Logtown – Nature, birds, & Birding Friends

April 22, 2026

Logtown is such a unique spot for birding; the mix of bottomland hardwoods and that eerie “ghost town” history makes for a great backdrop. It was a beautiful day, GREAT Birding and we ran into several birding friends.

Logtown, Mississippi: From Timber Giant to Silent Buffer

A Century of Sawdust

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Logtown was far from the quiet sanctuary it is today. It was the heart of the H. Weston Lumber Company, established by Henry Weston in 1889. At its peak, the sawmill was reputedly the largest in the world, supporting a thriving community of 2,000 to 3,000 residents.

The town was a complete ecosystem, featuring:

A two-story general store and the Hancock County Bank.
A school serving grades 1 through 12.
A bustling riverfront with mail delivered twice daily via New Orleans boats.

The NASA Transition

The town’s fate changed in October 1961 when the federal government selected Hancock County for the Mississippi Test Facility (now Stennis Space Center). Logtown fell within the 125,000-acre acoustic buffer zone required for testing the massive Saturn V rocket engines.

By 1964, the residents were relocated, and the town was dismantled. The final lowering of the flag at the Logtown Post Office remains a poignant symbol of the community’s sacrifice for the Apollo program. As the local saying goes: “If you want to go to the moon, you first have to go through Hancock County.”

Current Status: A Wildlife Haven

Today, Logtown is a premier site on the Audubon Coastal Birding Trail. It is managed largely by Wildlife Mississippi and serves as a critical habitat for over 185 bird species.

Habitat: A mosaic of mixed pine-hardwoods, freshwater marshes, and maritime live oak hammocks.
Birding Highlights: It is a stronghold for species like the Swallow-tailed Kite and various migratory warblers.
The “Possum Walk” Trail: This interpretive trail follows the old “Dummy Line” railroad and leads hikers through the site of the former African-American settlement of Possum Walk.
Remnants: While the buildings are gone, visitors can still find the footings of the old mill and the historic Logtown Cemetery, which remains a National Historic Landmark.