Hazlehurst, MS (HAZ)

The old 1925 depot houses the Hazlehurst Depot Museum and local chamber of commerce. Known for its musicians, Hazlehurst hosts the annual Robert Johnson Blues and Heritage Festival.

North Ragsdale Avenue and East Conway Street
Hazlehurst, MS 39083

Annual Ticket Revenue (FY 2023): $104,790
Annual Station Ridership (FY 2023): 1,506

Ownerships
Routes Served
Contact
Local Community Links

Facility Ownership: Amtrak
Parking Lot Ownership: City of Hazlehurst
Platform Ownership: Canadian National Railway Company (CN) Illinois Central (IC) (A subsidiary of CN)
Track Ownership: Canadian National Railway Company (CN) Illinois Central (IC) (A subsidiary of CN)

City of New Orleans

Todd Stennis
Regional Contact
governmentaffairsnol@amtrak.com
For information about Amtrak fares and schedules, please visit Amtrak.com or call 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245).

Copiah County

The Hazlehurst stop consists of a shelter on the platform adjacent to the historic 1925 depot, which was built 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. An Illinois Central caboose built in 1966 stands nearby.

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 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.