As featured in the
Bill & Esther's
Bill & Esther's Grocery and Service Station near Harrison Bay as seen in the mid-1960s.
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The corner of Eighth and Market streets - 1963.
The corner of Eighth and Market streets is seen in 1963. The corner was famous for housing two of Chattanooga's best-known jewelry stores, Fischer Evans and Rone, later known as Rone Regency.
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"Chattanooga International Raceway" - 1958
1964 and 1965, a swarm of Indy-style sprint cars arrived in Chattanooga for mid-summer exhibitions at area tracks.
The race cars, which were designed much like those featured in the Indianapolis 500, only with shorter wheelbases and smaller gas tanks, would appear at what was then billed as the Chattanooga International Raceway. (later known as Boyd's Speedway, near the Georgia-Tennessee state line on Ringgold Road). The sprint cars also staged races at the former Cleveland Speedway.
Richard "Red" Amick, an Indianapolis 500 driver who was named Rookie of the Year there in 1958. His car, which was dubbed the Abbott Special
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Lakeview High School Cheerleaders - 1958
Cheerleaders for the former Lakeview High School Warriors are shown prior to a road trip with the North Georgia football team in 1958. They were identified as, from left, Linda Sexton, Wanda Clack, Elaine Hollifield, Rebecca Sanders, Dorothy Howell and Delores Nicholson.
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Joe Engel Bat Company - 1952
Chattanooga Lookouts President Joe Engel, far right, is shown delivering bats to Chattanooga city officials in 1952. Engel and his business partners had started Joe Engel Bat Co. on Riverside Drive to make laminated, multi-piece bats that were considered more durable than traditional one-piece bats.
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Patten Rambler Dealership 1965
In the 1960s, Rambler automobiles represented middle-of-the road family transportation, but by 1969, the last of more than 4 million Ramblers produced in North America rolled off the assembly line in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
PHOTO: Patten Rambler dealership in its then-new home on Brainerd Road.
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1964 Eastern Airlines Charity Promotion
1964 was a landmark year for aviation in Chattanooga. A $2.7 million expansion of Lovell Field — now the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport — was completed.
In this photo, officials of Eastern Air Lines promote a charity event for disabled children with the giveaway of a 2.5-foot scale model of a DC-8 passenger jet.
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The Pound Building
In 1906, the seven-story Pound Building on 11th Street was considered one of the city's first "skyscrapers.", named for its owner, hotel developer and newspaperman Jerome B. Pound.
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Home Plate Cafeteria
For almost 60 years, the Home Plate Cafeteria at the corner of Seventh and Cherry streets was an iconic downtown eatery featuring a selection of meats, vegetables and made-from-scratch desserts.
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Newly improved Optimist Field in St. Elmo - dedicated in 1948
A sign in the photo says the field was improved in partnership between the Optimist Club of St. Elmo and the city of Chattanooga's recreation department. At that point, it was one of 10 city-maintained softball fields with lights for night play.
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Pines Motel - East Ridge 1953
The former Pines Motel on Ringgold Road was typical of roadside motor courts in the 1950s; it was situated along a busy highway and anchored by a small restaurant.
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R.C. 'Doc' Anderson: 1940s astrologer, modern prophet and a soothsayer.
In the mid-20th century, R.C. "Doc" Anderson, a self-described astrologist, was a recognizable figure in Chattanooga known for offering $2 fortune-telling sessions in which he promised to explain to his customers "the past, present and future."
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Hixson High Majorettes 1963
This image of the Hixson High School band's majorettes appeared Sept. 26, 1963. The school building built in 1937 (shown in the photo) has since been torn down.
The caption with the photo identified the young women: front row, from left, Joyce Jenkins, Carla Williams and Joyce Parker; and back row, from left, Taney Emery, Kathy Butner, Janice Bynum and Carleen McKinley.
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Snow of '66
January 29, 1966: The snowfall was the most the city had experienced in almost a decade, and the low temperature, which eventually dropped to minus 10 on Jan. 31, was the lowest registered in the city to that point in the 20th century. The mercury hadn't dropped to 10 degrees below zero since 1899, according to news reports.
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Hodge Furniture
The corner of Brainerd and Germantown roads is shown in 1954. The Hodge Furniture Store, at the center of the photo, was in the process of moving to Hixson that year. The Miller Brothers department store moved a branch into the building in the fall of 1954.
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1965 Donation of a Pontiac Catalina
In this 1965 photo, the sales manager at the Trotter Pontiac dealership at 3150 Broad St. is seen presenting the keys of a Pontiac Catalina sedan to Chattanooga City school system officials.
From left, Chattanooga Mayor Ralph Kelly; Joe Galbraith, sales manager at Trotter Pontiac; Jim McCullough, assistant city school superintendent; Nathaniel Anderson, driver training instructor; and C.C. Bond, general education coordinator for the school system.
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Memorial Auditorium turns 100 this year
When the Memorial Auditorium opened in Chattanooga in 1924, it was only a few years removed from the end of World War I. Built between 1922 and 1924 as a tribute to the soldiers and sailors of WWI, Memorial Auditorium remains one of the most utilized public theater spaces in Chattanooga.
An early 1990s renovation included a wider stage, a new sound system, better theatrical lighting, new oak doors in the lobby, the removal of hanging acoustical ceiling to expose ornate grill-work and an updated facade that included a new portico. For comfort, 21-inch seats were reupholstered in plum colored fabric in the main theater.
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1400 block of Market Street
According to a 1950s-era Chattanooga City Directory, some of the businesses in the block included the Grand Hotel, Signal Commission and Finishing Co., Bush's Spaghetti House, Stuchberry Manufacturing Co., the State Hotel, Chattanooga Goodwill Industries and the Terminal Loan Office (pawnbrokers).
