March Archive

March produced a major amount of photography saved and shared from your generous contributions. These are just some of the few examples. I’m digitizing many more collected this past month. Your help is appreciated in keeping the project in motion. Thank you!

On top of old Cameron (Hill)

One of Chattanooga’s biggest laments is the decimation of Cameron Hill, separating the city’s west side from downtown. At one time, the hill was an active community with beautiful homes and mansions dating back to the Civil War. Cameron Hill couldn’t escape the urban renewal of the late 1950s and 1960s, and the local government … Read more

Adolph S. Ochs letter

Over the years, I’ve handled several original Adolph Ochs documents, including some early construction receipts for work done on an annex of the Chattanooga Times Building. However, this letter is most fascinating, as it’s addressed to Major Shipp. Sherrif Joseph F. Shipp would some years later be indicted for, in effect, aiding and abetting the … Read more

East Lake Park and Lookout Mountain

I love Real Photo Postcards! So much so that I’ve collected hundreds from the Chattanooga area. Real Photo Postcards (RPPs) were limited-run postcards, usually produced by amateur photographers who sent their undeveloped film in to have their photographs produced to mail to family and friends. Unless they were sent and postmarked, dating them can be … Read more

Lookout Mountain Hotel early 1950s

The Lookout Mountain Hotel was built on Jackson Hill in 1928, a few miles south of Lookout Point. The newly opened Scenic Highway connecting Gadsden, Alabama, to Chattanooga eventuating the hotel’s construction. Nicknamed “The Castle in the Clouds,” the 200-room hotel included lavish amenities, such as red velvet carpet, heavy gilt floor candelabras, overstuffed velvet … Read more

Point Lookout in 1886

Thousands of images like this were produced at Point Lookout from the Union occupation of Chattanooga in 1863 until the early-1900s. Even though they aren’t hard to find, these images are still very collectible. What is notable about this image is the Point Hotel below the bluff. It is common to see the hotel, which … Read more

The winter storm of November 14, 1906

According to newspaper accounts, on November 14, 1906, the winter snowstorm melted by that afternoon. The messy sleet and poor visibility didn’t keep local photographers from taking the streets early in the morning to capture the peak accumulation and wintery conditions to exploit the event. Several postcards were published from photographs that day, including one … Read more

Collections Sneak Peek: Chickamauga Monuments

I’m digitizing over sixty photographs, mostly from 1985, of the Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park’s monuments. 1985 may not seem that long ago, and the monuments and landscape of the Battlefield probably haven’t changed much, but I’ve been previously called on to provide old photos of monuments by Park Rangers. Sometimes a plaque or … Read more

Collections Sneak Peek: Connecticut Governor Abiram Chamberlain’s 1904 Visit …

I’m excited about this collection! It has several photos of Connecticut Governor Abiram Chamberlain’s and his large delegation’s 1904 visit to Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain. His trip by special passenger cars proceeded the dedication ceremony of the Connecticut Pavilion of the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, MI. Included in an album are many photographs … Read more