A historic Victorian home in Bay St. Louis crumbled in the storm surge of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Twenty years later, it’s resurfaced, though in a way that left some on the Gulf Coast disappointed.
The house, once perched on North Beach Boulevard, appears on the cover of “Hurricane Katrina: A Race Against Time,” a five-part documentary series recently released by National Geographic. The series revisits the deadly catastrophe, highlighting how it reshaped New Orleans.
The movie poster, which appears to be illustrated, features a more animated version of the Bay St. Louis home submerged in floodwaters as an adult and child stand on the roof, overlooking the desolate landscape near a sign that reads “HELP.”
On social media, Hancock County residents have questioned why the image was used, considering the series focuses exclusively on Katrina’s aftermath in New Orleans. The acrimonious responses also point to a broader frustration among residents who feel like the storm’s impact on the Mississippi Coast has long been overshadowed.
“How disrespectful that our story isn’t worth sharing, but our images of loss are perfectly fine to attach to New Orleans!” one Facebook user wrote.
“There is no excuse for the fake photo,” another commented. “Plenty of real (New Orleans) homes that could have been used for the film itself!”
History of the Bay St. Louis mansion
Though destroyed by Katrina, the house remains listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Hancock County.
Built in 1889 by Charles Sanger, the home was believed to be built on the highest waterfront elevation on the Gulf, according to a 2003 article by The Sun Herald. Sanger, a prominent builder and architect, built the estate for Raoul Telhiard, a New Orleans resident who stayed in Bay St. Louis in the summer.
Telhiard referred to the vacation home as “Ada Villa,” until it was sold to the McDonald family in 1904 and became locally known as the Old McDonald House.
In 2003, The Sun Herald wrote about the new owners hosting a tour of the house to raise money for the Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse. Visitors were greeted by guides clad in Victorian attire before walking through 48-foot-long center hall covered in 19th-century decor, the article said.
The home’s weathered appearance, the article noted, was part of its charm. The McDonalds once described it as “ripely mellowed with a heap of living.”
