Hattiesburg

History

During European colonization, this area was first claimed by the French. Between 1763 and 1783 the area that is currently Hattiesburg fell under the jurisdiction of the colony of British West Florida. After the United States gained its independence, Great Britain ceded this and other areas after 1783. The United States gained a cession of lands from the Choctaw and Chickasaw under the terms of the Treaty of Mount Dexter in 1805. After the treaty was ratified, European-American settlers began to move into the area.

In the 1830s, the Choctaw and Chickasaw were relocated by United States authorities by treaties authorized by the Indian Removal Act, which sought to relocate the Five Civilized Tribes from the Southeast to west of the Mississippi River. They and their slaves were moved to Indian Territory in today's Kansas and Oklahoma.

Hattiesburg developed at the confluence of the Leaf and Bouie rivers. It was founded in 1882 by Captain William H. Hardy, a civil engineer. The city of Hattiesburg was incorporated in 1884 with a population of approximately 400. Originally called Twin Forks and later Gordonville, the city received its final name of Hattiesburg from Capt. Hardy, in honor of his wife Hattie. Hattiesburg is centrally located less than 100 miles from the state capital of Jackson, as well as from the Mississippi Gulf Coast, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama.

In 1884, a railroad—known then as the New Orleans and Northeastern—was built from Meridian, Mississippi, in the center of the state, through Hattiesburg to New Orleans. The completion of the Gulf and Ship Island Railroad (G&SIRR) from Gulfport, to the capital of Jackson, Mississippi, also ran through Hattiesburg. It stimulated a lumber boom in 1897, with interior pine forests being harvested at a rapid pace. Although the railroad took 20 years to be developed, the G&SIRR more than fulfilled its promise. It gave the state access to a deep water harbor at Gulfport, more than doubled the population of towns along its route, stimulated the growth of the City of Gulfport, and made Hattiesburg a railroad center. In 1924, the G&SIRR operated as a subsidiary of the Illinois Central Railroad but lost its independent identity in 1946.

Hattiesburg gained its nickname, the Hub City, in 1912 as a result of a contest in a local newspaper. It was named because it was at the intersection of a number of important rail lines. Later U.S. Highway 49, U.S. Highway 98 and U.S. Highway 11, and later, Interstate 59 also intersected in and near Hattiesburg.

Civil rights movement

Hattiesburg and the unincorporated African-American community of Palmers Crossing played a key role in the civil rights transitions of the 1960s. In 1959, black Korean War veteran Clyde Kennard applied to attend then all-white Mississippi Southern College (today University of Southern Mississippi). He was denied admission because of his race, as state colleges were legally segregated. When he persisted, the newly formed Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission, a taxpayer-supported agency ostensibly set up to encourage tourism, conspired to have him framed for a crime. He was sentenced to seven years in Parchman Prison. For years, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People leaders Medgar Evers, Vernon Dahmer, and other Forrest County civil rights activists fought to overturn the conviction. The MSSC conducted outrageous activities against citizens of the state: MSSC agents investigated citizens while the organization created blacklists of activists and black professionals who were suspected of working for civil rights, conducted economic boycotts against black-owned businesses, and arranged for blacks to be fired from state and local jobs. They also worked to have Black activists or suspected activists evicted from rental housing. All of this was conducted in secret, until later allegations of revelations brought the state's activities into the open.

Forrest County Registrar Theron Lynd prevented blacks in the area from registering to vote, based on such devices in the state constitution as poll taxes, and literacy and comprehension tests, subjectively administered by whites. In 1960, thirty percent of the population in the county was black, but less than 1% of blacks had been able to register, regardless of their education level. Registration by whites was close to 100%. In 1961, the U.S. Justice Department filed suit against Lynd. He was the first southern registrar to be convicted under the Civil Rights Act of 1957 for systematically violating African-American voting rights.

In 1962, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) began one of its first voter-registration projects in Hattiesburg under the auspices of the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO). By 1964, the Delta Ministry was active in the city. In cooperation with the NAACP and local civil rights leaders, they formed the Forrest County Voters League. In conjunction with the 1963 elections, civil rights leaders organized a statewide Freedom Ballot, a mock election that highlighted both the statewide pattern of voting rights discrimination and the strong desire of Mississippi blacks for the franchise. Despite the serious risk of both physical and economic retaliation, nearly half of Forrest County blacks participated, the highest turnout in the state.

