Chattanooga History Collections
Formerly the collections of the Chattanooga History Center, the Chattanooga History Collections (CHC) feature photographs, personal papers, administrative records, books, and objects that document the rich and diverse history of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Since June 12, 2017, the Chattanooga Public Library (CPL) and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) have been proud to jointly steward these materials. CHC materials are housed in the Special Collections unit of the UTC Library and the Department of Local History & Genealogy at CPL. On March 1, 2025, CPL and UTC stopped supporting the PastPerfect Online database inherited from the Chattanooga History Center.
Accessing Materials
We provide access to detailed inventories of CHC collections in our Finding Aids. Further, digitized materials are freely available online in our Digital Collections. Digital Collections with CHC content include the following:
- Andrews Family papers
- Brock Candy Company photographs
- Chattanooga Civil Rights Movement Demonstrations photographs
- Chattanooga Fire Department photographs and records
- Chattanooga postcards and viewbooks
- Chattanooga oral histories
- Chattanooga Venture News newsletters
- Continental Film Productions photographs
- Crutchfield Family Antebellum Chattanooga papers
- Dixie Mercerizing Company photographs
- Ku Klux Klan photographs
- Lookout Mountain Civilian Conservation Corps photographs
- Sandy Sandlin Chattanooga Lookouts photographs
- Wheland Foundry and United States Pipe and Foundry Company photographs
Special Collections will continue to add records to our Finding Aids and Digital Collections.
Ask an Archivist
Please note that a significant amount of the Chattanooga History Collections material is not yet represented anywhere online. If you're researching the history of Chattanooga, personnel in Special Collections can help you identify pertinent resources. Please use our Ask an Archivist service for assistance.