Well, it's happened again. I got to see Hattiesburg through the eyes of first-time visitors who happen to be my dear friends. Seeing my hometown through their eyes helps me better appreciate the town I call home.
Earlier this month the husband-and-wife team from metro Los Angeles, Alita and Jim Sevin, came to visit. But, before I share our Hub City adventure, I have to share a little of my history with Alita.
Back in 1982, a kid who'd grown up in Hattiesburg worked hard and lost nearly 300 pounds. That would be me. Fitness guru, Richard Simmons was still in his heyday and I became a fan, watching his “Richard Simmons Show” on WKRG-TV. Richard's show inspired me to keep fighting to reach my weight-loss goal. When I did, I wrote a fan letter to him sharing my success.
At the time, Alita's last name was Lishness and she was in charge of the show's viewer relations. I received a letter from her in Hollywood, telling me how impressed Richard was with my story. After speaking with one of the show's producers, I was flown to Los Angeles to be a guest on the show. I fell in love with Los Angeles and decided I wanted to live there. Returning home, I quit my job, and was off to Los Angeles to begin my new life.
Within my first week there, I was hired as a receptionist and studio audience booker for Richard's TV show. Alita worked down the hall from me. We became coworkers and best friends — more like siblings. We've remained so for 40 years and our family grew by one when she married Jim Sevin. He’s a retired video engineer who worked on many of the TV shows you've probably watched. Whenever I visit LA, it's required to pay them a visit.
This year, Alita and Jim are checking off one of their bucket list items. After buying a huge RV, they departed on a three-month tour of Canada and the U.S. Once they re-entered the U.S., their journey included the Great River Road route along the Mississippi River from Minnesota south to the Magnolia State. After a number of stops along the way, including Memphis to see Graceland and to sample some famous Memphis barbecue, Hattiesburg was next on the itinerary.
They had heard me talk about Hattiesburg for decades but now they'd have a chance to see it for themselves. After visiting so many cities on the way, I was a little nervous. What would they think of our little city, especially considering how often I'd bragged about my hometown? Well, I'm happy to report, Hattiesburg lived up to its reputation, and their expectations.
The Sevins joined me for their first dinner in town at Hattiesburg's Crescent City Grill. With its New Orleans-style menu, it was fun watching them learn to pronounce words like "Plaquemine's," for the catfish on the menu. Thankfully, our server, a lovely young person from Louisiana was able to help with those Creole pronunciations. Robert St. John's original restaurant in Hattiesburg got high marks. Alita was particularly fond of the corn and crab bisque, my personal favorite.
Sunday would include a driving tour of Hattiesburg, seeing the places that played an important role in my childhood. But first, we had to fuel up — on lunch. I'd never dined at downtown's Blu Jazz Cafe so it was a first for me. What took me so long? Another Hattiesburg restaurant hit one out of the park for my visitors, and for me. We were all fueled up but couldn't resist sharing a slice of Blu Jazz's incredible cheesecake.
Alita and Jim's pets joined them on their cross-country journey. Gertie, their cat, was content to stay in the RV but their newest family member, a poodle-dachshund-mix, Shecky, named after the great comic, spent the day with us. He was such a good boy, resting in the car while we dined, earning a reward for good behavior.
So it was off to downtown's Town Square Park. Alita and I sat on a park bench chatting, while Jim and Shecky took a long walk crossing the Gordon's Creek pedestrian bridge over to the historic Crawford House.
Once Shecky brought Jim back, the three of us walked a bit more, admiring the public art featured at Town Square Park. The two of them were already impressed, commenting on Hattiesburg's dedication to the arts, especially the many murals for which our city has become famous. The Hattiesburg Alliance for Public Art has done a splendid job making our city a home for the arts.
In fact, Travel and Leisure Magazine's online edition listed Hattiesburg as one of the top 11 places in the world — thank you — to admire public art, placing us in the company of world-class cities such as New York City and Paris.
After Town Square Park, we began our driving tour, admiring the century-old homes in Hattiesburg's historic district. I pointed out that Hattiesburg was born decades after the antebellum period, so don't expect the pre-Civil War mansions that make Mississippi cities like Columbus and Natchez famous. Hattiesburg's historic homes feature more architecture of Victorian design, popular in the early 1900s.
