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What is the history of Memphis, Tennessee, USA?
People, Pictures, Old Postcards and Stories From the Past
Explore Memphis, Tennessee, USA. Discover its history. Learn about the people who lived there through stories, old newspaper articles, pictures and genealogy.
"Memphis, a city and port of entry of Shelby co., Tennessee, is beautifully situated on the Mississippi River, just below the mouth of Wolf River, and on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, 420 miles below St. Louis, 209 miles W.S.W. of Nashville, and 826 miles above New Orleans. Lat. 35° 8' N.; lon. 90°5' W. It is the most populous and important town on the river between St. Louis and New Orleans, and occupies the only eligible site for a commercial depot from the mouth of the Ohio to Vicksburg, a distance of 650 miles. The bluff on which it stands is elevated about 60 feet above high-water mark, and its base is washed by the river for a distance of 3 miles, while a bed of sandstone projects into the stream and forms a convenient landing. The city contains many churches, both white and colored, 5 academies, a public library, a number of national and other banks, a chamber of commerce, about 60 public free schools, a cotton exchange, a custom-house, a large hospital, a Roman Catholic college, and printing-offices which issue 6 daily and 14 weekly newspapers and several monthly periodicals. Memphis is a centre at which meet ten railroads,—the Illinois Central, the Kansas City. Fort Scott & Memphis, the Kan sas City, Memphis & Birmingham, the Little Rock & Memphis, the Louisville & Nashville, the Louisville, New Orleans & Texas, the Memphis & Charleston, the Newport News & Mississippi Valley, the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern, and the Tennessee Midland. The river is deep enough to float the largest ship of war from this place to its mouth, and the navigation is open in all seasons of the year. This city is one of the leading cotton marts of the country, and ships annually more than 500,000 bales. Its large manufactures are carried on in many establishments,"—foundries, machine-shops, oil-mills, lumber-mills, planing-mills, &c. here are the Pioneer Cotton-Mills, with more than 6000 spindles and consuming over 1,000,000 pounds annually. According to the census of 1890, the aggregate capital employed in industries reported for Memphis was $7,985,888, and the value of products $11,800,455. In foundries and machine-shops $1,308,750 was employed, and in the cot ton-seed oil and cake industry, $1,511,632. In each of these industries the value of products exceeded $1,000,000. Pop. in 1850, 8841; in 1860, 22,023; in 1870, 40,226; in 1880, 33,592; in 1890. 64,495."
Lippincott's Gazetteer of the World: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer Or Geographical Dictionary of the World Containing Notices of Over One Hundred and Twenty-five Thousand Places ...
Joseph Thomas
January 1, 1895
J.B. Lippincott
Lippincott's Gazetteer of the World: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer Or Geographical Dictionary of the World Containing Notices of Over One Hundred and Twenty-five Thousand Places ...
Joseph Thomas
January 1, 1895
J.B. Lippincott
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- 1819 - Memphis, Tennessee founded
Near the site of the earlier French Fort Prudhomme.
www.wikipedia.org - 1864 - August 21 - Gen-major Nathan B Forrests assault on Memphis, Tennessee
historyorb.com 
1866 - Fire
Memphis, Dec. 19. - A fire broke out in the basement of Joseph Speet's confectionery, Madison street, at three o'clock this morning, resulting in an...Read MORE...- 1869 - Runaway
A runaway horse attached to a milk cart, in Memphis, the other day, ran over four children, killing two of them.
St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan
June 19, 1869 - 1878 - 5,200 Memphis residents died due to yellow fever epidemic
www.worldatlas.com/ webimage/ countrys/ namerica/ usstates/ tntimeln.htm - 1880 - January 21 - 1st US sewage disposal system separate from storm drains, Memphis, Tennessee
historyorb.com
January 21, 1880 
Rose Imitation Vanilla Flavoring
Made in Memphis, TN
Found at Old Drugstore, St Augustine, Florida- 1886 - September 14 - George K Anderson of Memphis, Tennessee patents typewriter ribbon
historyorb.com
September 14, 1886 - 1892 - MEMPHIS' CONFLAGRATION. Several Buildings Destroyed, Entailing Losses of Over a Million.
