Newly “elected” Sheriff Brill had already submitted himself as administrator of Bernard Sr.’s estate, and claimed it to be intestate (no will) without heirs. Sheriff Brill had learned that Bernard Sr. had purchased young Bernard Jr. from a slave owner years before, so he claimed that Bernard Jr. was not the heir to his father’s estate, but instead was actually a slave and thus property of his father’s estate.
Bernard Jr. would go on to live for years as a slave to his own home and under the control of Sheriff Brill. However, Bernard Jr. would not go down quietly, even though this was pre-abolition Mississippi in the 1840’s. He took his case to the courts, and eventually all the way to the Supreme Court of Mississippi. After living as a slave for roughly 5 years, he successfully proved his father had agreed to raise him a free man, and that he was not property of his father’s estate, but was instead the true heir. The Supreme Court ruled in his favor and ordered Sheriff Brill to relinquish control of the estate.
During this time however, he had honed his skill as a blacksmith, something his father had taught him before he died. After regaining his freedom and his estate, he would continue to improve his skills as a blacksmith, and would go on to help the Hand Brothers, businessmen from New York, develop a thriving industrial community called Handsboro. The Hand brothers praised Bernard as the most skilled blacksmith they had ever partnered with. In his honor, they named the waterway used to ship their goods to-and-from the Gulf of Mexico “Bernard Bayou”. A particular honor since his once stolen estate bordered this waterway just across from the Hand Brothers own twin plantation style homes.
Today, the area where Bernard’s estate was located is known as Bayou View, and Handsboro is but a small community long ago annexed by the City of Gulfport. But, that small vital waterway is still part of the industrial channel used by heavy industry, and is still called Bernard Bayou, sometimes also called Bayou Bernard. It’s a lasting testament to a man that wouldn’t be denied in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. There’s history to everything we see around us in this region of the country, from every street sign to every waterway. Keep your eyes and ears open; their stories built this beautiful place.
(Source: written by Joey Brogdon)
