Before North Chattanooga was heavily commercialized – some might even say, gentrified – it was a solidly middle-class neighborhood with roots in the 19th century. Former slaves are said to have started an encampment there just after the end of the Civil War.
In this photo from the 1950s, traffic collects at the intersection of Market Street and Frazier Avenue near the north end of the Market Street Bridge, perhaps at rush hour as workers returned to the neighborhoods north of the Tennessee River.
The photo is part of an online collection curated by local history buff Sam Hall. To explore the photograph at full resolution visit ChattanoogaHistory.com/rememberwhen.
A cropped close-up shows that angel food cake was on sale at the A&P supermarket in North Chattanooga in this photo from the 1950s. / Photo contributed by ChattanoogaHistory.com“This photo is a good example of how much detail photo negatives contained,” said Hall, who has noted that this image was part of a collection of city of Chattanooga Public Works photographs donated to the website by former city worker, Perry Mayo.
Hall said that by viewing the photo in full resolution one can see that the A&P supermarket had “angel food cake and orange juice on sale” when the photo was taken.