Laurel is a city in and the second county seat of Jones County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 17,161.[4] Laurel is northeast of Ellisville, the first county seat, which contains the first county courthouse. It has the second county courthouse, as Jones County has two judicial districts. Laurel is the headquarters of the Jones County Sheriff's Department, which administers in the county. Laurel is the principal city of a micropolitan statistical area named for it. Major employers include Howard Industries, Sanderson Farms, Masonite International, Family Health Center, Howse Implement, Thermo-Kool, and South Central Regional Medical Center. Laurel is home to the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, Mississippi's oldest art museum, established by the family of Lauren Eastman Rogers.
Following the 1881 construction of the New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad through the area,[5] economic development occurred rapidly. The city of Laurel was incorporated in 1882, with timber as the impetus.[6]Yellow pine forests in the region fueled the industry. The city was named for thickets of mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) native to the original town site.[7]
Located in the heart of the piney woods ecoregion of the southeastern United States, the land site that eventually became Laurel was densely covered with forests of virgin longleaf pine, making the area attractive to pioneering lumberjacks and sawmill operators in the late 19th century.
In 1881, business partners John Kamper and A.M. Lewin constructed a small lumber mill on the New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad. Kamper and Lewin's mill was in an area that later became Laurel's First Avenue. The next year, in response to a Post Office Department request to provide a postal delivery name for their mill and its surrounding lumber camp, Kamper and Lewin submitted the name "Lawrell" as an homage to the area's naturally growing mountain laurel bushes. Federal postal officials soon "corrected" the peculiar spelling, giving the town its current spelling.
During its first decade or so, Laurel was little more than a glorified lumber camp surrounding Kamper and Lewin's primitive sawmill. By 1891, Kamper's company was on the verge of bankruptcy, leading Kamper to sell the mill and extensive land holdings in the area (more than 15,000 acres), to Clinton, Iowa, lumber barons Lauren Chase Eastman and George and Silas Gardiner, founders of the Eastman-Gardiner Company.
After their purchase, Eastman and the Gardiner brothers decided to make substantial improvements to Laurel's lumber operations by constructing a new, much larger, state-of-the-art lumber mill. In 1893, the new Eastman-Gardiner Company mill began operations, using the best technology and labor-saving devices of the day.
By the early 1900s, the success of Eastman-Gardner Company's operations in Laurel and the region's superabundance of timber began to attract other lumber industrialists' attention. In 1906, the Gilchrist-Fordney Company, whose founders hailed from Alpena, Michigan, began construction on their own lumber mill in Laurel. By March 1907 the Mobile, Jackson and Kansas City Railroad made four stops a day in Laurel which was 110 track miles from Mobile, Alabama. The trains not only carried passengers but hauled freight that included lumber from nine sawmills. Together they produced around 583,000 board feet (bf) a day. WM Carter Lumber Company (milepost 108) 20,000 bf, Eastman-Gardner & Company 200,000 bf, Kingston Lumber Company 200,000 bf, Geo Beckner (shingles) 20,000 bf, John Lindsey 15,000 bf, HC Card Lumber Company (hard wood) 30,000 bf, Lindsey Wagon works mill 15,000 bf, WM Carter (planer) 75,000 bf, and Stainton and Weems 8,000 bf.[8]
The Wausau-Southern mill from Wausau, Wisconsin, followed in 1911, and the Marathon mill from Memphis, Tennessee, in 1914. By the end of World War I, Laurel's mills produced and shipped more yellow pine lumber than those of any other location in the world. By the 1920s—the peak of Laurel's lumber production—the area's four mills were producing a total of one million board feet of lumber per day. Laid end to end, that amount of lumber would stretch 189 miles.[9]
The economic prosperity of Laurel's timber era (1893–1937) and "timber families" created the famed Laurel Central Historic District as a byproduct.[10] The area is considered Mississippi's largest, finest, and most intact collection of early-20th-century architecture and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since September 4, 1987,[11] for both its historical value and its wide variety of architectural styles. Many of the district's homes and buildings are featured on the HGTV series Home Town. In addition to influencing a diverse architectural district, Laurel's "timber families" influenced the building of the town's broad avenues, the design of numerous public parks, and the development of strong public schools.[12]
The city's population grew markedly during the early 20th century because rural people were attracted to manufacturing jobs and the economic takeoff of Masonite International. Mechanization of agriculture reduced the number of farming jobs. In 1942, Howard Wash, a 45-year-old African-American man who had been convicted of murder, was dragged from jail and lynched by a mob.[13] The city reached its peak census population in 1960, and has declined about one third since then.
