Built at this site in the 1950s after Milton Barnes rebuilt his earlier Embassy Club following a 1957 fire, the Hi-Hat Club became one of Mississippi’s largest African American nightclubs and an important stop on the chitlin circuit for blues, R & B, and soul performers. Located in Palmers Crossing outside the city limits, where fewer restrictions applied during the segregation era, it drew packed crowds of eight to nine hundred and sometimes more than a thousand. B. B. King, James Brown, Otis Redding, Ike and Tina Turner, Sam Cooke, Al Green, Ray Charles, Louis Armstrong, and many other national and regional acts performed there, while some white audiences also came or gathered outside to hear the music. As economics and audiences changed and bigger shows moved to auditoriums and arenas, clubs like the Hi-Hat declined, and it closed in 1994. Its owner, Milton Barnes, one of Mississippi’s most successful African American entrepreneurs, also operated Barnes Cleaners, owned the Hattiesburg Black Sox baseball team, invested in other clubs and cafes, and was honored by the State of Mississippi in 2001 for his achievements.