1893 Map of Chattanooga

About this map

The Tennessee River snakes through the heart of this landscape, its banks defined by a pre-dam network of water crossings like Blythe Ferry, Harrison Ferry, and Brown Ferry. In the final decades of the 19th century, Chattanooga appears as a burgeoning rail hub where the Western and Atlantic R. R. and Cincinnati Southern Railroad converge. This survey captures the industrial footprint of the era, from the McNabb Mines and Aetna Mines in the southwest to the prominence of Walden Ridge. The map documents the intricate settlement patterns of vanished or changed communities like Fair Mount, Norman Store, and the early layout of Dunlap along the Sequatchie River. The presence of numerous gaps through the ridges, such as Henson Gap and Anderson Gap, highlights the natural corridors that dictated early Tennessee transport and trade.