Hattiesburg, Mississippi

Hattiesburg is a city in Mississippi, bisected by the county line between Forrest (where it is the county seat) and Lamar counties. The population was 47,556 in 2013. It is the principal city of the Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses Forrest, Lamar and Perry counties.

Founded in 1882 by civil engineer William H. Hardy, Hattiesburg was named in honor of Hardy's wife Hattie. The town was incorporated two years later with a population of 400. Hattiesburg's population first expanded as a center of the lumber and railroad industries, from which was derived the nickname "The Hub City." It now attracts newcomers to the area because of the diversity of the economy, strong neighborhoods and the central location in South Mississippi.

Hattiesburg is home to The University of Southern Mississippi (originally known as Mississippi Normal College) and William Carey University (formerly William Carey College). South of Hattiesburg is Camp Shelby, the largest National Guard training base east of the Mississippi River.

Hattiesburg station

Hattiesburg, also known as Union Station and New Orleans & Northeastern Passenger Depot, is an Amtrak intercity train station located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, at 308 Newman Street. The station is served by Amtrak's Crescent passenger train. On June 14, 2001, the depot was selected as a Mississippi Landmark (035-HAT-0088-NRD-ML), and in 2002, the depot was designated as a contributing resource within the Hub City Historic District (Boundary Increase) (Reference Number 02000855, listed 2002-08-09) on the National Register of Historic Places.

Description

Designed by architect Frank Pierce Milburn, and built in 1910 for the New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad, the depot is a one and one-half story brick structure of Italian Renaissance Revival architectural style. The depot contains 14,000 square-feet (1300 square meters) of interior space, including a 4,000 square-foot (372 square meters) waiting room (Grand Hall) for passengers and has been in continuous use since 1910. A loading platform, adjacent to the depot, is covered by a 924-foot (282 meters) canopy.