The history of Meridian, Mississippi begins in the early 19th century before European-American settlement. Originally settled by the Choctaw Indians, the land was bought by the United States according to the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek in 1830. The city grew around the intersection of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad and the Southern Railway of Mississippi and developed a largely rail-based economy. Although much of the city was burned down in the Battle of Meridian during the American Civil War, the city was rebuilt and entered a "Golden Age." Between about 1890 and 1930, the city was the largest in Mississippi and a leading center for manufacturing in the Southern United States. After the decline of the railroading industry in the 1950s, the city's economy was devastated, resulting in a slow population decline. The population has continued to decline as the city has struggled to create a new, more modern economy based on newer industries. In the past 20 years or so, Meridian has attempted to revitalize the city's economy by attracting more business and industry to the city, most specifically the downtown area.
Establishment
Under pressure from the US government, the Choctaw Native Americans agreed to removal from all lands east of the Mississippi River under the terms of the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek in 1830. Although many Choctaws moved to present-day Oklahoma, a significant number chose to stay in their homeland, citing Article XIV of the treaty. Today, most Choctaws, who are part of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, live on several Indian Reservations located throughout the state. The largest reservation is located in Choctaw, MS, northwest of the city.
After the treaty was ratified, European-American settlers rapidly began to officially move into the region. In 1831, only a year after the treaty was signed, a Virginian named Richard McLemore became the first settler of Meridian after receiving a federal land grant of about . McLemore owned most of the land in the area, and his plantation home was the only notable residence in the vicinity at the time. To attract more settlers to the region and develop the area, McLemore began offering free land to newcomers. In 1833, Benjamin Graham also received a land grant of in the area now known as Valley Road. Another pioneer named James Trussell bought some land from W. C. Trussell, who had originally purchased the land while it was still part of the Mississippi Territory. By 1833, enough people had migrated to the area to warrant the creation of a county government; thus, Lauderdale County was established.
In 1853, around the time that construction of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad began in the area, most of Richard McLemore's land was bought by Lewis A. Ragsdale, a lawyer from Alabama, and John T. Ball, a merchant from Kemper County. Both men sought to make a profit from the planned crossing of the Mobile and Ohio with the Vicksburg and Montgomery Railroad, but Ragsdale beat Ball to the area by a few days. Ragsdale's bought the McLemore Farm, which was east of present-day 27th Avenue and included much of what would become the central business district. Ball purchased only west of 27th Avenue. McLemore and his family moved north out of the city, and Ragsdale moved into McLemore's log home, turning it into a tavern.
Ragsdale and Ball, now known as the founders of the city, began to compete with each other by laying out lots for new development on their respective land sections. The competition intensified over the desired name for the settlement. Ball believed the word "meridian" was synonymous to "junction," so he, along with the industrial citizens of the city, preferred that name, but the agrarian population of the city preferred "Sowashee," which means "mad river" in a Native American language and is the name of a nearby creek. Also, Ragsdale wanted to name the new settlement Ragsdale City after himself. Ball soon erected a small wooden station house and coerced the owners of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad to grant depot privileges to the site. The owners agreed, provided the station was constructed according to their specifications and was furnished at the community's expense. For nearly two years, though, the site was treated as a mere flag station and denied ordinary station accommodations while the expense of station maintenance fell on Ball himself.