In 1993, daily commuter service from New Orleans to Mobile was reinstated and Bay St. Louis and its depot had a twice daily train stop just like they had in the early 1900's. Historically, Bay St. Louis, Waveland and Pass Christian were the summer playgrounds for New Orleanian families. Many of these families rented or owned houses in the Bay and Waveland. Pass Christian was more of a hotel resort , and was home to many large ornate hotels back in the late 1800's and early 1900's. In the recent past, weunfortunately, were not able to sustain commuter train service in its most recent reincarnation. The train depot was a special and essential part of Bay St. Louis for Alice Moseley. Her blue house is across the street from the depot; her painting of the depot and its print were well received;and most importantly, my mom's memorial service was held in front of the depot under a canopy of Live Oak trees. This print was made in the form of a fan and was handed out as a souvenir at the ceremony accompanying the commuter service. My mom and I then rode the train from Bay St. Louis to Mobile , which also had a ceremony. It was on this journey that my mom met a new friend, Sarah Gillespie of Hattiesburg,an important patron of the arts in Southern Mississippi. When my mom was asked why she loved Bay St. Louis so much she cited as one reason, the care with which Bay St. Louis had restored their depot, while Batesville, her former home, had for some ungodly reason,torn their historic depot down in the 1980s.
