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==History== {{See also|Timeline of Columbus, Georgia}} ===From Indigenous cultural center to incorporation=== [[File:Downtown columbus, georgia 1880.jpg|left|thumb|[[Downtown Columbus, Georgia|Downtown]] in 1880]] This was for centuries the traditional Homelands of the Muscogee (Creek) people who thrived along the rivers of the Southeast and whose ancestors were the mound-builders of the Archaic, Woodland and Mississippian eras. Two major cultural centers, "Mother Town" Coweta and "Daughter Town" Cusseta, straddled the Chattahoochee River here. The Lower Muscogee who lived mostly on the east side of the river, eventually assimilated to European ways more than their Upper Muscogee cousins on the west side. Pressure from land-hungry immigrants resulted in the 1827 Land Lottery which distributed Georgia's Muscogee lands to hopeful settlers. The 1830 Indian Removal Act signed by President Andrew Jackson was the final act which forced both Lower and Upper Muscogee off their ancestral lands. Locally, some 15,000 Muscogee were rallied at nearby Fort Mitchell and removed west to Oklahoma a bayonet point with little more than the clothes on their backs. Approximately one-third did not survive the journey. Today's modern Muscogee Nation comprises 4700 square miles of land in Eastern Oklahoma. It is a sovereign nation of 100,000 citizens with deep cultural ties to their ancient ancestral lands in the Southeast. Founded in 1828 by an act of the [[Georgia Legislature]], Columbus was situated at the beginning of the navigable portion of the Chattahoochee River and on the last stretch of the [[Federal Road (Creek lands)|Federal Road]] before entering Alabama. The city was named for [[Christopher Columbus]]. The plan for the city was drawn up by Dr. Edwin L. DeGraffenried, who placed the town on a bluff overlooking the river. [[Edward Lloyd Thomas (surveyor)]] was selected to lay out the town on 1,200 acres. Across the river to the west, where Phenix City, Alabama, is now located, lived several tribes of the Creek and other Georgia and Alabama indigenous peoples. Most Creeks moved west with the 1826 [[Treaty of Washington (1826)|Treaty of Washington]]. Those who stayed and made war were forcibly [[Indian Removal|removed]] in 1836.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Bernholz|first1=Charles D.|last2=Heidenreich|first2=Sheryl|date=October 2009|title=Loci sigilli and American Indian treaties: Reflections on the creation of volume 2 of Kappler's Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2008.09.003|journal=Government Information Quarterly|volume=26|issue=4|pages=605–611|doi=10.1016/j.giq.2008.09.003|s2cid=18792265 |issn=0740-624X}}</ref> The river served as Columbus's connection to the world, particularly enabling it to ship its commodity cotton crops from the [[plantations in the American South|plantations]] to the international cotton market via [[New Orleans]] and ultimately [[Liverpool]], England. The city's commercial importance increased in the 1850s with the arrival of the railroad. In addition, [[textile]] mills were developed along the river, bringing industry to an area reliant upon agriculture. By 1860, the city was one of the more important industrial centers of the South, earning it the nickname the [[Lowell, Massachusetts|Lowell]] of the South, referring to an important textile mill town in Massachusetts.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Manganiello |first1=Christopher J. |title=Southern Water, Southern Power : How the Politics of Cheap Energy and Water Scarcity Shaped a Region |date=2015 |publisher=University of North Carolina Press |location=Chapel Hill |isbn=9781469623306 |page=23}}</ref> ===Civil War and Reconstruction=== {{Main|Battle of Columbus (1865)}} [[File:Redd House Columbs Georgia.jpg|thumb|Redd House, Columbus, [[Historic American Buildings Survey]]|left]][[File:Rebels Rally.jpg|left|thumb|An 1863 [[broadside (printing)|broadside]] published in Columbus warning of an impending attack]] When the [[American Civil War]] broke out in 1861, the industries of Columbus expanded their production; this became one of the most important centers of industry in the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]]. During the war, Columbus ranked second only to the Confederate capital city of [[Richmond, Virginia]] in the manufacture of supplies for the Confederate army. The Eagle Manufacturing Company made various textiles, especially woolens for Confederate uniforms. The Columbus Iron Works manufactured cannons and machinery for the nearby [[Confederate Navy]] shipyard, Greenwood and Gray made firearms, and Louis and Elias Haimon produced swords and bayonets. Smaller firms provided additional munitions and sundries. As the war turned in favor of the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]], each industry faced exponentially growing shortages of raw materials and skilled labor, as well as worsening financial opportunities.