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, house, and curate these materials. Read more about the transfer of the Chattanooga History Collections to CPL and UTC here.

Accessing Materials

There are two main types of physical materials represented in the Chattanooga History Collections: archival collections (largely comprised of paper documents, photographs, and other print materials) and material objects (three-dimensional objects such as industrial molds and products, household goods, furniture, and clothing).

CHC material objects are housed at the Chattanooga Public Library. For more information about these holdings, please contact the Local History & Genealogy unit at CPL. You can also browse a representative sample of materials in the collections at Chattanooga History Collections Online.

CHC archival collections and digital collections are housed at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Access descriptive guides of Chattanooga History Center collections in our Finding Aids. You can also browse a representative sample of materials in the collections at Chattanooga History Collections Online. In addition, several collections from CHC Online are now available to view in UTC Digital Collections.

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 with this collection.

Crediting Images

Researchers using or requesting high quality copies of materials from the Chattanooga History Collections Online should credit the images as follows, "Courtesy of the Chattanooga Public Library and University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Special Collections.” credit the images as follows, "Courtesy of the Chattanooga Public Library and University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Special Collections.”