COLUMBUS, a city of north-eastern Mississippi, U.S.A., on the Tombigbee river, near the Alabama State line; the county seat of Lowndes county. It is on Federal highway 45, and is served by the Columbus and Greenville, the Mobile and Ohio, the Southern and the Frisco railways. The population in 192o was 10,5oi (53.1% negroes) and was 10,743 by the Federal census in 1930. The city ships cotton, hay, cattle and hardwood lumber; has a large floral industry; and the output of its cotton and lumber mills, veneer and brick plants, marble works and other manu facturing industries, was valued in 1927 at $1,619,663. The dairy industry is developing rapidly; three large cheese factories began operations in the county early in 1928. The Mississippi State college for women (enrolment, 1,500) was established here in 1884. At Starkville, 25m. W., is the Mississippi Agricultural and Mechanical college.
De Soto in 154o crossed the Tombigbee river near the site of Columbus. The land was ceded to the United States by the Choc taw Indians in 1816, and the first log cabin was built in 1817. In 1821 the city was incorporated, and Franklin academy, the first free public school in the State, was established. During the Civil 'War the Confederate Government maintained a large arsenal here, and in 1864 the city was for a short time the capital of the State. After the battle of Shiloh it was a hospital centre. About 1,5oo soldiers were buried in Friendship cemetery, where on the first "decoration day" (April 25, 1866) the women of Columbus inaugurated the custom of placing flowers on Northern and South ern graves alike.