Geography

Most of Hattiesburg is in Forrest County. A smaller portion on the west side is in Lamar County, with abundant commercial land gained in a 2008 annexation. This consists of a narrow stretch of land east of I-59 and an irregularly shaped extension into West Hattiesburg. In the 2000 census, 42,475 of the city's 44,779 residents (94.9%) lived in Forrest County and 2,304 (5.1%) in Lamar County.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 54.3 square miles (140.6 km2), of which 53.4 square miles (138.3 km2) is land and 0.89 square miles (2.3 km2), or 1.63%, is water.

Hattiesburg is 74 miles (119 km) north of Biloxi and 90 miles (140 km) southeast of Jackson, the state capital.

Geology and paleontology

Hattiesburg is on an outcrop of the Pascagoula and Hattiesburg formation that is thought to be Miocene in age. Miocene plant and animal fossils discovered in Hattiesburg's vicinity indicate the area was once more swamp-like and dominated by low-growing palm trees.

Climate

Hattiesburg has a humid subtropical climate, with short, mild winters and hot, humid summers. Snowfall is extremely rare, but on December 11, 2008, areas around Hattiesburg received 3 to 5 inches (0.076 to 0.127 m). As is the case throughout the southern United States, severe thunderstorms can pose a threat, particularly during spring. Such storms spawn frequent lightning, heavy rain, occasional large hail, and tornadoes.

An EF4 tornado struck the Hattiesburg area on February 10, 2013, between roughly 5:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. CST. It formed in Lamar County just west of Oak Grove and quickly increased in size and intensity. Although the most severe damage occurred in the Oak Grove area, especially near Oak Grove High School, the tornado continued eastward into Hattiesburg, causing widespread EF1-EF3 damage to the southern portion of the University of Southern Mississippi campus and the areas just north of downtown. It then moved into neighboring Petal and rural Forrest County. More than 80 injured were reported but no fatalities. The prevention of deaths was attributed to the nearly 30-minute lead time of the tornado warning.

The most recent tornado struck on January 21, 2017, when an EF3 hit the city early in the morning, killing four and injuring 20. Some 10,000 people were left without power.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Hattiesburg had a population of 48,730. The median age was 29.4 years. 18.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 13.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 85.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 82.1 males age 18 and over.

95.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 4.4% lived in rural areas.

There were 19,898 households and 9,165 families in Hattiesburg, of which 24.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 24.1% were married-couple households, 25.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 42.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 39.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 22,620 housing units, of which 12.0% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.7%.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 44,779 people, 17,295 households, and 9,391 families residing within the city limits.

Religion

In 2010 the Hattiesburg Metropolitan area has an Evangelical Protestant majority with 66,000 members. The Southern Baptist Convention had 85 congregations and 53,000 members. The United Methodist Church had 35 congregations and 9,000 members. The third largest was the Presbyterian Church in America with 5 congregations and 1,518 members.

Economy

Hattiesburg is home to several national business branches that hold thousands of jobs across the Pine Belt. It was headquarters to the now defunct International Filing Company and currently hosts branches of Kohler Engines and BAE Systems Inc., as well as Berry Plastics and the Coca-Cola Bottling Company United, Pepsi Cola Bottling Co., and Budweiser Distribution Co. Companies such as Sunbeam (shared with Mr. Coffee, and the Coleman Company) and Kimberly Clark used to manufacture in Hattiesburg.

Regions Financial Corporation operates a large operations center in the city, which employs nearly 500 people. Jones Capital recently celebrated the groundbreaking of their new $50 million corporate headquarters facility in Midtown Hattiesburg across from The University of Southern Mississippi. Jones operates globally with over 1,000 employees in total, 500 of those are employed in the State of MS. The new headquarters facility will serve as the primary office for over 300 MS-based employees.

The main shopping mall is Turtle Creek Mall.

Arts and culture

Theaters

The Saenger Theatre was one of the seven built and operated by the Saenger brothers. It hosts an annual Mississippi Miss Hospitality Competition, along with other productions. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

William Carey Center and Dinner Theater

University of Southern Mississippi Theatre Department features original productions and broadcasts of National Theatre Live! from London, UK.