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A Segregated Past.
In February 1964, a group of school buses unload kids at The Memorial Auditorium on McCallie Ave. Also captured, likely unintentionally, is evidence of segregation. I was born the same month, so do not remember such ingrained division. Yet 60 years later, racism remains strong among some (of all colors).
It was not until the 1970s that Chattanooga's public schools began to desegregate as a result of a 1960 federal court case here, Mapp. vs. Board of Education, that took 26 years to reach its conclusion. READ MORE about civil rights leader James Mapp.
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M&J Super Market - 1961
For a swath of the mid-20th century, M&J Super Markets dotted the map in Chattanooga. The unconfirmed location shown here is likely Highway 58 at Murray Hills Drive.
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Chattanooga's central business district 70 years ago.
This aerial view from 1953 shows the area sandwiched between Market and Broad streets as a beehive of retail, government and entertainment activity.
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Chattanooga Free Press Archive
Chattanooga Glass Co. - 1965
In the accompanying September 1965 photo from the archives of the Chattanooga News-Free Press, attendees at a conference of the Tennessee Bottlers of Carbonated Beverages toured the Chattanooga Glass plant in St. Elmo. More than 300 bottling executives and their spouses gathered to discuss industry trends.
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Chattanooga Federal Savings & Loan
Chattanooga Federal Savings & Loan (shown here) changed its name to Inter Federal Savings & Loan, which was later bought by First Federal Savings & Loan, which was subsequently purchased by AmSouth Bank, which later merged with Regions Bank.
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1963 - FM: No Static at All
In mid-November 1963, WDOD-FM, part of Chattanooga's first commercial broadcast station, flipped a switch and began delivering a rich, FM-stereo sound to cars and homes around Southeast Tennessee.
Then-Chattanooga Mayor Ralph Kelley issued his congratulations in a news release: "WDOD, the 'Wonderful Dynamo of Dixie,' has just taken another step forward for our area. Now Chattanoogans may enjoy radio in FM-stereo."
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Who's Who of Auto Dealers - 1975
Chattanooga car dealers gathered on Cameron Hill for a photo to promote an annual car show at Eastgate Center that featured over 100 new models for 1976.
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Front row, from left: Ed Wright of Ed Wright Chevrolet, Buzz Standefer of Standefer Motors, Joe Burcham of Burcham Motors, Austin Watson of Forrest Cate Ford, Pat Ogle (executive director of the Eastgate Merchants Association), Earl Gregory of Gregory Datsun, Wayne Hughie of Capital Motors and Doc Gilbert of Doc Gilbert Volvo.
Second row, from left: D. Wayne Smith and H.D. Morris of Downtown Dodge, Lucky Smith of Smith-Owens Motors, Okey Harrison of Harrison Chrysler-Plymouth, Tom Prestwood of Lawrence-Doster Motors, Ed Kirby of Adcox-Kirby Chevrolet and Nelson Bowers of Doc Gilbert Volvo.
Third row, from left: Pete Austin of Austin Motors, Mitchell Howard of Kelly Cadillac, Jim Gardner of Ken Gardner Ford, Mike Hailey of Hailey Porsche-Audi, Leon Babb of Bert Brown Ford, Harold Morris of Don Wood Volkswagen and Melvin Smith of Economy Cars.
Drake Restaurant - 1954
The Drake Hotel Courts and Restaurant on South Broad Street was a popular stop for overnight tourists visiting Lookout Mountain attractions such as Rock City and Ruby Falls. When it opened, the restaurant offered one of the most novel pricing strategies ever attempted in Chattanooga: It allowed customers to pay whatever they thought was fair for meals.
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Stewart's Potato Chips
A 1951 photo from on Main Street shows a line of delivery trucks for Stewart's foods, which included a popular brand of potato chips produced in Chattanooga, Memphis and Little Rock, Arkansas.
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The Gateway Motel
Although modest in scale and cost, the Gateway Motel on the side of Missionary Ridge became one of Chattanooga's most iconic "motor courts" in the mid-20th century.
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Olympic Lanes in Hixson - 1961
Olympic Lanes in Hixson opened in the early 60s and was later re-branded as Brunswick-Hixson Bowling Lanes. The location closed in 1986. Today it's 'Building A' of Abba's House Church.
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Inflatables on Parade
The accompanying photo of an inflatable train in the 1950 Christmas parade shows the event in its mid-century glory. A Chattanooga News-Free Press article on Nov. 28 that year reported there had been an estimated 50,000 people in attendance at the parade the night before.
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Warner Park Rose Gardens
For seven decades, the municipal Rose Garden at Warner Park near downtown Chattanooga was a city treasure.
This panoramic view was created by assembling multiple frames captured from a family 8mm film shot by Donald Vance of Hixson.
To the far right - the first studios of Chattanooga's 2nd TV station, WRGP-TV Channel 3, can be seen on McCallie Ave.
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National Shirt Shop on Market Street - 1951
Shirts and ties in 1951 at National Shirt Shops were real bargains, even when accounting for inflation. An ad for shirt store merchandise touted hand-painted initial ties for $1, men's dress shirts with plastic collar stays for $2.95 and argyle socks for 55 cents a pair.
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Ron-Mar Apartments - formally Fire Hall No. 6
Chattanooga's No. 6 Fire Hall was built in 1908 - located at the corner of West Sixth and Prospect streets. on Cameron Hill. By 1949, the station merged with station number 1 on Carter Street and the property sold.
In 1951, the building was converted into apartments. In less than 10-years, it was purchased by the Chattanooga Housing Authority and razed with the rest of Cameron Hill structures as part of the controversial Urban Renewal programs prevalent in the middle of the last century.
