Our City's History :

Hattiesburg was founded in 1882 by Captain William H. Hardy, pioneer lumberman and civil engineer. Early settlers to the area were of Scottish, Irish, and English desent who came from Georgia and the Carolinas, attracted by the vast acreage of virgin pine timberlands. This was an area of rich promise at a time when renewed development of the South was getting under way.

Hattiesburg Depot in the early 1900's

The City of Hattiesburg was incorporated in 1884 with a population of approximately 400. Originally called Twin Forks and later Gordonville, Hardy gave the city its final name of Hattiesburg, in honor of his wife Hattie.

Also in 1884, the railroad, known as the Southern Railway System, was built from Meridian through Hattiesburg to New Orleans. The commercial value of the great virgin timber stands was quickly recognized and, for a time, timberland was available for as little as 50 cents to $1.50 an acre. Mills sprang up; naval store plants came on the heels of the timber industry, and turpentine stills became as numerous as the sawmills.

The completion of the Gulf and Ship Island Railroad from Gulfport to Jackson, now part of the Illinois Central System, ran through Hattiesburg and ushered in the real lumber boom in 1897. Though it was 20 years in the building, the railroad more than fulfilled its promise. It gave the state a deep water harbor, more than doubled the population of towns along its route, built the City of Gulfport and made Hattiesburg a railroad center.

After World War I, Hattiesburg found a new way of life became necessary. The people of the region were able to adjust themselves and proved willing find new and diverse ways of making a living bringing with them further population booms.