Galleries

A Gallery, 134 E. Front Street

Hattiesburg Arts Council Gallery at the Hattiesburg Cultural Center, 723 Main Street

Lucile Parker Art Gallery is located in the Thomas Fine Arts Building on William Carey University's Hattiesburg campus. The collection consists of 141 artworks by Lucile Parker, and 17 by Marie Hull. From August to May, the gallery features exhibitions of local, state, and nationally known artists.

Sarah Gillespie Collection at William Carey University, 498 Tuscan Avenue, is an extensive collection of twentieth century Mississippi art.

University of Southern Mississippi Art Gallery

Museums

African American Military History Museum, 305 E. 6th Street

Mississippi Armed Forces Museum at Camp Shelby

Freedom Summer Trails

Hattiesburg Area Historical Society Museum, 723 Main Street

De Grummond Children's Literature Museum

Hattiesburg Pocket Museum, 119 W Front St

Train depot

The Hattiesburg Train Depot was constructed in 1910 by the Southern Railway Company, and was the city's largest and most architecturally significant depot. The City of Hattiesburg purchased the depot and 3.2 acres (1.3 ha) of land from Norfolk Southern Railway in 2000, and began a seven-year, $10 million restoration. The completed depot now functions as an intermodal transportation center for bus, taxi and rail, as well as a space for exhibitions, meetings and special events.

Government

Local Government

Hattiesburg is governed via a mayor-council system. The mayor is elected at large citywide. The city council consists of five members who are each elected from one of five wards, known as single-member districts.

Various powers rest according to the City charter and the Mayor-Council Form of government outline directed by Mississippi law in the city of Hattiesburg. The mayor can appoint heads of city municipal agencies, with approval from the city council, create new agencies if their orders are not vetoed or overturned by the city council, and can hire and fire city contractors.

Hattiesburg's current mayor is Toby Barker of the Independent, who was elected on June 7, 2017.

Hattiesburg's current city council members are:

State Government

The Mississippi Department Of Corrections (MDOC) operates the Hattiesburg Probation & Parole Office in Hattiesburg. The MDOC South Mississippi Correctional Institution, in unincorporated Greene County, is located in approximately 30 miles east in Hattiesburg, 90 miles southeast in Memphis, northwest in Jackson, and south in Gulfport.

Federal Government

The entire city of Hattiesburg is part of Mississippi's 4th congressional district. U.S. Representative Mike Ezell, a Republican, has served since 2023. He has been Chairman of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation and a member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure since 2023.

The United States Postal Service operates the Hattiesburg Main Post Office and several smaller post offices.

Education

Colleges and universities

Hattiesburg is home to the main campuses of two institutions of higher learning: the public University of Southern Mississippi and the private Baptist-supported William Carey University. Both have campuses in other locations; the former has a campus in Long Beach, Mississippi, and William Carey has campuses in Biloxi, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Forrest County Center of Pearl River Community College, a public institution, is located in Hattiesburg, with the main campus located in Poplarville, Mississippi.

K-12 schools

Public education in most of Hattiesburg is served by the Hattiesburg Municipal Separate School District, serving grades K–12. Portions of Hattiesburg are served by Forrest County Schools. Portions of Hattiesburg in Lamar County are zoned to Lamar County School District.

Hattiesburg High School is a part of the Hattiesburg district. North Forrest High School (grades 7–12) is a part of the Forrest school district. Oak Grove High School (grades 9–12) is under the Lamar County School District.

Forrest County Agricultural High School is an independent public high school near Hattiesburg.

Private schools include

Sacred Heart Catholic School (grades Pre-K–12)

Presbyterian Christian School (grades PreK–12)

School of Excellence (grades K–6) (now Early Learning Center, 6 weeks to Pre-K)

Lamar Christian School (grades Pre-K-12)

Bass Christian Elementary (grades K–8)

Bass Memorial Academy (grades 9–12)

Central Baptist School (grades K–12)

Benedict Day School (grades K–8)

Innova Prep (grades K-12)

The Adept School

Libraries

Forrest County Public Library serves the city. The library has a location in downtown Hattiesburg as well as in neighboring Petal.

