Columbus, city, seat (1830) of Lowndes county, eastern Mississippi, U.S., on the Tombigbee River, about 90 miles (145 km) north of Meridian, near the Alabama border. Settled as a trading post (1817), it was known until 1821 as Possum Town. In 1822 or 1823 the Cotton Plant first docked in Columbus, having become the first steamboat to navigate the Upper Tombigbee River. During the American Civil War the Confederates maintained a large arsenal in the town, which served as a temporary state capital when the city of Jackson fell to Union forces in 1863. Columbus is one of a number of places that claim to have originated the observance of Memorial Day, having first celebrated it (then known as Decoration Day) at Friendship Cemetery on April 25, 1866, with the honouring of both Confederate and Union dead. Many antebellum homes survive in Columbus and can be visited during the annual spring pilgrimage.
Columbus is an important trade centre for the surrounding agricultural region. The economy is augmented by manufactures (including automotive parts, plumbing products, furniture, paper, and wall coverings) and Columbus Air Force Base. The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Authority (1958) is headquartered in Columbus. Mississippi University for Women originated there in 1884 as the Industrial Institute and College (the first American state-supported college for women), and the city’s Franklin Academy (1821) was Mississippi’s first free public school. The playwright Tennessee Williams was born (1911) in Columbus, and his home has been preserved. Inc. town, 1821; city, 1884. Pop. (2000) 25,944; (2010) 23,640.