MEXICO BEACH — Cousins from a family of Mexico Beach pioneers, Cathey Parker Hobbs and Al Cathey worked together to compile a new entry in the “Images of America” book series focusing on their hometown.
The authors were raised by families that were among the first to settle Mexico Beach, and they say their childhood days were filled with some lasting “beach kid” memories: shell hunting “without worries,” scooping buckets of blue crabs from the Gulf, and fishing from the surf or the pier.
They will celebrate the release of their new book, “Images of America: Mexico Beach,” with a signing 4-6 p.m. April 12 at Graba Java Internet Café, 2094 U.S. 98 in Mexico Beach.
Hobbs moved to Mexico Beach in 1949 with her parents, Charlie and Inky Parker, and her sister, Sue. Her parents took over development of the area, which had been purchased in 1946 by Charlie’s father, Gordon Parker, and two other investors, W.T. McGowan and J.W. Wainwright. Charlie Parker went on to become the city’s first mayor and a lifelong advocate of the family-friendly community.
“Most of the pioneers that made Mexico Beach a reality are gone,” said Hobbs, who still operates the family business, Parker Realty of Mexico Beach, alongside her husband, Ralph. “I hope this book will help preserve their memories as well as the history of our wonderful town. I also hope it will bring pleasure to many by either introducing them to this paradise or by helping them remember wonderful moments they enjoyed in Mexico Beach.”
As described in the book’s introduction, very little is known of the area until the early 1900s, when businessman Felix du Pont purchased the land known today as Mexico Beach. Resin to make turpentine was harvested from the native pine trees, and fishermen could not resist the migratory fish passing through the area’s waters.
By the 1930s, the book explains, U.S. 98 was completed along the coast, and visitors could finally reach the sugar-soft sand beaches. In 1946, Parker, McGowan and Wainwright purchased 1,850 acres along the beach for $65,000.
Chapters in their book categorize the 200 black-and-white photos into nostalgic looks back at the origins of the town, fishing and boating, fun pastimes and entertainment, mom-and-pop businesses, pioneer families, early beach cottages, hurricane damage, the establishment of Beacon Hill and much more.
Cathey moved to Mexico Beach in 1953 at age 5, graduated from Port St. Joe High School and earned a degree in communications from the University of Southern Mississippi. He returned home to raise two sons with his wife, and still lives in Mexico Beach, where he is the second-generation owner of Cathey’s Ace Hardware.
Cathey said he hopes the book communicates the unique history of the town, and how special it is to call it home. He hopes “the reader gains an appreciation of the pioneer spirit of the town’s early families and the resolve they needed to establish such a community with the characteristics necessary to maintain a high quality of life for generations to come.”
“Images of America: Mexico Beach” is available through area bookstores, retailers and online at ArcadiaPublishing.com.
‘Images of America: Mexico Beach’
Authors: Al Cathey and Cathey Parker Hobbs
Book Signing: 4-6 p.m. April 12 at Graba Java Internet Café, 2094 U.S. 98, Mexico Beach
Details: Arcadia Publishing; 128 pages, paperback, 200 images; $21.99
On the Web: ArcadiaPublishing.com
