Today marks the 207th birthday of the Bluff City, when on May 22, 1819 Memphis was founded by three prominent investors: John Overton, James Winchester, and future President Andrew Jackson.
Named after the Ancient Egyptian city on the Nile River, Memphis was chosen for its strategic location that protected it from flooding on the Mississippi River, which would lead to it becoming one of the world’s largest cotton markets.
Memphis would officially become an incorporated city on December 19, 1826, with James Winchester’s son, Marcus Winchester, serving as the Bluff City’s first mayor.
