History of Franklin Academy

Inscription of Franklin Academy's Historical Marker:
"State's oldest free school. Has functioned since 1821.
Worthy trustees, using 16th section income & employing
able teachers, early made Columbus a cultural center
in northeast Mississippi."
- Erected in 1958 by Mississippi Historical Commission.

Franklin Academy in the 1940s.
(http://www.lowndesmsgenealogy.org/)

http://www.columbus-ms.org/

Columbus, Mississippi is a town that thrives on its rich heritage and Southern charm.
It has been the inspiration for Pulitzer Prize winners, such as Eudora Welty
and Tennessee Williams. Columbus is the perfect destination for anyone
who appreciates classic Southern architecture, good food, a friendly atmosphere,
or just a down-home way of living.

• Officially founded in 1821, one of Columbus’ (nicknamed Opossum Town) first actions
was to establish a public school, Franklin Academy—Mississippi’s first public school.

• During the American Civil War, Columbus was a hospital town. As a result, it largely
avoided Union attack. Many of the casualties from the Battle of Shiloh were brought
there, and thousands were buried in the town's Friendship Cemetery.

• The decision of a group of ladies to decorate the Union and Confederate graves with
flowers together on May 29, 1866, is credited as part of the founding of Memorial Day.

• Columbus is the site of many historic antebellum homes, including the residence of
General Stephen D. Lee, who gave the order to fire the first shot of the Civil War upon
Fort Sumter.

How Columbus Got Its Name
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According to Oscar Keeler's Almanac for 1848, Columbus was first known as Possum Town. Spirus Roach, one of the early settlers, was said to resemble a possum. The first settlers arrived in 1817. The Indians named the settlement Shook-huttah-tom-a-hah or Opossum Town. The area was known by the name for several years. Then, the citizens had a meeting, and Silas McBee, a prominent citizen, suggested that the little trading post be given the name Columbus, presumably for Christopher Columbus. Columbus became the county seat of Lowndes County in April 1830.