Queen City Hotel and 7th Avenue
For several decades beginning in the early 1900s, the Queen City Hotel, which stood across the street from this site, was at the center of a vibrant African American community along 7th Avenue North. Clubs and cafes in the area featured blues, jazz, and rhythm & blues, and the hotel housed visiting musical celebrities, including B. B. King, Duke Ellington, and James Brown, as well as professional African American athletes. The hotel was founded by a former slave, Robert Walker.
Seventh Avenue North During the segregation era this area housed many businesses catering specifically to African Americans, including the Queen City Hotel. Hotel founder Robert Walker (c. 1848-1931) had worked previously as a cook and as a “drayman” and “hackman” (horse-and-wagon or -buggy operator), according to census records. The first Columbus City Directory (1912) lists Walker running a boarding house at 1504 7th Avenue North, and by the 1920s the structure was listed as the Queen City Hotel.
In the late ’40s Ed Bush (1908-1982) bought the property from Walker’s estate, tore down the original wooden building, and built a two-story brick hotel. As a young man Bush had worked as a bellboy at the downtown Gilmer Hotel, and with the financial assistance of Gilmer owner J. W. Slaughter he opened businesses including a café, pool hall, dry goods store, barbershop and dry cleaners on Catfish Alley (South 4th Street). The New Queen City Hotel officially opened in 1948.
The Queen City Hotel anchored the Seventh Avenue North district, known locally as “down on the block,” which stretched from 13th to 20th streets and fanned out several blocks in each direction. Locals have recalled nationally prominent musicians including Bobby “Blue” Bland, Little Richard, Little Willie John, Earl “Fatha” Hines, Louis Armstrong, Fletcher Henderson, and Pearl Bailey performing at the Blue Room, operated by Billups Evans at 906 14th Street, and the Savoy, owned by Jim Sykes, at the intersection of Seventh Avenue North and 19th Street. Ed Bush was a member of the leading local jazz and blues band, the Rhythm Kings, which played at venues including the Queen City’s ballroom and also toured regionally to Starkville, Aberdeen, West Point and Okolona. Other local gathering places for dancing or listening to music included the Elks Club, the Deluxe Café, Richardson Café, the Cozy Corner, the Tic Toc 1 and Tic Toc 2, and the Red Rooster, and, in later years, the Flamingo Lounge, Ladies Inn, the Cotton Club, and the Crystal Room.
Seventh Avenue North was one of many African American business districts across the nation that ironically declined after the end of official segregation. In 1996 the Weatherspoon family bought the vacant Queen City Hotel, but despite a campaign to preserve the building, it was demolished in 2007. An informal festival celebrating the neighborhood’s cultural legacy began in early 1980s, and by 2010 the Seventh Avenue Heritage Festival was drawing over 10,000 visitors
The Mississippi Blues Trail markers tell stories through words and images of bluesmen and women and how the places where they lived and the times in which they existed–and continue to exist–influenced their music. The sites run the gamut from city streets to cotton fields, train depots to cemeteries, and clubs to churches. We have a lot to share, and it’s just down the Mississippi Blues Trail.
The Mississippi Blues Trail is an ongoing project of the Mississippi Blues Commission. Funding for this project has been made possible by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, Mississippi Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, AT&T, and the Delta Center for Culture and Learning at Delta State University plus additional support from the Mississippi Development Authority Tourism Division.
For more information visit msbluestrail.org.
The Mississippi Delta region, which is located in the northwest part of the state, is known for its rich soil and has been an important agricultural area for centuries.
During the antebellum period, Lowndes County was primarily agricultural, with cotton as the main crop. The population of enslaved people grew significantly, and their labor was integral to the economic prosperity of the county. The county also played a role in the Civil War, with many men from Lowndes serving in the Confederate Army. The aftermath of the war brought major challenges to the area, including widespread poverty and social unrest.
Throughout the 20th century, Lowndes County experienced significant changes. The economy shifted away from agriculture towards manufacturing and industry. In the mid-20th century, the Civil Rights Movement brought attention to the county, as it was a key site of activism and resistance. Lowndes County was known as the "Bloody Lowndes" due to its history of racial violence and discrimination. The formation of the Lowndes County Freedom Organization, which later inspired the Black Panther Party, was a significant development during this time.
In recent decades, Lowndes County has faced economic challenges, although efforts have been made to revitalize the area and promote tourism. The county is home to historical landmarks, such as the Columbus Historic District and the Waverley Mansion, attracting visitors interested in its rich history and cultural heritage. Today, Lowndes County continues to evolve, embracing its past while striving for a better future.
Lowndes County Timeline
This timeline provides a glimpse into the major events and milestones that have shaped the history of Lowndes County, Mississippi.
- 1830: Lowndes County is established as a county of the state of Mississippi.
- 1832: The first courthouse is built in Columbus, the county seat of Lowndes County.
- 1847: Construction of the Waverley Mansion begins. It is now a National Historic Landmark.
- 1861: Mississippi secedes from the Union, and Lowndes County becomes part of the Confederacy during the American Civil War.
- 1872: The county suffers from a devastating tornado that causes significant damage to the area.
- 1900: The Columbus and Greenville Railway is completed, improving transportation in the county.
- 1950s: Lowndes County experiences rapid growth in its manufacturing industry, including the arrival of the Columbus Air Force Base.
- 1965: Civil rights activism increases in the county, with the Freedom Summer and the formation of the Lowndes County Freedom Organization.
- 1980s: The Golden Triangle Industrial Park is established, promoting economic development in the area.
- 2000s: The county continues to grow, with improvements in infrastructure, education, and healthcare.