Why do we call this MS Coast town ‘The Kill?’ The answer dates back to the 15th Century.
The slogan for a tiny Hancock County town north of Interstate 10 is, “Where the hell is Kiln, Mississippi?”
I moved to Kiln with my mom and stepdad right after I finished first grade. And even as an almost 7-year-old boy, I remember thinking, “This place is small — and very country.”
We took two-lane Highway 603 north past Dolly’s Quick Stop and the only red light in town back then. I counted more trees and cows than houses and didn’t think I’d make it a year in this rural place.
Kiln quickly became home for me. But one thing I noticed immediately is that everyone called it “The Kill.” And I had my theories as to why, but never really searched for the truth.
I first thought it was local slang derived from living in the country. Then I thought it was symbolic of the Prohibition Era when it was the “Moonshine Capital of the World” and gangsters frequented the areas along the Jourdan River for liquid gold. Maybe those in the criminal enterprise used to kill to protect their product.
Both of my childhood dreams were wrong.
Pronunciation dates back centuries
The silent “n” in the word kiln dates back to the 15th Century, according to takeourword.com.
“The word even appears in the written record from that time in the form kill. However, even though it was not pronounced, the n hung on, so that the spelling was eventually standardized as kiln,” Beth Hayes said in Take Our Word.
Hayes said some still pronounce the “n” in the word “simply because people read the word before hearing it and have to reason to assume that the ‘n” is silent.”
History of Kiln in Hancock County, Mississippi
Kiln originally was named the Jourdan River Settlement when the French settled there in late 1700s because of its location next to the river, according to the Shoofly.
“In 1880, the name was changed to Kiln since so many kilns in the area produced pine tar,” the Shoofly reported. “A hospital, restaurant, stores, hotel, movie theatre, high school and several churches led Kiln in becoming one of the busiest towns between New Orleans and Hattiesburg.”
The Kiln gained a different reputation during the Great Depression when residents started manufacturing illegal whiskey, according to local legend.
“Because of the high quality and ready availability of this whiskey, Kiln became known as the ‘Moonshine Capital of the World,” according to the Hancock County Historical Society. “Legend also tells that gangster Al Capone purchased a fleet of boats called ‘rum runners’ to transport whiskey to Chicago.”
