Born in Biloxi, in 1846 to Charles Eugene McCaleb and Mary Ellen Webb, Frederick Henry McCaleb became a prominent member of the Biloxi community. At 16 years old, Frederick and his brother Thomas enlisted in the 3rd Regiment of the Mississippi Infantry Company “E”, known as the “Biloxi Rifles”. After the Civil War, he returned to Biloxi and was a carpenter specializing in homebuilding and shipbuilding.
Frederick and his three step-brothers- Peter, Joseph and John Ott, formed “Ott Bros & McCaleb Oyster Co”. Very civic-minded, Frederick was a member of the East End Fire Company and became an Alderman and member of the Board of Supervisors. He was also an honored member of Camp Beauvoir Confederate Veterans, as he served in the Civil War with valor and distinction.
Of the many lots he owned on The Point in Biloxi, Frederick donated the land on which St. Michael Church, “The Fisherman’s Church”, was built. This was with the agreement that he and any of his family members would be allowed to be buried there. Frederick McCaleb passed away in 1909, and to this day, his headstone behind the church marks his grave and preserves his memory for all.