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The Airdome Vaudeville Theater - 1911
Before motion pictures - there was vaudeville. The Airdome Theater on Broad Street was a popular destination. A 1910 newspaper ad noted seat reservations were available up to a week in advance.
A found photo print at the Times Free Press offices dated 1911 show a vaudeville team called "Foster and Fuzzy". According to various newspaper references of the time - Fuzzy is the 'acting dog' pictured withe the couple.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Southern Railway 'Little Pelican'
Note: This story was updated on July 19, 2023 to correct the location of the train.One of the family-friendly rides at Warner Park during the 1960s and 1970s was built by an EPB employee named James Walker.
Pictured here is the replica train, dubbed the "Little Pelican," and Walker wearing a cap with a patch that reads "Southern Railway Serves the South."
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Our first McDonald's - 1963
Sixty years ago this summer, the first Chattanooga-area McDonald's restaurant opened on Ringgold Road in East Ridge.
The menu was built around the then-15-cent hamburger, which jumped to 20 cents if you added cheese. Also on the menu were fries (12 cents), coffee (10 cents) and various soft drinks (10 cents for small, 15 cents for large).
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
1970 Miniskirt Marchers
Saturday, Sept. 19, 1970, my father, S. Parks Hall, put his photography skills to work during WFLI radio's "shortest miniskirt" event. The contest attracted scores of women in miniskirts -- and even more men wielding cameras. Former WFLI on-air personality Johnny Eagle was the master of ceremonies for the march and still remembers the off-beat event.
"... It was a fun day," he added. "I was shocked by the people that showed up. To be honest, we had no idea it would turn out that big."
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Red Bank Junior High - 1961
In this 1960s photo, the then-new Red Bank Junior High School on Morrison Springs Road looks a bit unfinished, surrounded by tall grass and unpaved driveway. Hamilton County officials didn't budget any money for paving or landscaping for the million-dollar school and wanted the city of Red Bank to step in to provide the finishing touches.
"... More than dedicating the building, we must dedicate ourselves — our hearts, souls and minds — to the to the higher ideals of life and of the American heritage," Frost told those in attendance, in a bit of soaring oratory.
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Effron's Department Store
For more than 40 years, Effron's was one of downtown Chattanooga's leading department stores.
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Telephone Operators
This photo was taken to mark the end of a month-long phone operators strike here (and nationally) in 1947. As recently as the 1970s there were 420,000 telephone operators in America.
By 2021, fewer than 4,000 remained.
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The Admiral Benbow Inn
The Admiral Benbow Inn was located between East 19th and East 20th streets near South Market Street. The grand opening of the 142-room hotel was in May 1965. It featured a restaurant and the Red Lion Lounge.
By the mid-1980s it became a more budget-friendly Days Inn.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
WTVC and WAPO
In 1966, WTVC Channel 9 moved its operations to the Golden Gateway Shopping Center, near downtown, where it remained for more than 30 years.
According to David Carroll, longtime WRCB-TV anchor and local broadcast media historian, the two men in the photo are Jack Sausman, then-sales manager of WTVC, and Rome Benedict, then-sales manger of WAPO.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Remains of the Union Depot and Shed
This photo, with the Union Depot in the foreground, was taken by Chattanooga attorney Hugh J. Moore Jr., who captured the image shortly before the building was torn down.
"I frequently took the train back and forth to Nashville when I was at Vanderbilt (University in) 1962-66," he said.
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Chattanooga's Youngest Mayor
In 1963, Ralph Kelley became the youngest man ever elected mayor of Chattanooga, and the women in the accompanying photo were partly responsible.
The photo of Kelley's campaign volunteers was published in the Chattanooga News-Free Press on Feb. 27, 1963, a couple of weeks before the municipal election pitting Kelley, a 34-year-old Chattanooga attorney, against incumbent mayor P.R. "Rudy" Olgiati.
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Hannah-Adams
In the 1960s, the Hannah-Adams home electronics and appliance store on Brainerd Road was a go-to destination for those in need of a clothes washer or a color TV. A March 1986 newspaper ad contained these words: "We have served Chattanooga for 33 years -- now we are closing forever."
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Romper Room 1969
Before "Funtime", there was "Romper Room", which originally aired in Chattanooga on WTVC-TV 9. Later the show moved to WDEF-TV 12. Clara Register was the teacher and host of the show. The 1969 photo is from the estate of the late Mayor Ralph H. Kelley, whose daughter, Ellen Kelley, is the dark haired girl in the photo. The same year, Kelley became United States Bankruptcy Judge in the Sixth Federal Judicial Circuit.
Many of Kelley's photos and documents were donated to the UTC Library - Special Collections.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Signal Mountain Plaza, March 1966
From the EPB Archives, a photo from the newly opened Signal Mountain Plaza, including M&J Supermarket. M&J would move to adjacent property and later be bought out by Pruett's, where it remains today.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Great Ice Storm of 1960
The Great Ice Storm of 1960, which began March 2 that year, was especially brutal for residents of Lookout and Signal mountains.
In a March 1960 newspaper report, E.C. Edmonds, then-system operator for EPB, called the ice storm "the worst I've ever seen in the 31 years I've been with the Power Board."
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Westinghouse Markette EV - 1968
William Campbell, EPB chief engineer, stands next to a Westinghouse Markette EV in a photo dated 1968. EPB had a display of the Markette at the Expo '70 Home Show at Memorial Auditorium.
According to an April 8, 1970 report in the Chattanooga News-Free Press; "...Clean flameless electricity is seen as a primary source of solution to many of these (pollution) threats, particularly in the area of automobile transportation."
