Come join us for a presentation and booksigning with Bay St. Louis native son Pat Murphy celebrating his new coffee table book, Growing Up Downtown Bay St. Louis: A Memoir of Small Town Mississippi Life from the 1940s to the 1970's and Beyond.
The book is a personal story of one man’s coming-of-age in a small Mississippi town, a village on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico that was and continues to be significantly impacted by major hurricanes and its proximity to New Orleans. Murphy remembers the town folks, the traditions, the Main Street atmosphere, and what was lost and what remains after the storms.
Chapters include Murphy’s memories of his grandfather’s business on Main St., his New Orleans connections and the drive back and forth, the Beach Boulevard experience, the Depot area, the restaurants and bakeries, the stores, the hotels and bars, the parades and celebrations, the souvenir shops, the hurricanes, and other lived experiences by the author. The book is illustrated with photographs from Murphy’s extensive library collected over 50 years featuring town characters, holiday activities, architecture, businessmen, and images from the devastating hurricanes that struck during the author’s lifetime: the 1947 hurricane and Hurricanes Betsy, Camille and Katrina.
This project began out of love and respect for Murphy’s grandparents. However, the story quickly turned into something much more. As Murphy aged, he cultivated a deep appreciation for the small-town atmosphere in which he grew up, an atmosphere that today has all but disappeared. Murphy, who wears many hats as an author, a historian, a musician, and an artist, has focused his talents on writing and the arts after retiring. This book is the culmination of years of research and has been assisted by local groups and individuals including the Hancock County Historical Society, author Ken Murphy, James Carville, and volunteers.
Pat Murphy was born and raise in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi and has been collecting historical photographs of the area for more than 50 years. This book is a compilation of his memories of the Bay. Pat currently live in adjoining Waveland with his wife, Candy.
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"A beautiful slice-of-life in a small coastal Mississippi town told by a natve son who knows it line no one else could." -Chris Roth, Hancock County Historical Society.
Mississippi author Pat Murphy's coffee-table book memoir of small town Gulf Coast life includes 17 chapters filled with stories of growing up in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi from the 1940s to the 1970s and beyond with hundreds of photos collected by the author.
