August 2019

Did an install at Stennis Space Center last year and one day after work took the following scenic route back to the hotel in Slidell, Louisiana where I was staying.

This was a very interesting road, read on…

Just north of US 90 and a few miles east of the Louisiana Border is the John C. Stennis Space Center, a NASA Rocket Testing Facility.

In association with the surrounding areas of the Stennis Space Center, Hancock County, Mississippi created a number of scenic routes through the wildlife rich wetlands (in the Spirit of the Old Spanish Trail, which was the shortest route from St. Augustine, Florida to San Diego, California).

US 90 is designated as the Old Spanish Trail.  The county has designated eight scenic byways in the area around the space center, including six of which have the “Scenic Byway to Space” name.

Napoleon is now unpopulated and never really had a population of more than 100 since its founding in the early 1800s.

From Gulf Coast Scenic Byways website:

Byways to Space network – the only one of its kind in the country. This scenic byway includes six routes that cover more than 30 miles through or near the NASA Stennis Space Center’s (SSC) 125,000-acre buffer zone.

Often canopied by oaks, the roads and trails meander through the scenic countryside, passing former historic settlement sites, scenic vistas, natural waterways, and parks perfect for hikers, bicyclists, birders, kayakers, and nature lovers.

Although a short drive, the Napolean Byway takes visitors on an interesting tour of the now extinct town that is laced with scenic beauty. Napoleon’s first European settlement was in 1767 by Jean Claude Favre, and the area was later owned by his son Simon Favre. One of the first signs is called the Mary Favre Claim, which dates back to 1804.

Mary Favre was the daughter of Simon Favre and Pushmataha, and her children lived in Hancock County and were known as “Bay Indians.” There also is a roadway that provides an excellent bike ride along the formerly known Napoleon-Logtown Road that connected these two vital riverfronts.

Much like Westonia, residents within a six-mile radius of Stennis Space Center were relocated due to the acoustic impacts associated with rocket engine testing. ‘

The preservation of surrounding land created a birding site that is recognized by the Audubon Society, especially in the old gravel pit areas of Napolean.

Napoleon Scenic Highway
http://gulfcoastscenicbyways.com/team-post/napoleon-byway-to-space/