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Dean Clothing Co. - 1951
In 1951, Dean's Clothing Co. was flanked by Wells clothing store on the left and Peoples Credit Clothing on the right. Both establishments advertised their credit departments for customers who chose to pay over time. Widespread use of bank credit cards was still at least two decades away.
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1966 Color TVs
This photo, taken by newspaper photographer Bob Sherrill, appeared on the front page of the business section of the Chattanooga News-Free Press on July 2, 1965.
The big news for 1966 TV models was the introduction of rectangular screens. Earlier color models had semi-circular screens, with rounded sides and flat tops and bottoms.
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North Chattanooga in 1960
This aerial view by John Goforth of the North Chattanooga area in 1960 recalls a time when landmarks there included the Hamilton National Bank, the Town & Country Restaurant and one of the city's original Ace Hardware stores.
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Bookmobile at Boone-Hysinger
In 1953, children visited a Chattanooga Public Library bookmobile near the newly built Boone-Hysinger Homes public housing in East Chattanooga, which was mainly populated by working-class whites. Over the years, the complex gradually became majority Black and remained a landmark in East Chattanooga for almost 60 years.
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The Coker Family - Antique Car Club of America Meeting
The boy in the herringbone cap, it turns out, is a 10-year-old Corky Coker, now a well-known Chattanooga businessman and car enthusiast. In the driver's seat, wearing a striped vest, is the late Harold Coker, Corky's father, who was a Hamilton County commissioner and local Republican Party leader. Harold Coker's wife, Lillian, and daughter, Christie (now Christie Bowen, of Leiper's Fork, Tennessee), are also pictured, along with E.B. Alloway.
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1964 Gun Show
The year was 1964, and more than 100 exhibitors had packed the Hotel Patten in downtown Chattanooga for one of the city's biggest gun shows; including gun collector Darlene Peavy, who was described in a newspaper article as one of the few female exhibitors at the show that year.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
McCallie Ave. - 1600 Block
The location is the 1600 block of McCallie Avenue, at the intersection of McCallie with Holly Street. The photo was taken facing east, heading away from downtown. The Tennessee Awning Co., which can be seen on the left side of the photo, was established in 1905 and is still in operation today.
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Town House Hotel
Today, this building is known as One Central Plaza, home to a SmartBank branch. But for a swath of the 20th century it was a midtown hotel -- first the Hotel Key and later the Town House Hotel.
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The Elite beauty salon | 1947
During the golden years of the post-war era, The Elite beauty salon flourished in the lobby of Chattanooga's James Building at Eighth and Broad streets.
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Price Auto Co. | 201 Main St. 1946
This photo, taken by Chattanoonga News-Free Press photographer Delmont Wilson, shows the Price Auto Co. in 1946. Located in the 200 block of East Main Street, the Price Auto Co. was Chattanooga's original Jeep dealership, although the military-derived vehicles were actually made at that time by the Willys-Overland Motor Co.
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Safety Day Program - 1959
September 1959 - the Red Bank-White Oak Jaycees and the Jaycettes sponsored a Safety Day program. A coffin was displayed at 4705 Dayton Blvd. where refreshments and brochures were passed out featuring points of scenic interest as well as safety reminders.
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Skyway Drive-in
Don Shaw, manager of the Skyway Drive-in on Brainerd Road, shows off the location’s “Little Inferno” heaters to Jean Greenwalt and Jimmy Greenwalt. The car in the photo appears to be an early 1950s Buick Roadmaster.
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Trinity Methodist Church
The church shown here was established in 1899 at the corner of Park and McCallie Ave. It was designed by famed Chattanooga architect R. H. Hunt.
Part of the building collapsed in 2011, which led to the compete demolition and removal.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Pruett's Dixie Super Market
For a time, Pruett's Food Towns represented the area's largest locally owned grocery store chain, with at least 16 stores operating in the region in the 1970s. This 1953 photo was taken by Free-Press Photographer Bob Sherrill of the Pruett's Dixie Super Market on East Third Street.
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Shapiro's Delicatessen
For most of the 20th century, Shapiro's was one of Chattanooga's most authentic New York-style delicatessens, featuring "half-done" pickles with no vinegar, pastrami sandwiches and "Coca-Cola cake." In the accompanying 1960 photo, Shapiro's Gift Pantry and Delicatessen, as it was known then, had just moved to 723 Cherry St. Before that, it had been on Broad Street.
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The TVA Office of Power
The million-square-foot TVA Office of Power in downtown Chattanooga opened in the summer of 1985. It was a pivotal point for the resurgence of the city. About 3,000 TVA workers are still assigned there, although COVID-19 restrictions have limited the number of people who work there to a fraction of that number on any given day, according to officials.
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Clarence T. Jones Observatory - 1963
Three Chattanooga teachers tour the Clarence T. Jones Observatory in Brainerd. They are, from left, Ralph Olinger, L.H. Morgan and Myron S. McCay. The photographer was Bob Sherrill.
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Sidney Scott Tire - 1947
1947 photo by Delmont Wilson includes 6 young women, noted as employees of the Olan Mills portrait photography company. They're sitting in an iconic 1940s Buick Roadmaster. Location: Georgia Ave. at 7th Street.
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Lake Winnepesaukah - 1964
The photo, shot by newspaper photographer Bob Sherrill, was published in the Chattanooga News-Free Press on June 4, 1964 and shows an annual donation of season passes to representatives of the Chattanooga Big Brothers organization, a precursor to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Chattanooga.
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Patten Motor Co.
In 1960, the Patten Motor Co. dealership at 1237 South Broad Street carried Studebaker, Renault and Mercedes-Benz automobiles.
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Home Plate
In the early morning hours of Dec. 1, 1953 one of Chattanooga’s landmark restaurants exploded into flames. The Home Plate, a cafeteria-style eatery at 7th and Cherry Streets that served court juries and downtown workers for much of the 20th century, was nearly destroyed by a gas fire.
