Students majoring in history and marketing at The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast were able to use their new skills of recording oral histories and taking surveys recently at the 100 Men Hall in Bay St. Louis.

The students and professors who are part of the academic service-learning program at Southern Miss hosted a barbecue for the coast community at the historic venue. During the event, community members were asked to share their stories and recollections of the historic wood frame building on Union Street in Bay St. Louis.

In the early 1900s, the 100 Men Hall served as the local death and burial association in Bay St. Louis. Decades later, the hall was converted into a social club on the “Chitlin’ Circuit” which spread throughout the eastern and southern United States and brought many famous black rhythm and blues performers to the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

History students recorded the local stories which will be used for an oral history project. As the stories and memories were recorded, marketing students surveyed community members to find out what they would like to see in the future for the hall.

“The participants were able to tell us of seeing numerous musical legends at the 100 Men Hall, such as B.B. King, James Brown and Chuck Berry,” said student Mary Ann Green of Chicago. “This information will help us document the musical history of the 100 Men Hall, but its ties to the African American community were much more than the music they heard. The 100 Men Hall was where they learned how to be a member of a community.”

Jesse and Kerri Loya of Los Angeles purchased the 100 Men Hall following Hurricane Katrina and are restoring the building to its original condition as a social venue for the Bay St. Louis community. By allowing the Southern Miss students to conduct their projects, the Loyas learned more about members of the community who have so many fond memories of the hall.

Many of those memories are captured in photos depicting the events and people who came to 100 Men Hall for the parties, meetings, weddings, receptions and musical entertainment. Students discovered from the interviews that money from an entrance fee collected at these events was used to help sick or unemployed people in the community buy food or pay their rent.

“For my students, this event was about service and skills,” said Dr. Douglas Bristol, assistant professor in the Southern Miss Department of History. “Having my students record the memories of senior members of the community puts their experience on the historical record, where it will be preserved forever.”

The students will use a 10-minute interview clip they collected, edit the audio and provide context for the clip. The interviews collected will not only be transcribed and preserved for researchers and future generations, but will also be used by the students to complete undergraduate research for their oral history project.

Bristol explained that many of the people who attended the oral history barbecue were “impressed by how much of a shared past exists between the black and white communities in Bay St. Louis.”

“They were connected through the performers they heard at the hall and they were also connected by family ties,” he said.

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About The University of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi, founded in 1910, is a comprehensive doctoral and research-extensive university fulfilling its mission of being a leading university in engaging and empowering individuals to transform lives and communities. In a tradition of leadership for student development, Southern Miss is educating a 21st century work force providing intellectual capital, cultural enrichment and innovation to Mississippi and the world. Southern Miss is located in Hattiesburg, Miss., with an additional campus and teaching and research sites on the Mississippi Gulf Coast; further information is found at www.usm.edu/gulfcoast .