• History of Ship Island, and why Fort Massachusetts was built 

• French Colonization of Coastal Mississippi and Louisiana, starting from Ship Island in 1699 

• The importance of Ship Island to the British during the attack on New Orleans in 1815

• Admiral Farragut and Civil War navel actions near New Orleans and later in Mobile Bay

• Thousands of Confederate P.O.W.s held on the island through the war 

• First  African American troops to fight in the Civil War stationed on Ship Island

• Maritime history of the Mississippi Sound and Port of Gulfport 

• Flora and fauna of the barrier islands

• Birds of the barrier islands and Mississippi Sound 

Educational Programs offered by MS Gulf Coast Reasearch Lab,
University of Southern Mississippi, and the National Park Service


    Learn why barrier islands are important  

Marine Biology Program 

• Basic introduction to a North Central Gulf island eco-system.
• Students will experience the collection of marine organisms and acquire knowledge about the Mississippi Coastal Zone and Sound.

     Click Here for NPS Course Outline for teachers, parents and students
 

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