Geography
Laurel is in north-central Jones County, 8 miles (13km) northeast of Ellisville, the first county seat. Interstate 59 and U.S. Route 11 pass through Laurel, both highways leading southwest 30 miles (48km) to Hattiesburg and northeast 57 miles (92km) to Meridian. U.S. Route 84 passes through the south side of the city, leading east 30 miles (48km) to Waynesboro and west 27 miles (43km) to Collins. Mississippi Highway 15 passes through the south and west sides of the city, leading northwest 24 miles (39km) to Bay Springs and southeast 28 miles (45km) to Richton.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Laurel has an area of 16.5 square miles (42.8km2), of which 15.8 square miles (40.8km2) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.8km2), or 1.81%, is water. The city lies on a low ridge between Tallahala Creek to the east and Tallahoma Creek to the west. Tallahoma Creek joins Tallahala Creek south of Laurel, and Tallahala Creek continues south to join the Leaf River, part of the Pascagoula River watershed.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Laurel has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[14] The area is also prone to tornadoes. On December 28, 1954, an F3 tornado tore directly through the city, injuring 25 people.[15]
Climate data for Laurel, Mississippi, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1891–present
Laurel residents Erin and Ben Napier are featured in the HGTV series Home Town, which premiered on March 21, 2017.[33] The show portrays renovations of local homes in and near Laurel.
In Tennessee Williams' play A Streetcar Named Desire, fictional Laurel native Blanche DuBois is known here as a "woman of loose morals" who, after the loss of her family estate "Belle Reve", frequents the Hotel Flamingo as told to Stanley by the merchant Kiefaber. In an argument, Blanche tells Harold Mitchell she's brought many victims into her web, and calls the hotel the Tarantula Arms rather than the Hotel Flamingo.
Singer-songwriter Steve Forbert had a hit with the song "Goin' Down to Laurel" (released on his 1978 album Alive on Arrival) which refers to visiting the town of Laurel.
Jones County is in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 67,246. Its county seats are Laurel and Ellisville.
Washington Parish is a parish located in the interior southeast corner of the U.S. state of Louisiana, one of the Florida Parishes. As of the 2020 census, the population was 45,463. Its parish seat is Franklinton. Its largest city is Bogalusa. The parish was founded in 1819.
Collins is a city in Covington County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 2,586 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Covington County.
Gulfport is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi after the state capital, Jackson. Along with Biloxi, Gulfport is the co-county seat of Harrison County and part of the Gulfport–Biloxi metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, Gulfport has a population of 72,926; the metro area has a population of 416,259. Gulfport lies along the gulf coast of the United States in southern Mississippi, taking its name from its port on the Gulf Coast on the Mississippi Sound. It is home to the U.S. Navy Atlantic Fleet Seabees.
Gautier is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States, along the Gulf of Mexico west of Pascagoula. It is part of the Pascagoula Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 18,572 at the 2010 census, up from 11,681 at the 2000 census. In 2002, Gautier had annexed land more than doubling its area.
Bay Springs is a city in and the western county seat of Jasper County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,670 at the 2020 census, down from 1,786 at the 2010 census. State highways 15 and 18 intersect at the city. It is part of the Laurel, Mississippi micropolitan area.
Ellisville is a town in and the first county seat of Jones County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 4,448 at the time of the 2010 census, up from 3,465 at the 2000 census. The Jones County Courthouse is located here, as is much of the county government.
Sandersville is a town in Jones County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 636 at the 2020 census, down from 731 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Laurel micropolitan area.
Sumrall is a town in Lamar County, Mississippi. It is part of the Hattiesburg, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,421 at the 2010 census.
Taylorsville is a town located in southeastern Smith County, Mississippi, United States. With a population of 1,148 in the 2020 census, the town is the most populous city in Smith County.
Hattiesburg is the 5th most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, located primarily in Forrest County and extending west into Lamar County. The city population was 45,989 at the 2010 census, with the population now being 48,730 in 2020. Hattiesburg is the principal city of the Hattiesburg Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses Covington, Forrest, Lamar, and Perry counties. The city is the anchor of the Pine Belt region.
Simpsonville is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. It is part of the Greenville, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 23,354 at the 2020 census, up from 18,238 in the 2010 census. Simpsonville is part of the "Golden Strip", along with Mauldin and Fountain Inn, an area which is noted for having low unemployment due to a diversity of industries including H.B. Fuller, KEMET, Sealed Air and Milliken. It is the 23rd-most populous city in South Carolina.
Lumberton is a city in Lamar and Pearl River counties, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Hattiesburg, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,086 at the 2010 census.
The Pine Belt, also known as the Piney Woods, is a region in Southeast Mississippi. The region gets its name from the longleaf pine trees that are abundant in the region. The Pine Belt includes 9 counties: Covington, Forrest, Greene, Jefferson Davis, Jones, Lamar, Marion, Perry, and Wayne.
Brandon is a city in and the county seat of Rankin County, Mississippi, United States. It was incorporated on December 19, 1831. The population was 25,138 as of the 2020 census. A suburb of Jackson, Brandon is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is located east of the state capital.
Ovett is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in southeastern Jones County, Mississippi. Ovett is part of the Laurel Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Eastabuchie is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in southwestern Jones County, Mississippi. It is located along U.S. Route 11, just north of the Forrest County line. the community has a post office with the ZIP code 39436. Eastabuchie is part of the Laurel Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Pat Harrison Waterway District (PHWD) is a Mississippi State Agency with headquarters in Hattiesburg. The agency was created in 1962 with a directive of flood control in southeastern and east central Mississippi.
Sharon is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Jones County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,344 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Laurel micropolitan statistical area.
Mississippi Highway 184 is an east–west state highway in the U.S. state of Mississippi. It is a non-continuous highway, composed of segments from the previous path of U.S. Highway 84 (US 84) that have been displaced by new construction.
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