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Hattiesburg, Mississippi
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| The area of Hattiesburg, Mississippi was once known as Twin Forks, Mississippi and later Gordonville, Mississippi. The settlement was originally founded in 1882 by William H. Hardy. In 1884, it was incorporated by the name given it by William Hardy, honoring his wife, Hattie. |
| At about the same time, the southern Railway System extended its rails from Meridian, Mississippi through Hattiesburg, toward its terminal in New Orleans. As fate would have it, in 1897 a second railroad, the Gulf and Ship Island railroad routed its lines, from Gulfport to Jackson, through Hattiesburg. With this, the lumber industry flourished in Hattiesburg due to the access to ports on the Gulf. Hattiesburg had become a rail center and is sometimes referred to as Hub City. |
| In 1910, the University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss) was established in Hattiesburg. |
| In 1917 Camp Shelby was established near Hattiesburg by the US Army. The 38th Division was the first division to train at Camp Shelby. During World War II, the famous 442nd Regimental Combat Team, comprised of Japanese-American troops, trained at Camp Shelby. The 100th Battalion trained here also as did members of the Women‘s Army Corps (WAC). Within the boundaries of Camp Shelby was a prisoner of war camp that held members of Germany’s Afrika Corps, who were captured in combat. |
| During the Cold War era, the government exploded two nuclear devices in salt domes near Lumberton, Mississippi, about 28 miles from Hattiesburg. There has been no abnormal radiation activity detected in the area, though it is monitored by the EPA to this day. |
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