Lizana is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

located in Harrison County,

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

. Lizana is approximately southwest of

Saucier A saucier () or sauté chef is a position in the classical brigade style kitchen. It can be translated into English as ''sauce chef''. In addition to preparing sauces, the saucier prepares stews, hot hors d'œuvres, and sautés food to order ...

along

Mississippi Highway 53 Mississippi Highway 53 (MS 53) is a state highway in Mississippi. The highway starts at U.S. Highway 49 (US 49) in Gulfport and travels northwestward to MS 603 in Hancock County. The road then travels north to Poplarville, meeting Interstat ...

. Lizana is part of the Gulfport-Biloxi metropolitan area.

History

According to Harrison County tax records, Lizana was settled by Henry Sabastian Lizana, from nearby DeLisle in the 1880s. The lumber boom in the area contributed to Lizana's success as an entrepreneur. Henry established a general store and post office near the logging railroad that once ran through the area. In the early 1920s, the logging industry declined. He deeded a small amount of his parcel of land to his nine children, and what remained was relinquished to the state due to unpaid taxes. In 1901, Father Rene Sorin, also from DeLisle, oversaw the building of the first Catholic mission in the area, St. Ann Catholic Church, on land donated by Henry. The mission fell into disrepair, and in 1937 was relocated to its present location on

. From 1902 to 1906, the Gulf Coast Lumber Company operated the rail lines built in the area. The lines were built to transport the valuable long leaf pine trees being logged in the Lizana area to a sawmill Gulf Coast Lumber operated in nearby Lyman. In 1906 the Gulf Coast Lumber Company was purchased by Ingram-Day Lumber Company which would later be sold to Batson & Hatten Lumber Company on May 10, 1924. Batson & Hatten discontinued operation of the Lyman mill in 1932. Lizana post office was established August 7, 1908, with Henry L. Lizana as first postmaster, but was discontinued December 31, 1920, with mail to Saucier.

Recreation

One visiting South Mississippi must not miss out on Lizana's Annual Catfish Festival, organized by St. Ann Catholic Church. The festival has a mid 20th century county fair atmosphere with its

funnel cake Funnel cake (Pennsylvania German: ''Drechderkuche'') is a regional sweet food popular in North America, found mainly at carnivals and amusement parks. It is made by deep-frying batter. History The concept of the funnel cake dates back to the ea ...

s, rides and softball tournaments. The festival is usually held the last week in May (Memorial Day weekend).

Carnival

For the past few years, Lizana has hosted its annual Mardi Gras Parade organized by the Lizana Carnival Association. Despite being held in a rural area of Harrison County, the parade is considered to be one of the fastest growing parades as well as the most family-friendly.

Education

Lizana is served by the

Harrison County School District The Harrison County School District is a public school district based in Gulfport, Mississippi, United States. In addition to serving portions of Gulfport and Biloxi, the district also serves the city of D'Iberville, the communities of Lizana ...

Other

Lizana was featured at the beginning of '' JAG'' episode, "The Witches of Gulfport" (first aired April 25, 2000), as the site of a Wiccan ceremony.

References

Unincorporated communities in Harrison County, Mississippi Unincorporated communities in Mississippi Gulfport–Biloxi metropolitan area {{HarrisonCountyMS-geo-stub