MEMPHIS, Feb. 9. - A most disastrous conflagration broke out in the building No. 230 Main street, occupied by the Druz-Berne Hat company, at 9:30....Read MORE... - 1892 - March 17 - A winter storm in southwestern and central Tennessee produced 26 inches of snow at Riddleton, and 18.5 inches at Memphis. It was the deepest snow of record for those areas.
WeatherForYou.com - 1906
Memphis, a city and capital of Shelby co., Tenn., is beautifully situated on the Mississippi River, just below the mouth of the Wolf River and on the ...Read MORE... - 1907 - $65,000 LOSS AT MEMPHIS. Freight House and Twenty-Five Car Loads of Merchandise Burned.
Memphis, Tenn., March 21. - A freight house of the Illinois Central Railroad, situated at the corner of Shelby and Calhoun streets in the southern...Read MORE... 
Water Front, Memphis, Tenn.- 1923 - January 19 - WMC-AM in Memphis TN begins radio transmissions
historyorb.com 
United States Custom House, Court House and Post Office, Memphis, Tenn.
Baptist Hospital- 1977 - Elvis Presley dies, August 16, 1977, in Memphis, Tennessee, USA
August 16, 1977
Old Photos, Pictures, Advertisements and Postcards from Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Rose Imitation Vanilla Flavoring
Made in Memphis, TN
Found at Old Drugstore, St Augustine, Florida
Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Water Front, Memphis, Tenn.
Memphis, Tennessee, USA
United States Custom House, Court House and Post Office, Memphis, Tenn.
Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Baptist Hospital
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History and News of Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Add History/News-
1819 - Memphis, Tennessee founded
Near the site of the earlier French Fort Prudhomme.
www.wikipedia.org
-
1864 - August 21 - Gen-major Nathan B Forrests assault on Memphis, Tennessee
historyorb.com
1866 - Fire
Memphis, Dec. 19. - A fire broke out in the basement of Joseph Speet's confectionery, Madison street, at three o'clock this morning, resulting in an... Read MORE...
-
1869 - Runaway
A runaway horse attached to a milk cart, in Memphis, the other day, ran over four children, killing two of them. St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan
June 19, 1869
-
1878 - 5,200 Memphis residents died due to yellow fever epidemic
www.worldatlas.com/ webimage/ countrys/ namerica/ usstates/ tntimeln.htm
-
1880 - January 21 - 1st US sewage disposal system separate from storm drains, Memphis, Tennessee
historyorb.com
January 21, 1880
-
1886 - September 14 - George K Anderson of Memphis, Tennessee patents typewriter ribbon
historyorb.com
September 14, 1886
-
1892 - MEMPHIS' CONFLAGRATION. Several Buildings Destroyed, Entailing Losses of Over a Million.
MEMPHIS, Feb. 9. - A most disastrous conflagration broke out in the building No. 230 Main street, occupied by the Druz-Berne Hat company, at 9:30.... Read MORE...
-
1892 - March 17 - A winter storm in southwestern and central Tennessee produced 26 inches of snow at Riddleton, and 18.5 inches at Memphis. It was the deepest snow of record for those areas.
WeatherForYou.com
-
1906
Memphis, a city and capital of Shelby co., Tenn., is beautifully situated on the Mississippi River, just below the mouth of the Wolf River and on the ... Read MORE...
-
1907 - $65,000 LOSS AT MEMPHIS. Freight House and Twenty-Five Car Loads of Merchandise Burned.
Memphis, Tenn., March 21. - A freight house of the Illinois Central Railroad, situated at the corner of Shelby and Calhoun streets in the southern... Read MORE...
-
1923 - January 19 - WMC-AM in Memphis TN begins radio transmissions
historyorb.com
-
1968 - Marin Luther King, Jr. Killed
At 6:05 P.M. on Thursday, 4 April 1968, Martin Luther King was shot dead while standing on a balcony outside his second-floor room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. News of King’s assassination prompted major outbreaks of racial violence, resulting in more than 40 deaths nationwide and... Read MORE...
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1977 - Elvis Presley dies, August 16, 1977, in Memphis, Tennessee, USA
August 16, 1977
Memphis, Tennessee, USA Genealogy
Ancestors Who Were Born in Memphis, Tennessee, USA
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Ancestors Who Died in Memphis, Tennessee, USA
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Updated: 5/3/2019 9:25:29 AM
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