Hattiesburg City

Forrest County, Mississippi

   

Hattiesburg City Hall is located at 200 Forrest Street, Hattiesburg, MS 39401.
Phone: 601‑545‑4500.

Neighborhoods

Beginnings [1]

The town of Hattiesburg existed in 1884 but growth was slow until 1897. From the turn of the century until 1914, due to railroad construction and the timber industry, Hattiesburg was a boomtown. During this period Hattiesburg was the fastest growing area in Mississippi. The 1900 population of 4,175 escalated to 11,733 in 1910. This growth spurt caused the Mississippi State Legislature to declare Hattiesburg a city.

Prosperity also brought civic improvements to Hattiesburg. By 1910 most of the city streets were paved and a municipal waterworks was built on Front and Forrest Streets. Streetcars became an amenable mode of transportation for the city's citizens. The Hattiesburg Traction Company provided the transportation service from June 1913 until 1925. The trolley car tracks emanated from the downtown area in five directions including a line on Hardy Street that went as far as the now University of Southern Mississippi.

Several railroads opened connecting lines with the city of Hattiesburg. The Mississippi Central, completed in 1908, ran from Hattiesburg to Natchez flourishing until the Great Depression. In 1917 the Mobile, Jackson & Kansas City acquired by Gulf, Mobile and Northern Railroad (GM&N) gave the Mississippi Central access to traffic from Shreveport through Natchez to Mobile. And on January 17, 1925, the Bonhomie and Hattiesburg Southern Railroad began operations between Hattiesburg and Beaumont.

  1. Gene A. Ford and Linda B. Ford, Architectural Historians, Parkhaven Historic District, Forrest County, Mississippi, nomination document, 2001, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, Washington, D.C.

Nearby Towns: Petal City •


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