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From YouTube: The Croatian Influence on Biloxi
Description
The Slavic Benevolent Association created this documentary to marks its centennial, in December 2013.
A
A
As
the
20th
century
arrived
biloxi
soon
became
the
seafood
capital
of
the
world
in
large
part.
Due
to
the
contributions
of
the
many
slavic
descendants
whose
dedicated
work
ethic
helped
power.
The
factories
that
covered
the
city's
east
end
sailors
from
the
coast
of
the
adriatic
sea
found
economic
opportunity
on
the
mississippi
gulf
coast.
B
B
C
About
three
o'clock
in
the
morning,
my
mother,
we
I'd,
get
up
and
we'd
get
up
and
mother
and
make
coffee
and
and
give
us
a
little
bit
of
something
you
know
and
then
then
we'd
go
take
off
and
go
down
to
the
factory
it'd
be
about
four
o'clock.
We
worked
real
hard
too
and
they'd
pile
up
shrimp
on
tables
yeah.
They
they'd
have
big
tubs
and
they
had
two
men
and
they
and
they
they
dumped.
C
They
dumped
all
the
shrimp
on
the
table,
big
piles
of
shrimp
and
and
the
oysters
caught
a
cars.
They
had
three
big
obstacles
and
eight
women
worked
on
each
car.
Their
arches
was
prepared
with
the
pressure
cooker.
It
was
a
steam
box,
they
called
it,
they
steamed
those
oysters,
and
some
of
them
are
just
popped
right,
open.
B
B
A
The
object
of
the
association
was
twofold:
benevolent
and
social.
Those
two
founding
principles
still
guided
today
after
the
desolution
of
austria-hungary
at
the
end
of
world
war,
one,
the
charter
was
changed
to
the
slavonian
benevolent
association
of
saint
nicolai
membership,
steadily
increased
and
came
to
include
a
lady's
auxiliary
in
1930.
A
A
lodge
building
was
constructed
on
howard
avenue
near
pine
street.
By
now,
the
slavic
influence
permeated
biloxi
from
business
leadership
to
education
and
politics,
although
the
nation
itself
was
struggling
to
recover
from
the
great
depression,
biloxi
still
thrived
in
large
part
because
of
its
seafood
industry
and
the
slavic
immigrants
were
migrating.
Yet
again.
This
time
it
was
a
professional
migration
from
the
factories.
A
On
the
point
to
the
banks
downtown
to
city
hall,
to
medicine,
to
the
legal
profession,
it
marked
not
only
a
new
beginning
for
the
rapidly
expanding
lodge
membership,
but
also
underscored
the
civic
contributions
of
the
second
generation
of
slavic
descendants
in
biloxi
as
embodied
by
physician.
Dr
joseph
colges
dentist,
dr
stephen
patallo
attorney
judge
john
c
cool
and
pharmacist
tony
rossetti,
firmly
positioned
within
the
fabric
of
biloxi.
The
slavonian
benevolent
association
made
its
boldest
move
to
date
with
the
construction
of
a
new
two-story
building
on
myrtle
street
that
was
dedicated
with
much
fanfare
in
1938.
A
D
A
Slavic
descendants
did
just
that
for
many
decades
thriving
despite
the
assaults
of
hurricanes
in
1947
and
betsy
and
camille
and
frederick
and
elena
from
its
new
location.
The
slavonian
benevolent
association,
expanded
its
influence
across
biloxi
social
events
were
open
to
non-members.
By
invitation,
the
lodge
became
a
meeting
place
in
social
register
for
the
business
and
government
leaders
from
across
the
gulf
coast.
A
A
year
later,
the
event
was
open
to
all
interested
golfers
and
the
slavic
invitational
was
born
40
years
later.
It
is
the
premier
amateur
golf
tournament
in
the
southeast,
as
the
golf
tournament
grew
in
prominence,
so
did
the
contributions
of
the
slavic
community
to
biloxi
all
that
changed
momentarily.
When
hurricane
katrina
arrived
on
august,
29
2005.
A
A
What
it
did
not
do,
however,
was
dissuade
our
commitment
and
our
resolve
meetings
were
temporarily
moved
to
the
masonic
building
at
howard,
avenue
and
main
street.
It
was
called
the
mini
lodge
a
building
committee
was
formed
to
find
a
new,
safer
location
for
a
new
lodge
and
to
identify
funding
sources
for
that
new
building.