Hi Oliver,

Chattanooga Trivea by John Shearer

I’ve lived in seven different states since leaving my hometown in Louisiana, but never longer in one state than Tennessee and in particular Chattanooga.  I’m still living just over the Tennessee border in North Georgia but it is so close to Chattanooga that if you miss the signs, the only way of knowing is the pavement in the road might change.

Chattanooga sits in a valley surrounded by mountains, ridges, and the Tennessee River.  It was the perfect place for General Sherman to make camp before marching into Atlanta during the Civil War.  Before the war, Chattanooga was just a town on a busy river, but after the war carpetbaggers from the north and Union soldiers came back to settle in the valley.

It survived floods and a period of industry that smothered it in smog for years.  Until one day the wonderful people of Chattanooga declared they would turn their town around and it was done.  Home to many famous products such as Olan Mills Portrait Studios, McKee Foods maker of Little Debbie snacks, Chattanooga Bakery known for the Moon Pies, Krystal restaurants, Chattem, Inc. producer of health products, U.S. Xpress and Covenant Transport  based in Chattanooga, and the Brock Candy Company (which later became Brach & Brock Candy).  But by far the most famous success story was the establishment of the first franchised Coca Cola Bottling Company in America which led to the establishment by the families who benefited from this success of several foundations that support Chattanooga and make it what it is today.

Clean, smog-free, and home to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Chattanooga State College, Lee University, Southern Adventist University, Covenant College, Bryan College, and Dalton State College; Memorial Hospital, Erlanger Hospital,  and Parkridge Medical Center; as well as private schools and award-winning public schools, the people of Chattanooga and surrounding areas  are proud of their heritage.

Tourism is now a big factor in the success of Chattanooga.  The Tennessee Aquarium boasts both a fresh and salt water museum with a hands-on experience for children and adults alike.  The entire riverfront has been transformed to hosts walking trails, parks, and home to the Delta Queen Riverboat, listed in the U.S. Historic Landmark is now a hotel and the oldest bridge across the Tennessee River, the Walnut Street Bridge, one of five bridges in Chattanooga is a walking bridge that connects the Bluff View Art District with the NorthShore Business District.  And nestled between hotels, museums, restaurants, and retail stores is the AT&T Baseball stadium home to the Chattanooga Lookouts minor league baseball team.

Downtown Chattanooga rests in a bend in the river known as Moccasin Bend.  Ross’ Landing, on the Riverwalk in downtown Chattanooga is part of  the Cherokee  Trail of Tears which ended in what is now the state of Oklahoma.  North of the city is Walden’s Ridge home of the Town of Signal Mountain where Signal Point is part of the Chattanooga-Chickamauga National Military Park.  Although used as a signaling point during the Civil War, the Cherokee Indians first took advantage of the magnificent view of the Tennessee River Gorge, the deepest gorge east of the Mississippi River.

North of Chattanooga is Lookout Mountain which draws tourists from all over the world to ride the Incline Railroad up the side of the mountain, hike deep into the mountain to see Ruby Falls, or stand at the edge of Rock City and be able to see seven states on a clear day.  South of the city, just over the state line in Georgia are Rossville (home of 2011 American Idol runner-up Lauren Alana and the 2011 ABC TV’s Extreme Makeover Home); Ft. Oglethorpe, Ringgold, and Chickamauga (home of the Chickamauga Battlefield scene of the last major Confederate victory in the Civil War.)  East of Chattanooga is the newest industry to Hamilton County, the Volkswagen Plant which began production in early 2011.

So you can see Oliver, Chattanooga is a city rich in history; diverse in its culture; beautiful four seasons; generous foundations; great outdoor adventures; and especially people who enjoy living in the crossroads to the rest of the United States for it is said that at one time because of Chattanooga’s geographical setting anyone traveling North or South had to go through Chattanooga to get there.

Fortunately for me and my family, we stayed!

P.S. – Oliver is a fith grade student.  His class is doing a geography project.  I was asked to write in his “Traveling Notebook” about where I live.

Read Full Post »

Something to be Proud Of

How does one write a non-fiction book and use creative writing techniques?  My co-author Mary Scott Norris and I asked ourselves that question when we made a proposal to Arcadia Publishing.

It began when I was approached by Arcadia to do a history of the Town of Signal Mountain for their Image of America Series.  Not having any knowledge of the Town’s history, I approached fellow writer Mary Scott because she was the assistant librarian at the Town Library.  She also served on the town historical committee, and more importantly she wrote an excellent historical column in the local paper, The Signal Mountain Mirror.

Together we researched and gathered hundreds of pictures, scanned them, organized them, and documented their source.  Schools, churches, libraries, museums, and local families were among our sources.  But it became clear from the start that Mary Scott and I did not want to publish a book of pictures with captions.  Both writers, we wanted to tell a story.  And so our journey began as we took nine months to write words that told the history of our town.

We didn’t make anything up; we didn’t stray from our desire to stay focused on the truth.  Along the way we learned a lot, met some very nice people, and believe in our hearts that our book is a valuable contribution to the residents of Signal Mountain.  I was reminded of that when I got a check, albeit small, that the book is still selling; after all history doesn’t change.  The book still makes a fine addition to a home library, a nice gift for a favorite teacher or grandparent or relative that grew up in the town.

Even if I don’t live in the Town of Signal Mountain anymore, I’m proud I took nine months of my life to produce the book.  I’m sure Mary Scott agrees with me.  We gained a friend in each other and we put down in writing a local history like no one had done before.  That is something to be proud of.

Read Full Post »

The Ever-Elusive Memoir

Memoir – A narrative composed from personal experiences. (Merriam-Webster)

It is not a biography of one’s life, from start to finish; it is a tiny segment of one’s life.

My first book was a collection of memoirs about one of Signal Mountain’s early rural letter carriers, Ellis Smith.  Mr. Smith wanted to tell his story about the many years he served his community, especially the vast number of personal notes he received while delivering the mail.

Reluctant to put himself in the spotlight, Mr. Smith avoided asking me or anyone for that matter, to help him write his story.  But a plea from his wife and daughter for me to write the story was answered. And we began a journey of writing bits and pieces of his life.

For a year we met once a week, this kind gentleman who came back from World War II a decorated soldier, as he told me the stories of his life after the war.  Each week I would write the stories down on paper and return them to him the next week where he would review them and make corrections or clarifications.  Week after week we repeated this process.  In the end, we realized his collections of memoirs made a book.  We had a beautiful history, not only of his letter carrying days but his childhood and his life with his family after retirement.

The book is out of print, but it touched not only Mr. Smith’s family and friends but also hundreds of people who were on his mail route or who were friends with his parents and grandparents.  Because his family, the Winchesters, were one of the original twelve pioneer families of Walden’s Ridge, Mr. Smith’s stories impacted many lives.

Mr. Smith wanted to tell a story.  The decision to do that eluded him for years.  Per chance we met and he chose me to write his words.  Together we published a written account of his personal life that will live on in the memories of his children and grandchildren.  Isn’t that exactly what a memoir is intended to do?

Read Full Post »