Hurricanes of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Research Collection

From 1715 to 1985, approximately forty hurricanes struck the Gulf Coast region stretching from Texas to the Florida Keys. Though differing in size, strength and intensity, those hurricanes greatly affected the inhabitants on the Gulf of Mexico. Destruction caused by the hurricanes resulted in millions of dollars in property damage and hundreds of deaths. Among the most severe hurricanes were the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, the 1935 hurricane that destroyed the Florida Keys, and most recently, Hurricane Camille, which devastated the Mississippi coast in 1969.

"Hurricanes of the Mississippi Gulf Coast" (1986) by Charles Sullivan chronicles the hurricanes that made land fall on the Mississippi Coast from 1717 to 1985. Divided into four chapters, the first section covers the colonial hurricanes dating from 1717 to 1812. The second section discusses antebellum hurricanes occurring from 1819 through 1860, while the third section covers the period between 1893 and 1916 and is entitled "The Storms Between the Calms." The last chapter details the hurricanes dating between 1947 and 1985 and elaborates on the most recent storms. In addition to a substantial amount of textual information, black and white as well as color photographs provide graphic evidence of the enormous amount of destruction caused by the hurricanes.

Charles L. Sullivan received his B.A. and M.A. degrees in history from the University of Southern Mississippi and completed the course work for his Ph.D. at the University of Mississippi. He grew up in Natchez, Mississippi, and has taught at the Perkinston Campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College for more than twenty-five years where he is currently the chairman of the Social Studies Department. Mr. Sullivan has published articles for "New Orleans Magazine", "Mississippi Magazine", and The "Journal of Mississippi History". His books include: "Hurricanes of the Mississippi Gulf Coast" (1986) and "The Mississippi Gulf Coast: Portrait of a People" (1985). In addition, he created and edited a series of books and videocassettes entitled "Mississippi: A View of the Magnolia State."

Mr. Sullivan and his family live in Perkinston, Mississippi, where he is a member of the Gulf Coast Historical and Genealogical Society. In his spare time Mr. Sullivan avidly participates in Civil War re-enactments.