Geographically, the town of Pass Christian is peninsular, with water on three sides: the Gulf of Mexico to the south, the Bay of St. Louis to the west and a long stretch of bayou to the north. The unincorporated area north of the bayou, known as DeLisle (pronounced "duh LILL" or "duh LEEL"), shares a zip code with Pass Christian, but is not within the city limits. DeLisle was formerly known as Wolf Town or Wolftown.
Pass Christian was named for a nearby deepwater pass, which in turn was named for Nicholas Christian L'Adnier, who lived on nearby Cat Island beginning in 1746. In 1781 all of Pass Christian peninsula was owned by Julia de la Brosse (Widow Asmard). Upon her death in 1799, Widow Asmard deeded 800 arpents - the entire downtown Pass Christian - to Charles Asmar, her freed slave, who upon his death left the property to his heirs. Pass Christian was officially charted as a town in 1848.
The town was a famous resort prior to the American Civil War and the site where the first yacht club of the South (and second in the US) was established in 1849. The town was a favorite location for the beach and summer homes of the wealthy of New Orleans. The row of historic mansions along the town's shoreline, especially Scenic Drive, was one of the country's notable historic districts.
During the Civil War, the Battle of Pass Christian occurred when the USS Massachusetts (1860) began shelling the town. The 3rd Mississippi Regiment, which was stationed in Pass Christian, had marched toward Biloxi expecting a Union landing there, leaving Pass Christian completely unprotected.
A housewife dashed to her upper floor balcony and waved a white bed sheet, the flag of surrender, and the bombardment ceased. Union soldiers plundered the town before withdrawing, there being little of value, including food, for them to confiscate. This skirmish became known as the Bedsheet Surrender.
In 1884, Wolf Town - so named for the preponderance of wolves in the area - was renamed as Delisle. Delisle is a stretch of land north of the Pass Christian bayou.
Pass Christian was in the path of two of the most intense hurricanes ever to hit the United States--Hurricane Camille on August 17, 1969, and Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005. Each hurricane caused the near total destruction of the city.