<ref>Stewart C. Edwards, "'To do the manufacturing for the South': Private Industry in Confederate Columbus." ''Georgia Historical Quarterly'' 85.4 (2001): 538–554.</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=McQuarrie |first1=Gary |last2=Chatelain |first2=Neil P. |title=Confederate Shipyards |url=https://civilwarnavy.com/confederate-shipyards/ |website=Civil War Navy |date=February 5, 2018 |access-date=21 August 2021}}</ref> Unaware of [[Battle of Appomattox Court House#Surrender|Lee's surrender]] to Grant and the [[assassination of Abraham Lincoln]], Union and Confederates clashed in the [[Battle of Columbus, Georgia]], on Easter Sunday, April 16, 1865, when a Union detachment of two cavalry divisions under Maj. Gen. [[James H. Wilson]] attacked the lightly defended city and burned many of the industrial buildings. [[John Pemberton|John Stith Pemberton]], who later developed [[Coca-Cola]] in Columbus, was wounded in this battle. Col. [[Charles Augustus Lafayette Lamar]], owner of the [[The Wanderer (slave ship)|last slave ship]] in America, was also killed here. A historic marker erected in Columbus notes that this was the site of the "Last Land Battle in the War from 1861 to 1865". [[File:Georgia - Columbus - NARA - 23937057 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Bibb City Mill, 1939|left]] [[File:Georgia - Columbus - NARA - 23937055 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Harpers Mill, 1939|left]] [[Reconstruction Era|Reconstruction]] began almost immediately and prosperity followed. Factories such as the [[Eagle & Phenix Dam|Eagle and Phenix Mills]] were revived and the industrialization of the town led to rapid growth, causing the city to outgrow its original plan. The [[Springer Opera House]] was built during this time, attracting such notables as Irish writer [[Oscar Wilde]]. The Springer is now the official State Theater of Georgia. By the time of the [[Spanish–American War]], the city's modernization included the addition of a new [[Water supply|waterworks]], as well as [[Tram|trolleys]] extending to outlying neighborhoods such as Rose Hill and Lakebottom. Mayor Lucius Chappell also brought a training camp for soldiers to the area. This training camp, named Camp Benning, grew into present-day [[Fort Benning]], named for General [[Henry L. Benning]], a native of the city. Fort Benning was one of the [[List of U.S. Army installations named for Confederate soldiers|ten U.S. Army installations]] named for former Confederate generals that were renamed on 11 May 2023, following a recommendation from the congressionally mandated [[The Naming Commission|Naming Commission]] that Fort Benning be renamed ''Fort Moore'' after Lieutenant General [[Hal Moore]] and his wife [[Julia Compton Moore]], both of whom are buried on post. On 3 March 2025, the Secretary of Defense ordered that the name of Fort Moore be reverted to Fort Benning. The new name pays tribute to Corporal [[Fred G. Benning]], who was awarded the [[Distinguished Service Cross (United States)|Distinguished Service Cross]] for his extraordinary heroism in action during World War I with the U.S. Army in France in 1918.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wrbl.com/news/fort-moore-renamed-back-to-fort-benning/ |title=Fort Moore renamed back to Fort Benning)|date=March 3, 2025}}. Retrieved March 7, 2025.</ref> [[File:Downtowncolumbus ga.gif|thumb|[[Downtown Columbus, Georgia|Downtown Columbus]] in the early 1950s]] ===Confederate Memorial Day=== {{Main|Confederate Memorial Day}} In the spring of 1866, the [[Ladies Memorial Association]] of Columbus passed a resolution to set aside one day annually to memorialize the [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] dead. The secretary of the association, [[Mary Ann Williams]], was directed to write a letter inviting the ladies of every Southern state to join them in the observance.