This pair of giant smokestacks still stand as monuments and reminders of the once busy and vital Hercules Powder Company of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Once one of the largest employers of the Pine Belt Region of Mississippi, this 170 acre plant began operations in Hattiesburg in 1923, and in its peak years in the mid-1970s employed in excess of 1500 workers. The Hercules plant, which produced a variety of chemical products based on pine resin, was an important part of the life and economy of Hattiesburg for some 80 years. In 2008 Hercules was acquired by Ashland Inc., who closed the plant in 2009. (view model at Google 3D Warehouse):http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=d979ea2f8e071d689abe208efe6497c4