Media

FM radio

WUSM-FM 88.5 (Public Radio)

WAII 89.3 American Family Radio (Christian Contemporary)

WMAH-FM 90.3 (NPR)

WJMG 92.1 (Urban Contemporary)

W224DP 92.7 (Fox Sports Radio) (Simulcast of WFOR AM 1400)

WGDQ 93.1 (Urban Gospel)

WKZW 94.3 (Hot Adult Contemporary)

WZNF 95.3 (Pop music), (Top 40)

WBBN 95.9 (Country music)

WBBL 96.5 (Southern Gospel)

WFMM 97.3 Supertalk Mississippi (News/Talk)

W249AO 97.7 (Rhythmic Oldies)

WLAU 99.3 Supertalk Mississippi (News/Talk)

WNSL 100.3 (Pop music), (Top 40)

W266CT 101.1 (Classic Hip Hop), (Urban Oldies), (Blues) (Simulcast of WHJA AM 890)

WJKX 102.5 (Urban Adult Contemporary)

WLVZ 103.7 (Christian Contemporary)

WXRR 104.5 (Classic rock)

WQID-LP 105.3 (Urban Contemporary)

W290DQ 105.9 (News/Talk) (Simulcast of WHSY AM 950)

WZLD 106.3 (Urban Contemporary)

AM radio

WHJA 890 (Classic Hip Hop), (Urban Oldies), (Blues)

WHSY 950 (News/Talk)

WFOR 1400 (Fox Sports Radio)

WORV 1580 (Gospel Music)

Television

WDAM Channel 7 (NBC) (ABC)

WHLT Channel 22 (CBS) (The CW)

WHPM-LD Channel 23 (Fox)

Newspapers

Hattiesburg American, Hattiesburg's thrice weekly newspaper, a Gannett paper

The Hattiesburg Post, a locally owned, independent weekly paper

The Lamar Times, a weekly community newspaper serving the residents of West Hattiesburg and Lamar County

Infrastructure

Transportation

Amtrak's Crescent train connects Hattiesburg with the cities of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Charlotte, Atlanta, Birmingham and New Orleans. The Amtrak station is located at 308 Newman Street.

Rail freight service is offered by three Class I railroads: CN to Jackson and Mobile, Kansas City Southern to Gulfport, and Norfolk Southern to Meridian and New Orleans.

Hattiesburg owns and operates the city's mass transit service, HCT, Hub City Transit. HCT offers daily routes to many major thoroughfares. The Intermodal Depot downtown services Amtrak as well as the city transit services. Due to recent growth in passenger transport in the city, HCT is currently planning additional routes and services, including bus service to the suburbs of Oak Grove and Petal.

Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport is located in an unincorporated area in Jones County, near Moselle. It offers daily flights from Hattiesburg to Houston. The airport also has a business park located on the premises.

The city of Hattiesburg maintains the Hattiesburg Bobby L. Chain Municipal Airport (HBG) in the Hattiesburg/Forrest County Industrial Park. Located four miles south of the city center, the municipal airport provides business and general aviation services for much of South Mississippi.

I-59

US 11

US 49

US 98

MS 24

MS 42

MS 198

MS 589

Major east-west roads include:

4th Street,

Hardy Street/ US Route 98,

Notable people

Victoria Jackson Gray Adams, educator and civil rights leader

Fred Armisen, actor, comedian and musician, star of Portlandia

Cora Webb Bass, educator and officer in Women's Army Corps

Steven Barthelme, writer and critic

Wally Berg, first American mountaineer to summit Lhotse, in 1990

Raylawni Branch, civil rights activist and nurse educator

Roger Brent, biologist

Jesse L. Brown, first African-American naval aviator to complete the basic flight training program in the United States Navy

Mary Ryan Brown, comedian and internet personality

Shelby Cannon, tennis player

Paul Ott Carruth, NFL player

Robert Carson, pitcher for New York Mets

John Prentiss Carter, lieutenant governor of Mississippi (1904–1908)

Lewis Elliott Chaze, journalist and author of 10 novels

Shea Curry, actress

Vernon Dahmer, civil rights leader killed in Hattiesburg by Klansmen in 1966

Tyler Dickerson, singer

Adam Doleac, singer