The Fort Wood Historic District is a historic neighborhood in Chattanooga bounded by Palmetto Street, McCallie Avenue, East 4th Street, and O'Neal Street, just east of the UTC campus.
According to the National Park Service, Fort Wood was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The National Park Service document states that Fort Wood derives its name from an earthen work redoubt constructed during the 1863 Union occupation of Chattanooga.
Currently, there are Civil War cannons located in the yards of two residences. The cannons were placed there by the National Park Service as part of its interpretative program of the Civil War battles fought in and near Chattanooga.
Years after the Civil War land in Fort Wood was auctioned off in the 1880s. Having electric streetcars, the area became a fashionable high-end residential area. Many of the homes in Fort Wood are stunning architectural marvels designed in Queen Anne, Tudor Revival, Romanesque Revival, and Spanish Colonial Revival styles.
In the National Register of Historic Places document, it states that between 1900 and 1910 development was rapid, and the area became one of the most exclusive residential sections in town. It states that many of the residents were Chattanooga's leading citizens. George Fort Milton was publisher and part owner of the Chattanooga News. T.C. Thompson was Mayor of Chattanooga between 1909-1915. Another Fort Wood resident was Samuel Read, owner of the Read House.
According to the documents most of the homes currently serve as civil clubs or fraternity houses for the students of UTC. One is the iconic Patten House at UTC.
Another home on Oak Street houses a Twelve Tribes Community. The religious group operates The Yellow Deli on McCallie Ave. House made bread for their sandwiches, fresh salads and soups, a variety of drinks, breakfast items and desserts. I’ve dined there a few times. The food is good, especially their chili, and the interior decoration makes it feel like you’re dining in a tree house.
Former Chattanooga Mayor Edmund Watkins had a house at 801 Vine Street which is now known as the Mayor's Mansion Inn Bed and Breakfast. The house was built in 1889. According to the Inn’s website, today, the restored Mayor’s Mansion Inn is a historic bed and breakfast in a home that is more than 13,000 square feet.
The Inn features five beautifully appointed rooms and six lavish suites, each with private baths. Guests enjoy a delicious three-course gourmet breakfast each morning of their stay in the lovely Tiffany Dining Room. There is the peaceful Library for relaxation, and the Fort Wood Ballroom is an elegant setting for weddings and corporate events.
Fort Wood has two Jewish Synagogues, Mizpah Congregation and Chabad Jewish Center of Chattanooga. Mizpah was founded in 1866 by a small group of Western European and German Jewish businessmen, most of whom had been mustered out of the army following the Civil War.
The early history of the congregation was most influenced by the Julius Ochs family, who moved to Chattanooga in 1878. They were the parents of Adolph S. Ochs, who was the publisher of both The Chattanooga Times and The New York Times. The members of Mizpah practice Reform Judaism which preserves traditions while also embracing new innovations and diversity.
Chabad Jewish Center of Chattanooga offers Synagogue services, adult education, Hebrew School, women’s events, and has a Mikvah. Mikvah is a natural body of water or a gathering of water that has a designated connection to natural water. The pool is designed specifically for immersion, according to the rules and customs of Jewish law. It contains about 200 gallons of water.
While technically just outside of the Fort Wood district I highly recommend you walk around the UTC Campus and take in all the lush scenery and buildings. While there, check out the Confederate Cemetery that sits between East 3rd Street and Mocs Alumni Drive.
The folks who operate Chattanooga Ghost Tours offer a nighttime ghost hunt at the Cemetery which is said to be quite active and haunted. Seeing it in the daytime is still creepy but a bit less scary than at nighttime.