On this day in 1867, Chattanooga experienced its worst flood in recorded history, as the Tennessee River reached 58 feet and inundated much of the city.
On March 7, 1867, the Tennessee River began to rise at the rate of one foot per hour. Chattanooga experienced floods every spring, but this one, later known as the Great Flood, continued to rise until March 11, when the waters crested at 57.9 feet above low water levels. The second day of the flood sent the Meigs Military Bridge (minus the stones from the Bluff Furnace walls) floating downriver, and by the fourth day, all but the highest ground in the city was under several feet of water. The inset photograph on the right, taken from Lookout Mountain, shows Chattanooga under this, the greatest flood in East Tennessee’s recorded history. The bottom left of the photograph shows the part of Moccasin Bend which stood above the water. Above that (to the North) is the top of Cameron Hill, and to the east of this is the high ground which bounded, roughly, by the bluff and today’s McCallie Avenue.
This flood (and two others in 1875 and 1886, both of which were more than 50 feet above low water levels) convinced the city, when rebuilding, to significantly raise the levels of Chattanooga’s streets. In some cases, current street levels are as much as ten feet higher than those of the last century. But even with today’s street levels, a flood on the scale of the Great Flood would reach the second level of many buildings on Market Street.
After the loss of the Meigs Bridge, ferries were again the only means of crossing the river. This remained the case for more than twenty years, until the Walnut Street Bridge was constructed. After a considerable delay because of contracting difficulties, construction finally began in July, 1889. The contractors built a wooden cofferdam that stood above water when it was placed on the riverbid. When the water was pumped out of the cofferdam, excavators removed sand and gravel to reach bedrock. When this was accomplished, masons constructed the piers on the dry riverbed. In one location, the contractor’s pumps were not strong enough to draw all the water from the cofferdam, and the city had to loan their fire engine to the construction effort. For two days the engine pumped out water while floating on a barge that, were it necessary, could take it back to shore to fight a fire.
In June, 1890, four of the six piers were finished, and work on the superstructure began. Nine months later, the Wlanut Street Bridge was officially opened. A large crowd attended the celebration, and the city was proud of this new link to the north bank of the river. Local boats, like the J.C. Warner (inset photograph at far left), could easily navigate the 320 foot spans, and water levels were never likely to get high enough to prevent boats from passing.
The Walnut Street Bridge established the first permanent link between Chattanooga and the rest of Hamilton County, and for the first time in seventy-five years, ferries stopped crossing the Tennessee to land to Ross’s Landing.
State Takeover of Memphis Schools Advances
A Memphis lawmaker is advancing legislation for a state takeover of the Memphis Shelby County School Board following the board’s controversial decision to dismiss its superintendent.
The specifics of the legislation are expected to be introduced this week after Rep. Mark White (R) discussed the matter with the governor and House and Senate leadership, who supported moving forward.
State leaders have expressed concern over the district’s direction after the contentious firing of Superintendent Dr. Marie Feagins on Jan. 21, who was succeeded by Roderick Richmond.
Feagins’ dismissal, criticized by local and state leaders, was attributed to issues related to communication and financial management by several board members, though Memphis leaders have largely opposed the option for the state to take control of the school district.
Lawmakers Propose More Recess Time at Schools
A proposed bill seeks to increase student physical activity requirements, aiming to promote children’s well-being. However, some educators express concerns about how to implement the changes.
The new legislation would raise the daily recess requirement for elementary students from 15 to 40 minutes, increasing the weekly total from 130 to 200 minutes.
The bill would also mandate that middle and high school students receive 90 minutes of physical activity or “unstructured play outside” each week, separate from traditional physical education classes.
JC Bowman, executive director and CEO of Professional Educators of Tennessee, said some educators worry about the availability of space and time to accommodate the proposed changes, along with concerns about the supervision of physical activity for middle and high school students.
TN Communities Among Nation’s Most Creative
Three of Tennessee’s communities rank on a new list of the nation’s most creative communities, alongside big cities like New York City and Miami.
Downtown Knoxville ranked No. 8 on the list, with the survey noting its art galleries, public sculptures, and local music.
The Gulch neighborhood in Nashville made the list at No. 17. It is noted as a key spot for emerging and established musical artists and a hot spot for food festivals and other events.
The South Main Arts District in Memphis came in at No. 72, noting its National Civil Rights Museum and historic venues. The full list of the 110 top creative venues is available here.
Man found shot near elementary school in Whitehaven
A man who had been shot was found near a Whitehaven elementary school on Monday morning, according to the Memphis Police Department.
Police say the victim was found in the area of 4100 Millbranch Road at around 5 a.m. The victim allegedly flagged a police officer down in front of the elementary school entrance saying he had been shot in the neck.
Reports say the victim believed he had been set up by a woman he was meeting in the area of Airways Boulevard and Ash Street. He said he was talking to the woman when she got on the phone and began arguing with another man.
A man in a small, red sedan then drove up beside the victim at East Raines Road and Ambrose Road and started shooting at him. The victim fled the area to get help after he was shot in the neck.
He was taken to Regional One in critical condition.
This is the second shooting so far this year at the location where the victim was located.
Witness recounts Jackson shooting, mayor reacts | WBBJ
Several shots rang out near the 1400 block of North Highland Avenue shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday.
JPD’s ShotSpotter technology had boots on the ground quickly, but not before two businesses received damage from the gunfire.
Both Walgreens and Highland Express at the intersection of North Highland Avenue and Campbell Street in midtown Jackson clearly have bullet holes in the windows.
Also spotted around the crime scene were chipped bricks on the outside of the buildings most likely caused by additional gunfire.
An eyewitness from inside Walgreens talks about that night.
“I thought it was firecrackers. I called 9-1-1 twice. They said they were investigating across the street at Highland Express. [I said] You guys gotta get over here quick because we have people that want to come in and people that want to leave. And they’re not going to leave and they’re not going to come in until I see police at the door,” said Donny Triller, eyewitness.
After the gunfire ceased, shell casings were found in aisles 14 and 16 at Walgreens. Luckily, no one was hit inside the store.
A Facebook post from City of Jackson Mayor Scott Conger states:
“Gun violence has no place in Jackson. We will not tolerate reckless actions that endanger lives and disrupt our neighborhoods. I urge anyone with information about this incident to come forward and assist law enforcement in their investigation. Please contact the Jackson Police Department at 731-425-8400 or Crime Stoppers at 731-424-8477.”
See Mayor Conger’s naive full post here.
