History :

In February, 1699, Pierre LeMoyne Sieur d'Iberville anchored off the Mississippi Coast in three large ships, with 200 French, Canadian, and West Indies settlers and a contingent of 50 French marines, at what they called "Ship Island." While it is now generally agreed that Ft. Maurepas was located in nearby Ocean Springs, scholars dispute where the original French settlements named "Biloxey" after the local indian tribe, was located in Biloxi, Ocean Springs or D'Iberville. The D'Iberville enclave of small communities, with vast natural resources, saw opportunities for providing the materials needed to support the growth of these resorts. Timber and its by-products, vegetable farms, fruit and nut orchards, sawmills, brickyards, and boat builders brought prosperity to the area. By 1860, the D'Iberville area had a population of around 500.

Progress was cut short by the War Between the States when most of the men went off to war. The entire Gulf Coast was suppressed for two decades until conditions improved in the 1880's. By the turn of the century, D'Iberville had grown into a town of over 1,000 people. The town's economic and agricultural base continued to sustain the community even through World War I and the Great Depression. Seafood, lumber, and produce continued to be the town's mainstay. D'Iberville has always maintained their own independent pioneer spirit, viewing their community as having its own strong identity. In 1988, D'Iberville officially became a city-an incorporated municipality of the State of Mississippi. It is fitting that this momentous occasion occurred on February 13th, almost three centuries to the day that Iberville landed in the area.