History of the Port
The Mid-South’s Best Kept Industrial and Economic Secret
The origins of the Port of Memphis trace back to the transportation booms of World War I and World War II, when the city’s cobblestone riverfront proved inadequate for the large-scale demands of the era.
1946
In 1946, Memphis and Shelby County governments devised a visionary plan to develop an industrial area with easy access to the Mississippi River, away from downtown congestion but close enough for efficient operation. The solution: President's Island.
7,500 Acres
President's Island, once the largest island on the Mississippi River at 7,500 acres, became the focal point of this development.
55 Million Cubic Tons
With the assistance of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Tennessee Harbor project utilized 55 million cubic tons of fill material to transform 1,000 acres of the island into a flood-free industrial park, featuring an eight-mile-long still water harbor dredged to create a protected, waterfront industrial space.
$51 Million Dollars
Completed in 1951 at a cost of $51 million, President's Island now stands as the centerpiece of the Port, hosting key industries that power Memphis’s economy.