Willmut Gas

Willmut Gas and Oil Company was a utility company providing natural gas in the Hattiesburg area. In 2016 it was bought by Spire, and by late 2017 the company had completed its rebranding, losing the Willmut name.

History

By the early 1930s all of the gas in Hattiesburg was provided by the Mississippi Public Service Company, which provided manufactured gas, made from the gasification of coal, oil, and wood. Natural gas could be provided much more cheaply, so Hattiesburg awarded an exclusive natural gas franchise to Southern Gas Utilities, Inc., a company which owned several gas wells in Jackson. A group of investors, including the mayor at the time, W. S. F. Tatum, formed the Public Service Corporation of Hattiesburg, and in 1931 constructed the 95-mile long 8-inch diameter natural gas pipeline connecting the Southern Gas Utilities gas wells in Jackson to Hattiesburg. In 1932 Mayor Tatum ordered the Mississippi Public Service Company to shutdown and remove its existing pipelines.

Meanwhile, in 1932, Southern Gas Utilities was in financial trouble. Tatum gave the company a $15,000 loan, and then later that year foreclosed on the company's gas wells when the company went into receivership. By 1933 the Public Service Corporation was in financial trouble too, and in 1934 a court ordered the corporation to sell its assets, which Tatum bought.

Tatum formed the Willmut Gas and Oil Company, combining W. S. F. Tatum's first name "Will" with the last three letters of the Tatum name. The company owned the gas wells in Jackson, the 95-mile long pipeline to Hattiesburg, and the distribution system through Hattiesburg and some surrounding towns.

In 2012 the company was bought by Sempra U. S. Gas & Power. In 2016 Willmut Gas was acquired by Spire and rebranded.