Chattanooga history is kind of our thing. We geek out over The Civil War, the Native American culture that once inhabited the area and, of course, floods (lots and lots of flooding). But sometimes we run across photos that make us say, “Huh?!”
We asked the folks at Picnooga — an online Chattanooga history organization — to send us the most bizarre photos from their extensive online collection. We also used a few photos the River City Company archives.
Many of the photos are mysterious because we don’t know much about them. We’d love to hear your thoughts on the below photos. Let us know if you have some historical context to provide … or even if you just want to make a snarky comment. We like both. 😉
Here are 10 of our favorite, most bizarre photos of Chattanooga:
It’s not every day you see a water skiing demonstration on the Tennessee River. Especially, if that display includes a creepy, water skiing clown. 🤡 A quick Google search suggests this photo depicts the Cyprus Goldens ski team from Winter Haven, Florida. We hope the clown was a part of the show and not just there.
Every man dressed like they were on the set of “Dragnet” back in the 1950s. We have no idea what these men in the photo were doing, but it sure looks like that cash register is in some serious trouble. In reality, this is probably a photo of two detectives inspecting burglary evidence left down by the river. It’s more fun to imagine them trying to arrest the cash register, though. 💸
What’s more fun than trick-or-treating, you ask? How about finding candy in a big pile of hay in the Woolworth’s parking lot? Haystack Candy Search was 🍭 a popular fall festival carnival game in the 1950s and 1960s. True story: I found my wife in a haystack.
Well, I suppose they couldn’t call it “Dead Man’s Curve” because that would be too risqué. How about “Crash Corner” instead? Seriously, this intersection has always been a bit dangerous. 🚧 It’s a blind hill and motorists often speed. Of course, we could be completely wrong about the caption. “Rash Corner” is a different thing entirely. *Shudder* 😕
Many of us have hobbies. I enjoy birdwatching 🐦 and collecting old tobacco tins. My wife likes kickball. The man pictured above apparently enjoys growing long green beans. His beans were so long that somebody took a photo of him holding them for the newspaper. We salute you, Mr. Green Beans. 🖖
At first glance, this photo seems innocent enough. It’s the former J.C. Penney’s Building at Market and 6th Street. Opened in 1937, this building was demolished in the 1980s to build the city courts building. But look closer. Directly next to the entrance of J.C. Penny is an advertisement for “Adult Mini Shows.” Huh? I can imagine a husband, weary from shopping, saying something like, “Hey, honey, you go on in … I’ll be … umm … next door for a while.” 📽️
This photo has a lot going on. It’s from a 1965 parade in downtown Chattanooga. First, notice the creepy John Wayne Gacy clown on the left. 🤡 No thank you, sir. Then, we have the long horse car thing with a bunch of Shriners riding up top. But look at their faces. Are they in pain? Is it too hot to sit? What’s going on? 🐴
Many of us peaked in high school. I believe my stunning portrayal of the dastardly Petruchio from Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew” was my best moment in life so far. The woman pictured above must have felt the same way after being crowned “Chiropractic Posture Queen” of 1960 for the Chattanooga area.
Long before personal computers, students in the late 1960s still needed to learn how to drive cars. Enter the Drivotrainer, (that was really the name of it) a device that allowed students to watch a driving simulation on a screen and follow along. Every action — braking, hesitation, etc. — was recorded and students either passed or failed depending on the results.
No, this is not an execution. It’s a very early staged photo from the Charles Walline collection of almost 400 glass plate negatives. Walline was an amateur photographer who worked at D.B. Loveman’s downtown. These photos were taken during the late 1890s and early 1900s. View the entire collection here.
