Group Photo

Likely of a family & hired help - each person’s face hints at their story and their personal state of mind. On the front row, a man dons a watch fob from the Knights of Pythias; a fraternal organization and secret society. It reveals that he holds a Knight Degree and is a member of the ‘Uniformed Rank’, which participated in parades and other processions.

This was the golden age of secret societies and fraternal organizations. The 1903 Chattanooga City Directory listed 22 of them.

Riverfront

The new ‘iron bridge’ was a catalyst for Chattanooga’s growth to the north of the river in Hill City. Though this glass plate negative was poorly developed and contained some damage, many interesting points of interest can be noted including early development of Cameron Hill, a riverboat at the city wharf area. And, a very long drainage pipe of some kind from current-day Bluff View to the river.

The features are very similar to this view taken from Stringer’s Ridge - likely 1898-1900.

Elaborate Humor

One of several photos featuring young men going to great lengths to stage spoofed scenes. Camp Hobson was a military camp in Lithia Springs, GA that was used during the Spanish-American War. I suspect the tent came from that encampment, but is likely part of camping gear rather than active military duty.

Playing to the Camera

Your great-grandparents were quite the cut-ups. The ladies are supposed to be feigning grief over an execution scene but appear to be hiding their laughter instead.

The man with the blindfold has a paper bullseye target around his neck. Oh you kids!

Camp Dewey, Nashville

Capt. Fred Phillips Jr. reads the Chattanooga Daily Times from Nov. 30th, 1898. Mr. Phillip’s photo appears many times in two different glass plate negative collections and was likely friends with the photographer(s). An article on the paper headlined ‘Uneasiness in Macon’ is easily found in searches from other digitized newspapers - allowing us to know the date. Unfortunately, few Chattanooga newspapers are digitized. READ MORE

His home at 704 East 4th Street was also a well-documented structure (now a parking lot behind UTC’s McKenzie Arena).

Mr. Phillips had a varied and impressive career. By 1917 he was a Brigadier General and Secretary of the National Rifle Association. Yet he entered education after the Spanish American War. In 1905, was vice-Principal of Chattanooga High School. Had it not been for a blatant and cowardly political move by a superintendent in 1907, he would have likely stayed in education. The details are remarkable and worth reading.