<ref name="History of Confederate Memorial Day">{{cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0zczAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA156 |title=Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials, and Legends ...: Under the code duello. Landmarks and memorials. Historic churchyards and burial-grounds. Myths and legends of the Indians. Tales of the revolutionary camp-fires. Georgia miscellanies. Historic county seats, chief towns, and noted localities |first=Lucian Lamar |last=Knight |date=July 12, 2018 |publisher=author |via=Google Books}}</ref> The letter was written in March 1866 and sent to representatives of all of the principal cities in the South, including Atlanta, [[Macon, Georgia|Macon]], Montgomery, Memphis, [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]], St. Louis, Alexandria, Columbia, and [[New Orleans]]. This was the beginning of the influential work by ladies' organizations to honor the war dead. The date for the holiday was selected by Elizabeth Rutherford Ellis.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2901 |title=Lizzie Rutherford (1833–1873) |website=New Georgia Encyclopedia}}</ref> She chose April 26, the first anniversary of Confederate General [[Joseph E. Johnston|Johnston's]] final surrender to Union General [[William Tecumseh Sherman|Sherman]] at [[Bennett Place]], North Carolina. For many in the South, that act marked the official end of the Civil War.<ref name="History of Confederate Memorial Day"/> In 1868, General [[John A. Logan]], commander in chief of the Union Civil War Veterans Fraternity called the [[Grand Army of the Republic]], launched the [[Memorial Day]] holiday that is now observed across the entire United States. General Logan's wife said he had borrowed from practices of Confederate Memorial Day. She wrote that Logan "said it was not too late for the Union men of the nation to follow the example of the people of the South in perpetuating the memory of their friends who had died for the cause they thought just and right."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hUEOAAAAIAAJ&q=%22not+too+late+for+the+Union+men+of+the+nation+to+follow+the+example+of+the+people+of+the+south%22%22&pg=PA246 |title=Reminiscences of a Soldier's Wife: An Autobiography |first=Mrs John A. |last=Logan |date=July 12, 2018 |publisher=C. Scribner's Sons |via=Google Books}}</ref> While two dozen cities across the country claim to have originated the Memorial Day holiday, Bellware and Gardiner firmly establish that the holiday began in Columbus. In ''The Genesis of the Memorial Day Holiday in America'', they show that the Columbus Ladies Memorial Association's call to observe a day annually to decorate soldiers' graves inaugurated a movement first in the South and then in the North to honor the soldiers who died during the Civil War.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Genesis of the Memorial Day Holiday in America |last=Bellware |first=Daniel |author2= Richard Gardiner |publisher=Columbus State University |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-692-29225-9 |pages=1–181}}</ref> ===20th century=== [[File:Alabama - Phenix City - NARA - 23936363 (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|View of Columbus in 1939]] With the expansion of the city, leaders established Columbus College, a two-year institution, which later evolved into [[Columbus State University]], now a comprehensive center of higher learning and part of the [[University System of Georgia]]. The city government and the county consolidated in 1971, the first such consolidation in Georgia and one of only 16 in the U.S. at the time. [[File:Columbus, Georgia -the place with the power and the push - DPLA - cbea0261b64a027b4f8b3a15145a34b5.pdf|thumb|alt=A pamphlet describing the history of Columbus and emphsizing Columbus's power and influence.