Roof ripped off historic 100 Men Hall in Bay St. Louis

BAY St. LOUIS, Miss. (WLOX) - The historic 100 Men Hall in Bay St. Louis sustained severe roof damage from Hurricane Zeta’s powerful winds.

Michael Dugan spoke with the owner, Rachel Dangermond, who was inside when it happened. Dangermond lives in a back room of the building, and was inside with her dogs when she heard the doors start rattling. The sounds and the vibrations reminded her of what she felt during Hurricane Betsy in 1965.

The hall was built in 1922 and dedicated in 1923 to serve as a communal space for the African American community. After World War II, the 100 Men D.B.A. Hall became a stop on the “chitlin circuit,” a network of African American clubs, with many of the acts booked out of New Orleans. Today, that history is still honored with an official marker from the Mississippi Blues Trail.

Read more about the 100 Men Hall’s history here: https://www.wlox.com/2019/02/13/south-mississippi-strong-history-men-hall/

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