Columbus in Lowndes County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)
Gleed's Corner
Photographed by Mark Hilton, October 21, 2026
1. Gleed's Corner Marker
Gleed's Corner was a center for local Black business, Social, and political leadership after the Civil War. Robert Gleed, born enslaved, was a merchant who became the city's first Black member of the Board of Aldermen and the first Black state senator from Lowndes County. Gleed fled town after White mobs killed four Black men and attacked his house during the election of 1875. Gleed's Corner became the home of Masonic and fraternal organizations and Black-owned businesses such as The New Light newspaper and Penny Savings Bank.
Erected 2025 by Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Fraternal or Sororal Organizations • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Mississippi State Historical Marker Program series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1875.
Location. 33° 29.766′ N, 88° 25.709′ W. Marker is in Columbus, Mississippi, in Lowndes County. It is at the intersection of North 5th Street and 2nd Avenue North, on the right when traveling south on North 5th Street.
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Regionally, this marker is in East Mississippi, in the Black Prairie, and in the Golden Triangle. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, and in the Black Belt. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, 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 walking distance of this marker: Lowndes County World War I Memorial (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Lowndes County Veterans Monument (about 300 feet away); First Christian Church (about 400 feet away); Franklin Academy (about 500 feet away); First Methodist Church (about 600 feet away); First Home of Tennessee Williams (about 800 feet away); Friendship Cemetery (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Tennessee Williams Visitors Center (approx. 0.2 miles
Photographed by Mark Hilton, October 21, 2026
2. Gleed's Corner Marker
Also see . . . Against All Odds: The First Black Legislators in Mississippi (Robert Gleed - State Senate: 1870-1875. (Submitted on October 23, 2026, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 23, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 23, 2026, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 16 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 23, 2026, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
