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Short History of Signal Mountain

Circa 1870,
some photographers on
Signal Point

by Dr. Marshall C. St. John

In the Fall of 1863 the Union Army used Signal Point, near Alexian Village, as a communications station to send signals to Signal Headquarters in Chattanooga by fire, smoke and flags. This naturally indicates the origin of the name of this community.

The town of Signal Mountain began as a dream in the mind of Charles E. James, who had big plans for various railroads. In 1911 he purchased 4400 acres of land on Walden's Ridge. He had seen a great hotel on Lookout Mountain, and he wanted to build one on Walden's Ridge. By 1913 twelve miles of streetcar track had been laid, and Signal Mountain was now easily accessible from the valley below.

Signal Mountain Inn opened in June, 1913, and became popular with the "snowbirds" on their way to Florida. By 1918 the Signal Mountain Golf Course was completed. James was enthusiastic about the opportunities on Signal Mountain, and in addition to the Inn he constructed hiking trails and a casino with a dance floor, as well as an additional 200 rooms. During WWI many of these rooms were occupied by friends and families of soldiers that were stationed at Fort Oglethorpe, on the southern side of Chattanooga near the Chickamauga Battlefield.

Farmers from Walden's Ridge, Red Bank, Mountain Creek and the other nearby places were accustomed to running livestock unattended all over the mountain, looking for fodder. When the animals discovered the new golf course they were immediately attracted, and congregated on the fairways! On April 4, 1919, the Tennessee Legislature chartered the new Town of Signal Mountain. The first ordinance passed prohibited running cattle inside the town limits, much to the relief of all the golfers. The ordinance provided for a fine of $5 to $10 for each offense.

The town employed Jim Rogers on a saddle horse to chase the animals off the golf course into a corral, where owners could come to bail out their strays. In a similar vein, the town passed another ordinance in 1926 prohibiting home owners from allowing weeds in their yards over ten inches tall!

Charles E. James

The first mayor, of course, was Charles E. James. He served as Mayor from 1919-1921, along with three commissioners elected by the town's voters. When he died in 1925, 200 houses had already been built on Signal Mountain, chiefly on land close to his Signal Mountain Inn (now Alexian Brothers Village). The mountain was still considered chiefly as a retreat from the summer's heat, and many of these houses were mere summer homes. The Palisades area was yet a wild forest at this time.

In 1927 Signal Mountain Elementary School opened, as well as a fire station, a town hall and a makeshift jail for the infrequent criminal. (Signal Mountain is still one of the safest areas in which to live, being virtually crime-free.) The Alexian Brothers purchased the Signal Mountain Inn in 1936. It is now a monastery and a retirement/nursing home for the elderly. In 1939 the town constructed the old swimming pool near the golf course, and it is still a popular spot to beat the summer heat. The park nearby features tennis courts and softball diamonds, as well as a shelter house and picnic area.

Thrasher Elementary school, on James Boulevard, opened in 1961, and grew rapidly with the population of Signal Mountain. Elementary students are now served by Thrasher, and Nolan Elementary School. There is also Signal Mountain Christian School, which presently serves children K-3, and is planning to add grades 4-5 by the year 2002. Signal Mountain Middle School is for students grades 6-8. High School students must still travel off the mountain. Most go to Red Bank High School, but almost an equal number attend the many private schools in Chattanooga. There is now quite a movement among the citizens of Signal Mountain to have our own high school, and efforts are underway to finance it, and to persuade the Hamilton County School Board to build the school.

In 1950 the town was made a "bird sanctuary," and the shooting of guns within city limits was prohibited. Signal Mountain Library was established in 1970 (the new building was constructed in 1988), and a new sewer system was installed for part of the town. The ground is really too rocky for extensive sewer construction, and most homes still have their own septic systems.

In May of 1990 the Tennessee Legislature amended the charter of the Town of Signal Mountain to convert it to the Council/Manager form of government.

The history of Signal Mountain and C. E. James is much more complicated and interesting than can be expressed in this short article. For more information the reader is directed to the works of James L. Douthat, which may be purchased at Signal Mountain's "Wild Hare Bookstore."