Pictures of Rarely Seen Snow in Hattiesburg, Mississippi

It does snow in Hattiesburg! December 2018 brought six inches of snow to Hattiesburg, which to most places may not seem like a big thing, but in Hattiesburg this is huge. It’s not unusual to see temperatures in the 70s around Thanksgiving and Christmas. With infrequent snow storms, southern Mississippians are spoiled by the mild weather.

To celebrate the winter season, let’s look at some pictures of Hattiesburg “blizzards” over the years. 

A large mansion sits off the road covered in snow. A large front yard featuring trees and bushes is also covered with snow. A concrete fence surrounds the property and sits approximately 10 feet from the road, which is in the foreground. There is some evidence of snow on the road. The mansion has three stories, appears to be brick, and has large white pillars in the front. There are numerous balconies off the building and a sun room is on the right side of the house. Two large trees stand in the foreground of the picture and are situated between the road and the fence.

Heidelberg home, Pine Street, January 1949

Robert C. Waller Photographs (M195)

Two students are scraping snow off a VW bug. There is a guy in the rear of the car that has Alabama plates. A female student with a winter coat, bell bottoms and a knit hat is wiping down the driver’s side of the vehicle. Another woman is smiling to the left of the car while a male student, who is covered in snow, stairs pensively at something outside the picture. To the right of the car are seven students talking, laughing, and wondering around looking at the snow. There are also other cars in the photograph and College Hall, a brick classroom building with large white pillars, looms in the background.

Southern Miss campus, 1973

University of Southern Mississippi Photographs (RG002)

This photograph shows a vacant lot covered in snow on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi. To the left of the lot is a brick porch that it is covered. To the right of the lot may be McLemore Hall on the Southern Miss campus. In the rear of the picture may be Kennard Washington Hall, which is a brick building with large white columns in front. In the foreground of the photograph is a parking sign reading “Zone 4 Parking Only. Faculty, Staff, and Visitors.”

Boring photograph of a snowy lot on the Southern Miss campus, January 1, 1964

University of Southern Mississippi Photographs (RG002)

This photograph shows the store fronts of Thigpen’s Builder Supplies and Thigpen’s Furniture Store covered in snow. Only a half of the front of the furniture store shows in the photograph. It is a brick building with awnings over the windows. There are air conditioning units in the upstairs units. In front of the building is a circa mid-1960s car with someone getting in or out of the car. The building supply store is white with black accents and two large windows looking into the store. There are 2 people walking in front of the store fighting the snow storm. Slush is on the street in front of the store with evidence where vehicles have driven on the road to make gullies in the snow.

Thigpen’s Builder Supplies and Thigpen’s Furniture Store, Picayune, MS, undated

S. G. Thigpen Papers (M446)

OK…so this is Picayune and not Hattiesburg.

 

 

To learn more about these items or collections, contact Jennifer Brannock at or 601.266.4347.

Text by Jennifer Brannock, Curator of Rare Books & Mississippiana