Design
Memphis, Then and Now (1887 to 2011)
The city went broke in the 1870s. A look at how the Memphis of today compares with this low point
The latter half of the 19th century was a big era for Memphis, Tennessee. Located along the Mississippi at a relatively high elevation, its nearly flood-proof geography made it an important transportation hub, particularly for the slave trade. Besides the river access, it boasted the only east-west railroad in the Confederate States at the time of the Civil War.
The Union claimed Memphis back quickly in 1862 and used it as a supply base. In the 1870s, multiple yellow fever outbreaks consumed the city, killing many and forcing others to flee. By the end of the decade, the tax base became so depleted that the city could not pay its municipal bonds. It ceased to be a city in 1878, only regaining its charter in 1893.