Chattanooga History Column: Cameron Hill has rich history

First of two parts. Read part two here.

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Located just west of downtown Chattanooga, Cameron Hill, the mirror image of Lookout Mountain, has a rich history. Given the hill’s proximity to settlements along the Tennessee River and the intersection of major trails to the south, Native Americans were certain to have used the promontory since prehistoric times as an observation point.

At the time of the Cherokee Removal in 1838, the state of Tennessee began selling the newly vacated land of the former Ross’s Landing. Businessman James Whiteside purchased much of the top and east side of Lookout Mountain as well as what became Cameron Hill. He built a mansion on Lookout Mountain and an in-town home on the north side of the hill.

While visiting Philadelphia, Whiteside met artist James Cameron, a Scotsman who studied in that city and in Italy. Whiteside persuaded the artist to come to Chattanooga and helped Cameron obtain commissions. The artist’s best known work was the 1859 painting of the Whiteside family on the terrace of its Lookout Mountain home.