History of Columbus, GA

History of Columbus, GA

Mid-1800's Columbus

Columbus was the childhood home of Lula Carson Smith, or Carson McCullers. The town was founded in 1828, and sadly was the part of the trail of tears. After its founding, Columbus became an important center for textile production, and energy from the Chattahoochee River. The town was also the home to fort Benjamin, and one of the nations first mill-towns. Due to these facts Columbus was known for its textiles, water power, and military. In the 1850's the usefulness of its river location deteriorated with the spread of railroads. As the civil war grew near, the city became divided over the issue of succession. However, Columbus became an important town for the confederate soldiers. Columbus manufactured textiles, and did iron work for General Lee's army. Columbus was one of the most important producers of materials for the Confederate troops during the Civil War. It was the location of the last major land battle of the Civil War on Easter Sunday 1865. The troops were not aware of General Lee's surrender, or the assassination of Abraham Lincoln so the battle was actually held after the conclusion of the war. The inventor of the Coca-Cola recipe, Dr. John Stith Pemberton, was injured in the battle. Also, Col. Charles Augustus Lafayette Lamar, the owner of the last American owned slave ship, was killed during this battle. (I thought that fact was a little fortuitous.) 

Modern day Columbus

At the start of the 20th century the old industry of textiles moved out, and large businesses such as Aflec moved in. However, this caused Columbus to suffer the effects of urban flight. The downtown area deteriorated as businesses and people moved out. In order to prevent the complete destruction of Columbus the city government started rebuilding and restoring old downtown. Their attempts were successful and now Columbus has a beautiful thriving downtown. The restoration of historic downtown is continuing in Columbus. They have built numerous parks and facilities such as the one that held 1996 Olympic softball game. Also, the largest River-Rafting venue in united states is currently being completed on the Chattahoochee River. In the past decade Columbus has invested a lot of money in developing facilities for the fine arts, such as the River Center for The Performing Arts.

Links to Historical Sites

http://www.columbusga.org/history/
http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2208