Beverly Drive-In Collection

The Beverly Drive-In opened in 1948 by Herb and Sue Hargroder and the first movie shown was the Ann Blyth and Sonny Tufts movie “Swell Guy”. The popularity of drive-in movie theatres in the 1950s and 1960s allowed the Beverly Drive-In to become a prominent business and landmark in the Hattiesburg area.

When Herb Hargroder passed away in 1980 the theatre would only remain open for another seven years before closing in 1987. The Beverly Drive-In would open again in 1997 but only to host fundraisers for the Association of Retarded Citizens. The theatre would not become open to the general public until 2001. The damage from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 caused the theatre to close indefinitely and in 2006-2007 the Hargroder family decided to place the theatre for sale. The Beverly Drive-In was listed as an endangered historic place by the Mississippi Heritage Trust and was also placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2010 a fire destroyed the Beverly Drive-In and the theatre was never rebuilt. The Beverly Drive-In was one of only three drive-in theatres in the state of Mississippi at the time, now only one remains in Iuka, Mississippi.