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1953 Map of Hattiesburg

Name: 1953 Topographic Map of Hattiesburg
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1972
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1972

About this map

Hattiesburg and Laurel serve as the primary urban anchors in this mid-century portrait of Southeast Mississippi and Southwest Alabama. The region is defined by a dense network of river systems, including the Pearl River, Leaf River, and Chickasawhay River, which historically dictated the pattern of early settlement and industry. A massive expanse of the De Soto National Forest dominates the central and eastern portions of the map, while the Camp Shelby Military Reservation occupies a significant tract south of the city.

Transport infrastructure reflects the era's transition, showing established rail corridors like the Illinois Central Railroad and the Gulf Mobile & Ohio RR alongside the maturing federal highway system. Notable terrain markers such as High Rocky Hill and Monger Hill rise above the timberlands. Small timber and agricultural towns like Richton, Waynesboro, and Citronelle dot the landscape, providing a detailed view of the rural communities that thrived between the major river basins and national forest lands.