Memphis Cotton Exchange: then and now

1939 vs Today · Memphis, TN

NowThen

Then, 1939Traders on the exchange floor in November 1939.Photo: Marion Post Wolcott (Farm Security Administration) · Public domain · Source · resized

Today, TodayThe old trading floor is now a museum.Photo: Thomas R Machnitzki · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source · resized

The story

The Memphis Cotton Exchange was founded in 1874, after the Civil War. It operated as a spot market, where cotton was bought and sold for immediate delivery.

The Cotton Exchange Building stands at the corner of Front Street and Union Avenue. Trading took place on the first floor, where only exchange members could trade.

Floor trading ended in 1978, when computer trading took over. The remodeled historic trading floor is now home to The Cotton Museum.

Did you know? Only exchange members could trade on the floor.

Historians argue about this. Wikipedia is inconsistent on the building date. The infobox says 1925 and the text also mentions 1922, so check the museum's own history.

Fact or tall tale?

SolidThe Memphis Cotton Exchange was founded in 1874.
Wikipedia: founded in 1874.
Not trueFloor trading at the exchange ended in 1925.
1925 is the likely building date. Floor trading closed in 1978.

Sources

More: Look for historic photos at the Library of Congress

Stamp it in person

Go there, answer the question that only someone standing at Memphis Cotton Exchange can answer, and add the stamp to your passport. Free, no sign-up.

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Next: Sun Studio. Written from the cited sources, not yet walked on site unless noted.