Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers at Fort Maurepas Park
The following collection of photos by Stephen “Andy” Anderson spotlights the recent (Fri. June 28, 2024) Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers concert at the picturesque Fort Maurepas City Park and Nature Preserve overlooking Biloxi Bay in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. The Louisiana-born Dwayne Dopsie (Dwayne Rubin), the youngest son of acclaimed and famous zydeco accordionist, Rockin’ Dopsie, has like his father received many accolades and honors as a celebrated musician. Recently, Dopsie enjoyed sharing the stage with the Rolling Stones at the 2024 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. On this particular evening at Fort Maurepas Park Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers performed for an enthusiastic audience at a well-attended event.
Fort Maurepas, the site of this concert, has a long history with Ocean Springs. In 1699, French and Canadian colonists, led by Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville, established Fort Maurepas, (later known as Old Biloxi) as Louisiana’s first capital. It would remain its capital until being moved to present-day Mobile, Alabama in 1710, and eventually to New Orleans, Louisiana in 1723. The park, located on Ocean Springs’ Front Beach, honors the history of the original fort and those French and Canadian colonists who first came ashore and established what would eventually become Ocean Springs.
In the 20th century, a replica of the wooden Fort Maurepas was built on front beach about a mile from the original site (which is on private property) and was open to the public. Sadly, Hurricane Katrina destroyed the structure on August 29, 2005, when coastal Mississippi was devastated by a storm surge exceeding 30 feet. The present-day park has since been constructed at the site of the fort replica. It includes a playground, a splash pad, a stage, and a two-story structure with a viewing platform overlooking the bay.
Photos by Stephen “Andy” Anderson, page edited and designed by Johnny Cole, and additional editing by Deborah Chatham.
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