Our History

W. A. McDonald & Sons (now Daughters) is one of the oldest        businesses in Hancock County, established in 1904. In 1925, a group of interested citizens who were members of the Bay St. Louis Rotary Club, established the Bay St. Louis Chamber of Commerce as the voice of business guiding the community. In 1945, it was renamed the Hancock County Chamber of Commerce. Rebuilding the Coast---Better than Ever. On August 29, 2005, Hancock County, Mississippi's diverse and treasured resources were devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Thousands of homes and  1,600 businesses were either damaged or destroyed.  Only weeks following the storm, the Chamber opened the Coast's first Business Assistance Center with the support of state, local and federal partners. This Center has been recognized as a national model for disaster recovery by the US Small Business Administration. The Center was made possible in large part thanks to Coast Electric Power Association, donating their conference center to serve as the site for the new temporary Chamber office and Business Assistance Center.