I adore Chattanooga’s history. It’s something I fell upon in 2014 while researching the Rivoli Theatre in East Chattanooga. During that research, I realized that the Scenic City’s historical online footprint was mostly focused on the Civil War, and any history after was hard to find or reference.
It took me two years to finally find a photograph of the old Rivoli as a movie house in its heyday. I was sure then Chattanooga needed an effort to collect and share history with open access to everyone. A small grassroots effort to bring local history front and center emerged on Facebook. I called it Picnooga. Picnooga eventually evolved into the Chattanooga Historical Society in 2020.
When I left the Chattanooga Historical Society, I decided I wasn’t done with my work, so I’m continuing it here. The work will be less aggressive than Picnooga or the Society but will follow similar grassroots beginnings with greater access.
— David Moon
