Downtown, where all the lights are bright! You older folk, like me, should remember that song by Petula Clark.
I would've been in grade school, only eight years old, when it was a pop hit.
We're talking 1964, when AM radio ruled the airwaves. At that age, Hattiesburg was just about the only city I knew.
When my family got our first set of World Book Encyclopedia (the prehistoric Internet), I'd spend hours studying its pages. My favorite was looking up and learning about much bigger cities.
We were tiny, compared to New York City, Chicago or even nearby New Orleans. But I still imagined Hattiesburg as our own little metropolis, complete with a bustling downtown.
And in the days of my youth, downtown Hattiesburg truly did bustle.
When I was in grade school at Eureka Elementary, Mrs. Lewis was my 6th grade teacher and her classroom was on the second floor. What a view we had from upstairs.
I was a skyscraper fan back then, and still am. I loved looking at photos of big city skylines in my trusty World Book.
It was hard to concentrate on arithmetic in Mrs. Lewis' class because I was so distracted.
From our classroom windows, we had a panoramic view of the "skyscrapers" that made up Hattiesburg's own little "skyline."
From the Carter Building to the Ross Building (now the America Building) I could see them all, including our tallest – the Forrest Hotel with all its nine stories, ten, if you counted the penthouse.
But it may as well have been the Empire State Building to this country boy from a small town in Mississippi.
I could also see the Citizens Bank Building. It stood at the corner of Main and Pine streets, only five stories tall, but what a beauty. Cloaked in an elegant neoclassic facade, its attention to detail made the building look more like a five-story wedding cake.
One of downtown Hattiesburg's architectural treasures, sadly, the Citizens Bank Building, was demolished in the mid-90s, to make way for Forrest County's Jesse Brown Tax Services Building.
One wee bit of good news: the magnificent columns that once adorned the southwest corner of the building have been incorporated into the interior of Vikki Laynes restaurant on Walnut Street.
Visiting The PineBelt NEWS offices a few weeks ago, I was reminded of those days when downtown was the economic engine of Hattiesburg.
In what I consider a generous civic decision, this newspaper relocated its offices from the west side of town to a new home, downtown, at the corner of Pine and Main streets.
Directly across from where Citizen's Bank once stood, they're located in the building that was home to the Diamond Shop, at the time one of Hattiesburg's premier downtown jewelry stores.
When I was in my teens, one of the responsibilities my mother gave me was to pay the monthly household bills.
She'd hand me a stack of pre-written checks and I'd walk from our house on Fairley Street, up 7th, to Mobile Street.
I'd begin my bill-paying duties at Home Cleaners, one of two black-owned dry cleaners.
Back then, Mobile Street could be considered an extension of downtown, catering to the African-American neighborhoods nearby. And just like the rest of downtown, Mobile Street also bustled, lined with busy black-owned businesses.
My favorite was Smith's Drugs, where I could pop in to get one of their yummy five-cent soft-serve ice cream cones, then it was on to the heart of downtown.
My first stop was often the Diamond Shop, where my mother had an account.
The ladies who worked there got to know me and, in fact, the Diamond Shop was where I got my own very first charge account.
I still remember my purchase, one of those newfangled digital watches. You pushed a button on its top and, right before your eyes, the watch's screen would flash the time in big red numbers. It was so modern, like The Jetsons! (I imagined flying cars couldn't be far behind.)
After the Diamond Shop, my downtown trek continued.
I'd walk up Pine Street to JC Penney; you'll find a multistory parking garage in that block now.
I'd then continue down Pine to Sackler's Furniture. I'll never forget Tony, the head salesman there. Such a nice guy, Tony stands out in my mind because he was always so kind to this black kid, coming into the store to pay the family's furniture bill.
After Sackler's, it was time to pay the mortgage for our little house on Fairley Street. That meant a stop by First Federal Savings & Loan, which sat catty-corner to City Hall on Front Street.
Until recently, the building was home to Regions Bank.
Before the days of Best Buy, a block up Front Street from First Federal was McClelland's TV, where we got all of our televisions.
Zenith was McClelland's signature brand and the only model my parents ever bought.
To pay the gas bill, I'd cross the railroad tracks on Main Street to Willmut Gas. Occupying one of the more handsome buildings downtown, Willmut was our locally-owned gas provider, until they were gobbled up by the giant Atlanta-based Spire Energy.
During my recent visit, I didn't encounter nearly as many pedestrians on the streets of downtown as I would when I was in my teens.
I was encouraged though, seeing new life sprouting on Main, Pine, Front, Mobile and other streets downtown. I even stopped by the Coney Island Cafe for a couple of cups of their tasty chili to bring home.
Worth noting, Regions Bank has moved its offices from downtown Hattiesburg to a far west location in Lamar County.
Their move means the loss of more than 200 employees who once populated downtown Hattiesburg during weekday business hours.
Regions occupied three buildings, including the former First Federal, the landmark Kress building, and the old Forrest Hotel tower.
The bank's departure is a sizable loss of downtown's workday population.
We hope that loss will be only temporary, as other uses are planned for the three buildings that have been left vacant.
Future uses include residential and office space in all three of those now empty buildings.
Sounds like some inventive plans for the future.
Still, I'm proud Hattiesburg has joined what is a wise national trend, that is, recognizing the importance of our city center.
Zipping down U.S. 98 at 45 MPH past strip malls and burger joints is one thing. But it just doesn't compare to a leisurely walk, on an actual sidewalk, through the streets of downtown Hattiesburg.
I love taking in the architecture, the history and encountering the friendly ghosts that inhabit my mind as I walk Pine, Front and Mobile Streets.
Have you visited downtown lately? Don't wait for special events like Hubfest. While those annual celebrations are fun, there's plenty to do and see in downtown Hattiesburg just about every day of the week, with more on the way.
Do your senses a favor.
And do your body a favor while you're at it; we could all use the exercise.
Get downtown.
Get out of the car.
Get walking.
Rediscover this great city called Hattiesburg, all over again.
When you do, in your mind's eye, you're likely to run into a friendly ghost or two of your own.
Jones is a local writer who is oh, so proud to be a Hattiesburg native. Email him at: edjhubtown@aol.com.
