Hazlehurst, MS (HAZ)

Ticket Revenue

FY 2011

$113,138

Station Ridership

FY 2011

2,163

Note: Fiscal year is from
October through September.

Hazlehurst is a flag stop along the route of the City of New Orleans. If there is a reservation for a passenger boarding or detraining here, the train will stop. If not, it simply continues through. The Amtrak stop is a shelter on the platform. The existing railroad station in Hazlehurst was built in 1925 by the Illinois Central Railroad to replace an earlier wooden structure. The depot currently houses the Hazlehurst Depot Museum and the Hazlehurst Chamber of Commerce, but is not open to Amtrak passengers. Adjacent to the depot is an Illinois Central caboose built in 1966.

On March 31, 1858, the final spike of the New Orleans, Jackson, and Great Northern railroad was driven. The railroad (later known as the Illinois Central) was built under the supervision of General Superintendant and Chief Engineer George H. Hazlehurst. The line cut through Copiah County, the “Tomato Capital of the World,” which was ceded to the United States by the Choctaw tribe in the Doak’s Stand Treaty of 1820. George Hazlehurst surveyed and laid out the streets of Hazlehurst, requesting that the town bear his name and making it one of the oldest cities in Mississippi

The town grew quickly, becoming prosperous by the start of the Civil War in 1860. Hazlehurst escaped much of the fighting early in the war, but in 1863 fell victim to Grierson’s Raiders. General Grierson commanded a force of three cavalry regiments tasked with creating a diversion for General Grant’s Vicksburg campaign. Grierson’s men swept through Hazlehurst on April 28, setting fire to the railroad station. When the fire began to grow and threaten the surrounding town, Grierson’s soldiers worked alongside the town’s citizens to quench the blaze.

The town, however, continued to grow and on November 3, 1865, Hazlehurst was issued a municipal charter. The town became the county seat in 1872 and the courthouse in Gallatin, Miss., was disassembled and rebuilt in Hazlehurst.

Hazlehurst is the hometown of Robert Johnson, the famous blues musician known as the “grandfather of rock and roll.” Some say Johnson “sold his soul to the devil” in exchange for his musical talent and the movie, Crossroads, is based on his life.

In May, Hazlehurst hosts the Robert Johnson Blues and Heritage Festival, which celebrates Johnson’s birthday with blues and gospel performances. In August, the Hazlehurst Gospel Festival kicks off and it will celebrate the first annual Rockin’ Railroad Festival in 2009.

The city is also the birthplace of TV “Judge” Mablean Ephriam.

Hazlehurst is a sportsman’s paradise, offering numerous locations for golf, hunting, hiking, and fishing. Paved brick streets, historic homes, rolling hills, ponds, and pecan, oak, and pine trees abound in this Southern community.

Amtrak does not provide ticketing or baggage services at this facility.

Hazlehurst is served by two daily trains.