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Harry's Place
Harry Koskos was a Greek immigrant who exemplified the American Dream. His restaurant across from the Patten Hotel featured a 'Town-Talk' sandwiches, an old fashioned Southern BBQ pit, 'Chili of the Town' and Western Steaks. Harry's ambition would be cut short with a fatal poisoning at age 42.
Debbie Conner Collection
The 2nd McCallie Tunnel
Completed in 1956, the 2nd tunnel was a much needed improvement. The original 'Missionary Ridge Tunnel' was built in 1913.
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Corner of Brainerd and Germantown roads - 1965
The property sits at a busy gateway to the densely populated Brainerd and East Ridge suburbs. With three retail stores, the shopping center showcased well-known brands: Kroger, F.W. Woolworth Co. and Eckerd Drugs. All three later left the market or were purchased by other companies.
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Furniture City
In the early 1960s, the Furniture City store on Rossville Boulevard was billed as the "South's Largest" single floor of home furnishings. Located near the intersection of Rossville Boulevard and 23rd Street, the store was said to have contained "2.5 acres of furniture on one floor."
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Onion Bottom
Some called it the 11th Street Farmers' Market, while others called it the Curb Market because farmers backed-up their vegetable-filled pickup trucks to the curb to sell their goods.
Additional story by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Gary Beene
Rathskeller
A gathering spot for media, government workers and University of Chattanooga college students, among others, the Rathskeller specialized in German fare. Albert Schlickling, who immigrated from Germany in 1909, reopened the Rathskeller at 618 Cherry Street in 1933. "Old-timers around town can remember when (the walls) were covered with the words to German songs." This late 1972 photo shows the building prior to being leveled to become a parking garage...
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Bess T. & Will Shepherd at Engel Stadium - 1946
At the Lookouts season opener in 1946, attendees included movers and shakers like Bess Trimby Shepherd, and her husband Will. They purchased the Hamilton County Herald in 1919. Bess T. Shepherd Elementary is named for Mrs. Shepherd - a beloved teacher and member of the school board.
Their famous faces were picked up and re-confirmed by facial recognition software. Will Shepherd is identified here with his Chattanooga High School graduating class of 1899.
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Summer of '59
A view that will bring back memories for many, including my own parents, who frequented this popular recreation area while dating. One can almost hear the sounds of Ricky Nelson emanating from AM radio.
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Snow on Market Street
1962
Hugh J. Moore Jr. was 17 years old, and a senior at McCallie when he took these photos. Brilliant colors of Kodachrome slides capture the busy downtown scenes after a late season snowfall.
LEFT: View north on Market St. from 9th St.
RIGHT: 11th and Market, also looking north.
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Mexican President Miguel Alemán at Chickamauga Dam
In this May 1947 photo, Alemán is shown visiting Chickamauga Dam to observe the wonders of hydroelectric power. The dam had opened a few years earlier.
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How Boy Scout Road got its name
This 1947 newspaper photo features Boy Scouts swimming in the chilly waters of Chickamauga Creek in Hixson after activities at the Camp Tsatanugi scout camp.
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The Clyde Beatty Cole Bros. Circus - 1963
This 1963 photo shows two young girls watching the set-up of the Clyde Beatty Cole Bros. Circus in Chattanooga's Warner Park. Clyde Beatty was a circus mogul and big-cat "tamer" who appeared in several movies. A scan of archives turned up no evidence that this particular photo appeared in the Chattanooga newspaper, but was nonetheless filed away by a photographer.
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Haverty's Furniture at 619 Market St. - 1948
Haverty's store at 619 Market St. in Chattanooga was part of the downtown retailing scene for 54 years before closing in 1982.
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30.9¢ per gallon - 1952
Taken at the Cities Service gas station at the corner of Broad & Main Streets, this photo promoted a Community Chest United Way charity drive. Pictured left to right, T.M. Lasnier, station operator; W.E. Brock Jr., then-president of the Community Chest; Bill Pettway, then-president of Pettway Oil Company; Ben Johnson, operator and W.S. Keese Jr., then-chairman of Community Chest campaign.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the inflation adjusted price per gallon in April 2022 dollars would be $3.35.
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Dixie Manufacturers' Saw Shop on Rossville Ave.
This photo from June 1949 was taken by Chattanooga News-Free Press photographer Delmont Wilson. It features a retail outlet offering power-saw and saw-blade sales and service, the South Chattanooga store featured Simonds and McCullouch saws and products made by the Dixie Saw Manufacturers Company.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Helen Jones School of Dance, 1965
Students in the photo are, front row left to right, Gail Bidwell, Bonnie Cain, Marilyn Frank, Barbara Cain and Rose Ann Davis. Second row, from left, Doris Effron, Ann Austin, Grace Moore, Linda Morris, Linda Zimmerman and Rosa Wright.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
First Corvette sold in Chattanooga - 1953
This 1953 photograph shows Wilburn C. Hailey, president of Hailey Chevrolet, presenting the keys to a new Chevrolet Corvette convertible to Gordon P. Street, president of the Wheland Company
The medium format negative was salvaged from a box labeled 'trash' and scanned by the Chattanooga History Center prior to its closing in 2016. Sadly, there have been no additional News Free Press negatives scanned since.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
White Oak School, 1965
This photo of White Oak Elementary School students and teachers was published in the Chattanooga News-Free Press on Monday, Oct. 11, 1965.
