Corinth was founded in 1853 as Cross City, so-called because it served as a junction for the Mobile & Ohio and Memphis & Charleston railroads. It was the town's early newspaper editor, W.E. Gibson, who suggested the name of Corinth, named for the city in Greece that also served as a crossroads. Corinth's location at the junction of two railroads made it strategically important to the Confederacy during the American Civil War. Today Corinth is a thriving manufacturing, retail, and tourism center.