(Editor’s note: Third in a series)
Boynton Park, located on the crest of Chattanooga’s Cameron Hill, had become a treasured landmark during the decades following the death of Medal of Honor recipient and National Parks advocate Henry Boynton. The 11-acre site provided breathtaking views of the Tennessee River and the points surrounding the city that had witnessed the engagements referred to by historians as the Battles for Chattanooga. Additionally, picturesque rose gardens, meandering paths and leafy oaks along with the occasional cannon and historical marker made the park a favorite site for family gatherings and as a playground for the families who chose to build homes on Cameron Hill.
A search of newspaper archives reveals only one early controversy about the park. In the Aug. 11, 1934, edition, an attention-grabbing headline in the Chattanooga Daily Times reads: “Boynton Park Shown as ‘Neckers’ Hangout’.” At a meeting of the Chattanooga Civitan Club earlier that week, a resident of Cameron Hill had complained that the park had become a “midnight meeting place for ‘neckers’ which … constitute a menace to the younger generation.” Garnet Anderson Jr. asked for the formation of a committee to work with the police to “keep the park clear of the disturbers.” Commissioner of Fire and Police Eugene J. Bryan reminded members that the park was under the city parks’ authority and had its own “watchmen.” He did, however, advise the committee that the “efficiency of the new radio system” in city patrol cars would allow a car to be on-site within three minutes of a call “at any time of day or night” if needed. It was not until 23 years later that the park again played prominently in the local press.
In June 1957, the possibility that Cameron Hill and Boynton Park might be altered significantly by a planned urban renewal project became a topic of controversy for residents. On June 18, Zella Armstrong, then Hamilton County historian, called the plan into question with a lengthy editorial that questioned, “Why should a small group of Chattanoogans and some ‘experts’ called in from Atlanta, North Carolina and other points, even China, destroy Cameron Hill?” Armstrong traced the history of the region – from DeSoto to Prince Madoc’s Welsh followers – forward to the settlement of Chattanooga and concluded with Cameron Hill’s role in the Civil War – and then referenced Joyce Kilmer. “Only God can make a tree and it is also true that only God can make a mountain.” She urged citizens to protest the “destruction” at a city commission meeting at 2 p.m. the following Thursday.
Three days later, Armstrong was back in the Chattanooga Times asking, “Do you want your taxes increased to provide $5,000,000?” She then noted that three of the leading Chattanooga newspapers were opposed to the “destruction of Cameron Hill,” citing Chattanooga News-Free Press, the Lookout and the Hamilton County Herald editorial comments. Armstrong was apparently lobbying the Chattanooga Times for its influence, too.