The children in the photo are, first row, from left, Robin Mathews, Virginia McColl, Mitzie Clinton, Debbie Norris, Becky Handley, Sandy Hall; second row, Cathy Windham, Darlene Anderson, Darlene Crane, Janet Hixson, Paula Milleirons; third row, Marie Wesley, Donna Hargrove, Jane Maxwell, Debbie Gass, Joel Mason, Benny Carden; fourth row, Larry Burton, Pete Mitchell, Sharon Long, Bobbie Lewis and Nancy McCurdy.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Ridgedale Turnip
The February 7, 1953 caption read: "Harvey Palmer, 17, of Ridgedale, holds up a 13-pound turnip grown by Elbert Freeman, who lives on Johnson Road, six miles from Rossville, Georgia. Palmer is a News-Free Press carrier and Freeman is a friend of Palmer's father."
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Remarkable colorization technology
While not a replacement for human skills and interpretation, AI software makes colorizing old photos easy and available online. Auto-colorization and enhancement algorithms paired with object recognition create impressive results. The example here was generated from one the best free tools online. DeOldify is exclusively available at MyHeritage.
Clemons Dining Room
Years before Soddy & Daisy merged to one hyphenated community, family restaurants like Clemons served 25¢ hamburgers and 6¢ sodas. It likely operated from the early 1950s through the early '60s.
Steve Smith, who operates the Soddy, Daisy and Montlake Historical Association, placed the former restaurant near the intersection of Montlake Road and Dayton Pike. That would put it near the current location of Citizens Tri-County Bank at 8575 Dayton Pike.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Kelley's Raiders
2am, September 12, 1967. The freight train carrying the General trundled into the Wauhatchie yards. A spotter plan circling overhead alerted the mayor and his men. "Tell the police to block the tracks."
Additional story by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
End of the line (for cabooses)
A late 1980s photo taken by my father, Parks Hall. He is among the last generation of Americans who remember the golden era of train travel. "When I was a kid, I had every Lionel train that was made," he said. "I had a huge layout at my grandmother's house in Chickamauga, Georgia. I traveled with my grandmother in the '40s and '50s on some of the grand trains of the era, back in the final heydays of passenger trains."
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
News Free Press Archives
Totten Discount Furniture
Chattanoogans may remember the tagline from the store's television commercials. Totten, who died in 2002, would end his TV spots with the line, "Where we mark it up, just a little bit."
According to John Totten's obituary in the Times Free Press in 2002, he operated the furniture store for 37 years. An active musician, he was known as "Slim Totten" in gospel music circles."
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Farmers' Market - 1981
Roger Dotson, former owner of Peden's/Specialty Produce and later the Farmers' Market, shared some snapshots from 1981.
Read Mark Kennedy's article at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Riverfront '89
An estate sale find - photo appeared in the News Free Press with the caption: "Sunny skies, warm temperatures and a gentle breeze often lure thousands of avid area fishermen to the water to wet their lines. This lone angler enjoys a quiet spring outing at Ross's Landing near the Chief John Ross, Walnut Street and Veterans bridges."
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Dr. Shock
Dr. Shock (also known as Tommy Reynolds) was a pop culture icon here in the 1960s and 1970s as host of a weekly late-night showing of B-Grade horror films on WTVC NewsChannel 9. His sidekick 'Dingbat' (a puppet voiced by Dan East) and Nurse Goodbody (Patricia Abney) provided commentary during commercial breaks on the Saturday night program called "Shock Theater."
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Pro-Re-Bona Day Nursery
1959
In late August of 1959 these graduates of the Pro Re Bona Day Nursery Vacation Bible School were photographed outside the nursery in East Chattanooga. They are, front row, left to right, Sheron Nolan, Debra Lewis, Denine Taylor, Jo Williams, Mark Bennett, Beverly Gentry, Debra Gilley, Sandra Bettis, Carmen Hale and Bridgett Ballew. Second row: Keith Alley, Mark Hale, Sherry Hale, Joel Walker, Michael Taylor, Jonathan Walker, Kenneth Byrd, Gary Farrell, Stanley Segers, Danny Ware and David Goodner. Third row: Diane May, Anthony Hullender, Ricky Burris, Rebecca Gainer, Randy Bearfield, Richard May, Mike Bennett and Viva Williams. Fourth row: Janet Clingam, Elaine Stoner, Jennifer Segors and Brenda Broadrick. Back row: Walter Row, Johnny Miller, Mike Walker, Stanley Ray and Bruce Broadrick.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Standard Coosa Thatcher
The Standard-Coosa-Thatcher textile mill was one of Chattanooga's major employers. This photo is one of a number of images salvaged from a dumpster at the plant. The negatives, found bound in notebooks, date from 1947-1949.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Contributed photo: Jonathan Coulter Trundle, MTSU
East Lake Junior High
1967
East Lake Park in the foreground and the former East Lake Junior High School in the background.
The park, in the foreground, has an even longer history than the school. East Lake, one of Chattanooga's first neighborhoods, was developed in the late 19th century by Chattanooga millionaire Charles E. James, who was thought to be the first person in the city to amass a seven-figure net worth.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Holsum Bakery Co.
Holsum Bakery Co. was established here in 1946. By the 1970s, the bread factory here had at least 85 hourly workers and produced 7,000 pounds of white bread and 5,000 pounds of rolls per day.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Thank you to Steve Smith for identifying the man in the background as Arvil Stafford. Smith worked with him at TVA's Sequoyah Nuclear Plant.
Bicentennial Beauty
Miss Chattanooga 1976, Melanie Howle
Those who remember the mid-1970s may recall a surge of patriotism around the bicentennial unmatched since the end of the world wars earlier in the 20th century.