No trip to Hattiesburg is complete without a tour of the neighborhood where I grew up, Hattiesburg's east side. Unfortunately, Alita and Jim arrived a day late for the annual Historic Mobile Street Renaissance Festival, which celebrates the history of what was once the heart of a vibrant African American business community in Hattiesburg.
We did drive down Mobile Street though and as we approached the lovingly restored Smith Drug Co., I shared with them the role it played in Hattiesburg's civil rights movement. Smith Drugs was an important meeting place for groups working to ensure equal rights for Hattiesburg's Black citizens. Jim loved the story and had me to stop the car so he could get a photo for his travel diary.
Just around the corner on Sixth Street is Eureka Elementary School, one of the first brick schoolhouses built for Black students in Mississippi. It, too, has been magnificently restored, now serving as a Civil Rights museum and special events venue. Since Alita had met my mother, Della Ruth, back in the 1980s, I made sure to point out the windows of the classroom where she taught me in third grade. After that, it was on to the Goula, the neighborhood I grew up in just east of Bouie Street.
On the way, at the corner of Seventh and Mobile Streets, I noted the historic Mount Carmel Baptist Church. Born out of the Kelly Settlement community's Shady Grove Baptist Church, it was the first Black congregation established in the city of Hattiesburg. Mt. Carmel is also where my family worshiped and I was baptized. The building is now home to a new congregation since the church of my childhood relocated to the former Main Street Baptist Church property. But, to me, Mount Carmel Baptist Church on Mobile Street is the only one I'll ever know.
The Goula of my youth, sadly, is not nearly as populated as it once was. Some of the homes have been laid to waste or have given way to nature. On Fairley Street is the lot where my childhood home once stood. The house, along with others in the neighborhood fell victim to the 2013 F4 tornado that caused extensive damage in East Hattiesburg. The Goula may be dotted with vacant lots today but don't count my old neighborhood out just yet. I had to swing Alita and Jim through the beautiful, tree-filled Chain Park where plenty of family-oriented events are held, adding a new spark of life to my old neighborhood.
Jim had observed how blessed we are to live in such a green, natural setting. When I lived in Southern California, I know how much I missed our bountiful collection of trees, especially those elegant longleaf pines that define the Pine Belt.
On the way back downtown, I showed them the Forrest County Courthouse and the statue honoring the Confederate States of America. They were a bit taken aback by the memorial but loved how it is balanced by a statue honoring the late-Vernon Dahmer, who gave his life fighting for the right to vote for Black residents of Forrest County.
Jim had heard of downtown's Pocket Museum, so we had to stop for a visit. The museum occupies the alley that runs alongside the Saenger Theater between Main and Forrest streets. And what a delight it is. The theme changes regularly and we were there just in time for Halloween. The entire alley was decorated with giant cobwebs and an amusingly scary collection of skeletons. But do look closely. You don't want to miss any of the clever miniature displays scattered throughout. If you haven't been, do check out the Hattiesburg Pocket Museum. The kids will love it, and you will, too.
Whew! We packed a lot into Alita and Jim's three-day visit to Hattiesburg. On their final morning, we had our farewell, no, make that our "see you later" breakfast at one of the city's uniquely Hattiesburg restaurants, the Midtowner on Hardy Street. Hey, I couldn't let them leave town without a bowl of Mississippi grits for breakfast, right?
From Los Angeles to New York City, I've had guests visit me in Hattiesburg from all over the country. We're not a bustling metropolis like, say, Atlanta, even though Jim noted how prosperous and forward-thinking our city is. More than that though, Hattiesburg has a special something many cities, large and small, just don't have. It's our personality. Here in the Hub City, you'll find some of the most polite, friendly, and welcoming people in America.
Thanks for proving me right again, Hattiesburg. I'm sure Alita and Jim will agree, we always make our visitors feel right at home.
Elijah Jones is a proud Hattiesburg native who enjoys writing. Email him at edjhubtown@aol.com.
