Cordova in Shelby County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Dr. Greene Fort Pinkston

(1875-1963)

Photographed by Steve Masler, June 6, 2018

1. Dr. Greene Fort Pinkston Marker

Inscription. Dr. Greene Fort Pinkston, who practiced medicine for more than 58 years in the Cordova area, was born in Scott County, Mississippi, in 1875. His parents were Ritton and Fannie Gresham Pinkston. At age 24 he left home to attend Meharry Medical School in Nashville, graduating in 1904. He began his medical practice in 1905 in Memphis and with Dr. A.D. Byas in 1908 started North Memphis Co., one of the earliest black-owned drug companies. By 1915 he had purchased 258 acres of land in Cordova and moved into a home with his wife, Penella Horne Pinkston, on Lenow Road. Dr. Pinkston was among the earliest black doctors to practice medicine in rural Shelby County. Because of his education and large farm, he was known as "the Gentleman Farmer." He treated patients not only in Cordova but also Memphis and surrounding rural communities. Shortly before his death in 1963, the Tennessee Valley Authority acquired all but 78 acres of Dr. Pinkston's land by eminent domain. The remaining parcel was left to his son, Howard Pinkston, and stayed in the family for more than 100 years.

Erected 2016 by Family and Friends of Dr. Greene Fort

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Pinkston and the Shelbu County Historical Commission.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Agriculture • Science & Medicine. A significant historical year for this entry is 1904.

Location. 35° 10.305′ N, 89° 44.655′ W. Marker is in Cordova, Tennessee, in Shelby County. It is on Shelby Farms Greenline 0.6 miles north of Macon Road, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1756 Lenow Rd, Memphis TN 38106, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in West Tennessee

and in Greater Memphis.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

in the Upper South,

in the Mississippi Delta,

and in the Great River Road Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the

Photographed by Steve Masler, June 6, 2018

2. Dr. Greene Fort Pinkston Marker

crow flies: Ellen Davies-Rodgers (approx. 3.4 miles away); a different marker also named Davies Manor (approx. 3.4 miles away); Chambers Chapel United Methodist Church / Chambers Chapel Cemetery (approx. 3.8 miles away); Old Stagecoach Inn (approx. 4½ miles away); Gray's Creek Baptist Church / Gray's Creek Cemetery (approx. 4½ miles away); Oak Grove Baptist Church (approx. 4.8 miles away); Bridgewater School (approx. 4.8 miles away); The Lynching of Wash Henley (approx. 5.6 miles away).

Another marker is no longer nearby. Davies Manor (was approx. 3.2 miles away but has been confirmed missing).

Photographed by Steve Masler, June 6, 2018

3. Dr. Greene Fort Pinkston Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 6, 2018, by Steve Masler of Memphis, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,398 times since then and 127 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 6, 2018, by Steve Masler of Memphis, Tennessee. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.