Miss Chattanooga 1976 Melanie Howle (now Melanie Gaston Underwood),is a lifelong resident of Cleveland, Tennessee. Before retirement, she was public relations director at the former Bradley Memorial Hospital. Today, she is a business owner with two children and three grandchildren.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Dairy Gold of 'Valdeau'
Located in the area nostalgically known as 'Valdeau', it was also conveniently adjacent to a Red Food Store, making it a perfect meal or snack destination after grocery shopping. Circa 1980s
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Putt Putt Golf - Hixson
How can over 40 years have passed since I took this photo? This Highway 153 location provided abundant family and date night entertainment.
Ironically, it is 'recent' photos like these that are in short supply. If you have similar shots around town, please contact me.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Saddle Capital of the World
The Scholze Tannery was a Scenic City institution that operated for more than 100 years, bridging three centuries (1873-2001). In 2020, I met with Gene Carter, who worked at the tannery for over 45 years starting in 1962. He retired as Vice President and wished to share photos of a once vibrant industry here.
Read Mark Kennedy's article at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Remembering Drue Smith, one of Tennessee's most admired journalists.
Smith, who died in 2001 at age 86, entered journalism at a time when there were few female reporters in Tennessee newsrooms. She was inducted into the Tennessee Journalism Hall of Fame in 2015 alongside two other legends of Chattanooga journalism, Chattanooga News-Free Press publisher Roy McDonald and former New York Times reporter and Chattanooga Times editor, John N. Popham.
Also historic, this photo was likely taken in the first months of operations at WDEF-TV in 1954.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Wonderful Twins
Jean and Jane Cunningham, identical twins, sit in the back of a Chevrolet convertible in this 1947 photo preserved at ChattanoogaHistory.com. The sisters had just returned from competing in the 1947 Miss America pageant in Atlantic City, N.J.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
A canyon of streetlights and neon in the Summer of 1964
Facing south on Market Street from Sixth Street, such landmarks at the old Martin Theater, the Hotel Patten, and the Planter's Peanuts Store can be seen.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Market Street Bridge 1953
On Feb. 12, 1953, a large dredge passing under the Market Street Bridge was the focus of a photo on the front page of the Chattanooga News-Free Press. The report noted the dredge was owned by the Dixie Sand and Gravel Co. and that it was headed to the Hiwassee Island area to dig for raw materials to be used by the Bowater Southern Paper Corp.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Lookout Mountain celebrated Labor Day 1975 with a Bicentennial-themed parade
News-Free Press writer Helen McDonald Exum described the scene: "The newly renovated shopping center on Lookout Mountain was ready to be dedicated. There was a tent for the barbecue over by the Baptist church. The band was tuning up their brass in the bandstand. There were huge American flags lining the streets."
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Chunkin' Pumpkins on Walden's Ridge
October, 1975
The photo, by newspaper photographer Robin Hood, shows young men from the Shepard's Lane Boys Ranch loading pumpkins into a trailer pulled by a tractor on the property of land-owner John Wooden.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Atlanta Hawks vs. New Orleans Jazz at UTC
On the night of Oct. 16, 1975, a near-capacity crowd of 4,177 packed UTC's Maclellan Gym to watch the NBA's Atlanta Hawks take on the New Orleans Jazz in an exhibition basketball game.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Hixson High School Color Guard
1975
The caption accompanying this photo set, which was taken by news photographer George Moody outside the school system's administrative offices on West 40th Street, notes that this event marked the kickoff of the school district's bicentennial celebrations during the 1975-76 school year.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Bill Battle
1975
In this 1975 photo, a young Bill Battle was the head coach of the University of Tennessee football team.
Despite a 59-22-2 cumulative record at UT (1970-76) and three national Top 10 finishes, Battle was forced out as coach of the Volunteers after the 1976 season to make way for Tennessee favorite son Johnny Majors, who had just coached the University of Pittsburgh Panthers to a national championship.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Miller Park
Sept. 3, 1975
This 1975 Chattanooga News-Free Press photo shows former Chattanooga mayor Robert Kirk Walker holding a sketch of the downtown park (later named Miller Park) which opened the following year.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
UTC Cheerleaders
1975
It was discovered in a box of color slides found recently at the Chattanooga Times Free Press offices on East 11th Street, but we were unable to find evidence that the image was ever published in the newspaper.
UPDATE: Several alert readers were able to document the names of the cheerleaders pictured in this photo. Pictured at the UTC football stadium, from left, are Susan Eady, Mark Shanks, Gale Cary, Janet Wandell, Leslie Bridwell, Hans Humberger and Melia Brooks. The photo was by Walter Strickland.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Pity the poor opossum stuck on Opossum Creek
Oct. 18, 1975
This photo of an unfortunate opossum was shot at the intersection of Big Opossum Creek and Highway 27 near Bakewell. The caption says the opossum "took refuge on a tree astride the Highway 27 Bridge."
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Eastgate Mall
1975
Photo taken in 1975, when Eastgate was at or near the height of its popularity as a retail destination. Some of its anchor tenants in the 1970s were Miller Brothers and J.C. Penney department stores and a Morrison's Cafeteria.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Julia Belle Swain
The Julia Belle Swain was a popular stern-wheeler — a replica of a mid-19th century American steamboat.
For five years in the 1970s, it was the toast of Chattanooga. Built in 1971 by Dubuque (Iowa) Boat and Boiler Works, it was docked in Chattanooga from 1972 to 1977.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Jackie Mitchell
These 1975 archive newspaper photos show a 63-year-old Beatrice "Jackie" Mitchell Gilbert. On April 2, 1931, then a 17-year-old Chattanooga school girl, took the mound for the Chattanooga Lookouts in an exhibition game against the visiting New York Yankees — one of the world's most famous sports teams — and struck out baseball legends Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
1975 Fire at Rogers Theater
From a box of Ektachrome color-positive film recently found at the Times Free Press offices on East 11th Street. Firefighters are seen in action after a popcorn machine caught fire.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Free Press Archives FP_Fire_RogersTheater1975
Ridgedale
1962
In 1962, the intersection of E. Main Street and Dodds Avenue was part of a busy commercial district in Ridgedale, a section of the city at the base of Missionary Ridge.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
1975 - History in Color
Bicentennial Library under construction
This photo, recovered recently from a box of newspaper negatives found at the Times Free Press, shows the five-story building under construction at 1001 Broad St., between 10th and 11th streets.
