(1875-1963)
Dr. Greene Fort Pinkston, who practiced medicine for more than 58 years in the Cordova area, was born in Scott County, Mississippi, in 1875. His parents were Ritton and Fannie Gresham Pinkston. At age 24 he left home to attend Meharry Medical School in Nashville, graduating in 1904. He began his medical practice in 1905 in Memphis and with Dr. A.D. Byas in 1908 started North Memphis Co., one of the earliest black-owned drug companies. By 1915 he had purchased 258 acres of land in Cordova and moved into a home with his wife, Penella Horne Pinkston, on Lenow Road. Dr. Pinkston was among the earliest black doctors to practice medicine in rural Shelby County. Because of his education and large farm, he was known as "the Gentleman Farmer." He treated patients not only in Cordova but also Memphis and surrounding rural communities. Shortly before his death in 1963, the Tennessee Valley Authority acquired all but 78 acres of Dr. Pinkston's land by eminent domain. The remaining parcel was left to his son, Howard Pinkston, and stayed in the family for more than 100 years.| HM Number | HM288J |
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| Tags | |
| Year Placed | 2016 |
| Placed By | Family and Friends of Dr. Greene Fort Pinkston and the Shelbu County Historical Commission |
| Marker Condition | No reports yet |
| Date Added | Friday, June 8th, 2018 at 10:02am PDT -07:00 |
| UTM (WGS84 Datum) | 16S E 250074 N 3895538 |
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| Decimal Degrees | 35.17175000, -89.74425000 |
| Degrees and Decimal Minutes | N 35° 10.305', W 89° 44.655' |
| Degrees, Minutes and Seconds | 35° 10' 18.3" N, 89° 44' 39.3" W |
| Driving Directions | Google Maps |
| Area Code(s) | 901 |
| Which side of the road? | Marker is on the right when traveling North |
| Closest Postal Address | At or near Shelby Farms Greenline, TN 38016, US |
| Alternative Maps | Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap |
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