|"Columbus, Georgia: the Place with the Power and the Push"]] Expanding on its industrial base of textile mills, the city is the home of the headquarters for [[Aflac]], [[Synovus]], and [[TSYS]]. [[File:Old columbus, georgia.jpg|thumb|left|The Muscogee County Courthouse in 1941, which was demolished in 1973]] From the 1960s through the 1980s, the subsidized construction of highways and suburbs resulted in drawing off the middle and upper classes, with [[urban blight]], [[white flight]], and prostitution in much of downtown Columbus and adjacent neighborhoods. Early efforts to halt the gradual deterioration of downtown began with the saving and restoration of the Springer Opera House in 1965. It was designated as the State Theatre of Georgia, helping spark a movement to preserve the city's history. This effort has documented and preserved various historic districts in and around downtown. Through the late 1960s and early 1970s, large residential neighborhoods were built to accommodate the soldiers coming back from the [[Vietnam War]] and for those associated with Fort Benning. These range from Wesley Woods to Leesburg to Brittney and Willowbrook and the high-end Sears Woods and Windsor Park. Large tracts of blighted areas were cleaned up. A modern Columbus Consolidated Government Center was constructed in the city center. A significant period of urban renewal and revitalization followed in the mid- to late 1990s. With these improvements, the city has attracted residents and businesses to formerly blighted areas. Municipal projects have included construction of a softball complex, which hosted the [[1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Olympic]] softball competition; the [[Chattahoochee RiverWalk]]; the [[National Civil War Naval Museum at Port Columbus]]; and the Coca-Cola Space Science Center. Other notable projects were the expansion of the [[Columbus Museum]] and road improvements to include a new downtown bridge crossing the Chattahoochee River and into Phenix City. During the late 1990s, commercial activity expanded north of downtown along the [[Interstate 185 (Georgia)|I-185]] corridor. [[File:Folder of souvenir postcards of Columbus and Fort Benning, Georgia - DPLA - 890fe4e506bc665770581c4106061be4.pdf|thumb|alt=Postcard of Souvenir Folder of Columbus and Fort Benning Georgia|Folder of souvenir postcards of Columbus and Fort Benning]] ===21st century=== During the 2000s, the city began a major initiative to revitalize the downtown area. The project began with the South Commons, an area south of downtown containing the softball complex, [[A. J. McClung Memorial Stadium]], [[Synovus Park]], the [[Columbus Civic Center]], and the Jonathan Hatcher Skateboard Park. The [[National Infantry Museum]] was constructed in [[South Columbus, Georgia|South Columbus]], located outside the Fort Benning main gate. In 2002, Columbus State University, which previously faced expansion limits due to existing residential and commercial districts surrounding it, began a second campus downtown, starting by moving the music department into the newly opened [[RiverCenter for the Performing Arts]]. The university's art, drama, and nursing departments also moved to downtown locations. Such initiatives have provided Columbus with a cultural niche; downtown features modern architecture mixed among older brick facades. The Ready to Raft 2012 project created an estimated 700 new jobs and is projected to bring in $42 million annually to the Columbus area. Demolishing an up-river dam allowed the project to construct the longest urban [[Rafting|whitewater rafting]] course in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wtvm.com/Global/story.asp?S=12378721 |title=Whitewater rafting is bring 700 new jobs |website= |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100430175135/http://www.wtvm.com/Global/story.asp?S=12378721|access-date=2011-11-22|archive-date= April 30, 2010}}</ref> According to the Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau, this initiative, in addition to other outdoor and indoor tourist attractions, led to around 1.8 million visitors coming to Columbus during the city's 2015 [[fiscal year]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/local/article32778276.html |title=Tourism home run: Columbus steps up to plate, attracts 1.8 million visitors}}</ref> The city predicted that an additional 30,000 soldiers would be trained annually at Fort Benning in upcoming years due to [[base realignment and closure]] of other facilities.<ref>[http://www.columbusga.org/planning/Special-Projects/BRAC/ Base Realignment And Closure] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110420214251/http://www.columbusga.org/planning/Special-Projects/BRAC/ |date=April 20, 2011}}. Retrieved April 11, 2011.</ref> In October 2024, Columbus Police Department Chief Stoney Mathis announced a full staff had been achieved. The Department reported a force consisting of 369 police officers and 54 [[dispatcher]]s.<ref>https://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/local/article294133679.html</ref>
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