The library, which replaced the former public library on McCallie Avenue, was a focus of community pride when it was completed in 1976, America's bicentennial year.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Big 4 Bike Shop
1930s-1980s
Big 4 Bike Shop was an enthusiasts' paradise, but nothing in the newspaper record explains the name: "Big 4." Do you know what it means?
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Photo by: Delmont Wilson
Photos of Chattanooga's lost neighborhood uncovered
A newly discovered batch of historic photos shows the once-proud homes of Cameron Hill before the west-side neighborhood was flattened by progress in the late 1950s.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Southland Volkswagen - 1965
5915 Brainerd Rd.
Visible behind the showroom glass are a Beetle, a VW Transporter (bus) and a Karmann Ghia, an Italian-influenced car with VW components.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Photo Credit: EPB Archives
Market St. View 1963
View from 5th St. looking north recalls several car dealers occupied this stretch of a busy retail zone including Newton Chevrolet, Buehler's Food Market, Jack's Army Store and Smith-Owens Rambler.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Photo Credit: EPB Archives
The Golden Gateway
This January 1965 photo shows the Zayre department store and Red Food Store shopping center in Golden Gateway, part of a sprawling mid-century "urban renewal" project west of downtown.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Photo Credit: EPB Archives
RED FOOD STORE
The photo is dated June 1964, and according to newspaper ads that month large watermelons were 89 cents each at Red Food Stores, ice cream sold for 59 cents a half-gallon and saltine crackers were 19 cents a box. Spam (spiced ham) and "potted meat" were also listed prominently in a full-page newspaper ad, which may say something about changing consumer tastes in the last 50-plus years.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
History in color - Nov. 17, 1959
Mayor Olgiati, is pictured at the dedication ceremony of the Olgiati Bridge, which was tagged with his name while he was still in office. That day, Olgiati remarked, "I guess that an honor like this only comes to a man once in a lifetime. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."...
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Photo Credit: Pat St. Charles Jr.
The 'Downtown Sears'
Sears had occupied space on Sixth Street since the late 1920s, according to previous news reports, and would continue to operate downtown until 1988....
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Schroeder's Garden Center 1959
Located near the McCallie Avenue viaduct in Chattanooga: "Good landscaping doesn't just happen, it's planned and planted properly."...
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Shared view of Glass Street
...the snapshot was found in a small envelope of photographs given to her about 25 years ago by a church friend.
Also found, an electric street car on the Boyce Line - click the photo to see them both.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Arlene Rogers
Trinity-Woodmore Methodist Church
Trinity Methodist Church dated to 1899 when two smaller congregations merged into a new church building 'on the southwest corner of McCallie Avenue and Park Avenue in the thickly settled residential area.' By 1964 there were 344 members on the church's rolls...
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Chattanooga Neon & Electric Co.
The 1966 photo features Chattanooga Neon & Electric Co., a sign and wiring business then located at 801 North Market Street. William A. Jewell started his company in 1913, then called St. Elmo Electric...
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
May Pole dancers - 1964
It took some digging but we discovered that this 1964 Chattanooga News-Free Press photo was taken at the May Day celebration at Chattanooga Central High School, then located on Dodds Avenue...
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Dairy Gold - Brainerd
The Dairy Gold restaurant, near the corner of Brainerd and Moore roads, was a favorite cruising spot for teens in 1963, the year this photo appeared in the Chattanooga News-Free Press. The address, 4903 Brainerd Road, is now the site of a Waffle House restaurant...
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Andy Trotter
"For more than 20 years, beginning in the 1950s, Trotter-family car dealerships here made yearly gifts of vehicles to the United Cerebral Palsy Evaluation Center..."
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Uncle Herman's Chattanooga Shoe Store
For much of its run from late 1920s until the early 1980s, the shoe store in the 800 block of Market Street revolutionized off-price retailing...
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Miniature Museum
"The mini-museum photo reveals a lot about Chattanooga in the mid-1960s — including the fact that children from Sunnyside School would swarm a history exhibit housed in a trailer."
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
The Read House
Read House historian says the spirit in Room 311 takes up a lot of oxygen for a ghost
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Fire Safety!
This photograph from 1953 was part of a blitz of media coverage for Fire Prevention Week, which was supported wholeheartedly by mid-century public officials, civic leaders and ordinary citizens alike.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
LeGrand Jewelry Co. - 604 Market St.
"Buy the sterling silver you have always wanted at an amazingly low price. First time ever offered on sale!"
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Signal Crest UMC 1964
A 1964 photograph from the Chattanooga Free Press shows a building addition nearing completion at Signal Crest United Methodist Church on Ridgeway Ave. on Signal Mountain.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
1966 - 8.4" snowfall.
In late January, a snow storm dumped more than 8 inches of snow on the city. The next day temperatures dipped below zero.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Fountain of Youth
In a burst of late-summer bliss, children in 1947 streamed into the intersection of Douglas and East Eighth streets in Chattanooga after a water main was accidentally punctured by a worker.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
Thanks for the memories!
Shared photos in 2020
See photo selections from people who shared historic Chattanooga area photos over the past year.
Read more by Mark Kennedy at TIMESFREEPRESS.COM
