In the early 19th century, settlers were attracted to Brewer’s Bluff (Brewton) in Jackson County because of its high elevation, just west of the Pascagoula River.
The name was derived from a Brewer family that obtained the property through a Spanish land grant.
In 1816, Brewer’s Bluff was selected as the county seat of Jackson County, with construction of a courthouse and jail around 1820.
By 1826, Brewer’s Bluff had not met expectations because of its remote location, and the county seat was moved east of the Pascagoula River.
Over the years, Brewer’s Bluff passed through several owners and became known as Rice’s Bluff, where a turpentine still operated just before the American Civil War.
In the late 19th century, Brewton prospered as a sawmill town, converting trees from the virgin pine forests into lumber.
Besides the sawmill, Brewton had houses, a church, a school, a hotel, and a post office.
Owners of the sawmill selected the name Klondike in hopes of improving their fortune, but the name did not stick.
Ownership of the sawmill changed several times, but bad luck plagued the mill and it burned twice.
Once the virgin timber was gone, residents of Brewton had no reason to stay.
Early in the 20th century, the L.N. Dantzler Lumber Company acquired the property, and the houses and other buildings, that were part of Brewton, collapsed from disrepair.
The name changed once again and the area became known as White’s Camp.
Road leading to Brewton is closed with Do NOT Tresspass signs all over.
2 comments:
I was searching for information about Brewton, Ms... finally figured out where it was and to my amazement... I spent many a night near this town and didn't even know it... the Paper Mill camp was located at the end of the road... did a land search to see who owned the land.. and see that a John Colle owns most and LD Crane own some... well having been friend with the Cranes and my wife's family growing up with them... im going to try to get permission to try to metal detect this site... hopefully I can get permission... You provided more information than i have been able to read.. so thanks.. I just cant believe I had never heard of this.. thanks once again..
my grandfather worked at the paper mill until it closed in 2001 and he had a house boat on the inlet behind the big white paper mill camp at the end of the road. some of my earliest memories are driving down that dirt road to launch my grampa's boat for a weekend on the house boat. i also remember a crazy lady lived in a trailer right beside the boat launch, he was forced to move it after the paper mill closed and they sold the land, with no where to put the house boat he sold it
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