Historic Smith Drug Company preserves legacy of Black-owned business in Hattiesburg

Hattiesburg looked much different in the 1920s than it does today. Segregation spread across towns and African Americans had few places to get their essential needs. Smith Drug Company on Mobile Street gave black Americans the chance to receive pharmaceutical care and feel seen during a time when segregation allowed limited access to basic services. The store was most known for its pharmacy, malted milkshakes or standard shakes, soda fountain and connected community. Today, the building is still standing after more than 100 years.

“Smith Drug Company was more than a pharmacy, it was a place for African Americans to receive medical care and it also helped with the economy because it gave them jobs and it circulated within the black community well,” said Desiree Locket, the Education Coordinator for the 6th Street Museum District.

Smith Drug Company opened in 1925 by Edwin Hammond Smith, a pharmacist. The building originally was two stories; upstairs was a doctor’s office run by a Smith family member. Downstairs was the pharmacy run by Edwin Smith, and across the street was a dentist’s office who was also a part of the family.

E. Smith was resourceful during the Civil Rights Movement and allowed leaders to meet at the shop. He also gave young people the opportunity to advance their careers. For example, James A. Cohen originally worked as a medicine delivery boy for the store and later decided to become a pharmacist at the shop due to the positive impact E. Smith had on him. Cohen worked at the store for 27 years before purchasing the business in 1980.

E. Smith was born in Alabama and moved with his family at a young age to Hattiesburg where he attended the Little Red School House, which later became the same location as the Eureka School. At the time, black Americans could not complete high school locally, so Smith went to Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College, now Alcorn State University to complete his secondary education because the college offered a residential high school. Smith completed his undergraduate degree at Alcorn and went to Meharry Medical College in Nashville to become a pharmacist.

The drug store closed its doors in 1996 after serving the community for 71 years, but this closure didn’t last long. The Hattiesburg Convention Commission bought the building from the Cohen family in 2020, and the building was restored in 2022.

“Instead of just tearing it down and rebuilding it, they kept it as close to the original building as they could,” said Lockett. “The main purpose of the restoration wasn’t necessarily the building, but it was the emotions that the building and Smith Drug Company as a whole instilled in people so they wanted to maintain that memory of getting a milkshake, soda, relax and congregate with each other,” said Lockett.

Today the building is open every Saturday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. The store serves as a museum and a place for community members to socialize. The 6th Street Museum District encourages visitors to come and learn about the history of the store and take a trip back in time.

Visitors say every time they enter Smith Drug Company; they’re reminded of the leadership Smith and Cohen had to help bring positive culture and economic achievements to Mobile Street – giving residents a community that is always connected despite how many years go by.