Hazlehurst is the geographic and economic center of Copiah County, MS. The county was organized in 1823 as the state's 18th county. Originally the county included what is now the eastern part of Simpson County. Present day Copiah County is the seventh largest in the state and contains 769 square miles.The area comprising Copiah County was ceded to the United States by the Choctaw Indian Tribe in the treaty known as the Doak's Stand Treaty on October 18, 1820. This county was once known as The Tomato Capital of the World, because of the large tomato crop produced and shipped from here.

The first county seat was in Coor's Springs community, east of Hazlehurst. On January 23, 1824, the county government was moved to Gallatin, west of Hazlehurst. Gallatin, a bustling community that boasted several hotels, banks, stores, churches, and a newspaper, remained the county seat until 1862. On March 31, 1858, the last spike in the New Orleans, Jackson, and Great Northern Railroad was driven near Hazlehurst. The route for the line was chosen to eliminate as many bridges as possible and runs along the ridge that is the divide between the watershed of the Pearl River to the east and the watershed of the Mississippi River to the west. This route placed the railroad about four miles east of Gallatin. With the placement of the railrad, Hazlehurst grew and Gallatin declined. In 1872 the Board of Supervisors set an election and Hazlehurst was selected as the county seat.

Hazlehurst was first surveyed and its streets laid out by George H. Hazlehurst, Chief Engineer for the railroad. Mr. Hazlehurst also founded a town in Georgia that bears his name. During the Civil War, Hazlehurst was raided several times by Union Troops under the command of General Grierson, and most of the buildings were destroyed. However, the growth continued and on November 3, 1865, the State of Mississippi issued a municipal charter to Hazlehurst. In 1872 Hazlehurst became the county seat. The old brick courthouse in Gallatin was torn down and rebuilt in Hazlehurst. The present courthouse was completed in 1903, then remodeled and enlarged in 1953.