1953 Map of Hattiesburg

About this map

Hattiesburg and Laurel anchor this mid-century survey of southeast Mississippi, showing a landscape defined by its timbered uplands and the river systems of the Leaf River and Chickasawhay River. The map documents the extensive reach of the De Soto National Forest during a period of steady industrial transition. This era is marked by a complex network of timber and transit lines, including the Illinois Central, Gulf Mobile and Ohio, and the local Bonhomie and Hattiesburg Southern railroads. From the Gravel Pits near the city centers to the Choctaw National Wildlife Refuge on the Alabama border, the sheet captures the regional infrastructure before the full expansion of the modern interstate system. Local landmarks like High Rocky Hill and numerous small settlements such as New Augusta and Ellisville provide essential detail for tracing ancestral land holdings and vanished community centers.