The Missionary Ridge neighborhood has plenty of beautiful homes, but the history of the neighborhood is far more interesting.
Winding throughout the houses are several monuments as well as historical markers detailing Missionary Ridge’s ties to the Civil War. Sections of the neighborhood are part of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga Military Park.
The neighborhood stretches across seven miles atop a 500-foot mountain on North, West and South Crest Road.
On November 25, 1863, more than 50,000 Union soldiers stormed the Confederate defenses along Missionary Ridge east of Chattanooga. The attack stretched from the Rossville Gap at the Georgia border all the way up to Tunnel Hill at the northern end of Missionary Ridge. By the end of the day the Confederate Army of Tennessee was retreating towards Dalton, Georgia and Chattanooga was firmly in Union hands.
Along the crest of Missionary Ridge are a series of eight reservations and monuments that tell the story of key areas of the Battle of Missionary Ridge. Most of these reservations and monuments are in residential neighborhoods along a narrow road at the crest of the ridge. But some tablets and cannons are located on private property in residents' yards.
At the intersection of Highway 27 and West Crest Road is the Iowa Reservation. After the Battle of Missionary Ridge, thousands of Iowans celebrated their victory with a grand review through the Rossville Gap. Although these men did not fight in the gap during the battle, their fond memories of the celebratory march inspired them to place a large monument at the site.
Just a few miles north on South Crest Road is the Bragg Reservation. This reservation marks the location of Confederate General Braxton Bragg's headquarters during the Battle of Missionary Ridge.
A little further north is the Ohio Reservation. It was here that the Union soldiers of Thomas Wood's Division of IV Corps attacked Missionary Ridge. Among these men where many Ohioans.
On North Crest Road is the Turchin Reservation. General John Turchin. He was born in Russia and educated at the Imperial Military Academy in St. Petersburg and served several years in the Russian Army throughout Europe before immigrating to the United States. There are a tablet and two cannons at the Turchin Reservation.
There is no public parking here and North Crest Road is too narrow to park on the side of the road. To park turn down a side street, or park at DeLong Reservation and walk back. The DeLong Reservation on North Crest Road is a monument to the 2nd Minnesota Infantry that fought at this area. In addition to the 2nd Minnesota Monument are several tablets and cannons.
The Phelps Monument honors Colonel Edward Phelps who led his brigade up the slope of Missionary Ridge. Just as he reached the crest, he was struck and killed by a Confederate bullet at this spot. The monument is an upward facing cannon. According to the Park’s website there is no parking at this location. Do not block or park in private driveways.
The 73rd Pennsylvania honors the men, many who veterans of many of the major engagements. As they charged Confederate rifle pits in the hills at the north end of Missionary Ridge in Chattanooga, the unit was cut off from the rest of the brigade. As a result, nearly the entire regiment was killed, wounded, or captured. Only 25 men avoided capture.
The monument is located at the intersection of Glass Street and Campbell Street just off North Crest Road. There is no parking at this location. To visit either park in a public space in the commercial area of Glass Street and walk, or park at the Sherman Reservation and hike down a short trail that connects the Sherman Reservation and the 73rd Pennsylvania Reservation.
Located at the northern end of North Crest Road is the Sherman Reservation. At fifty acres, this is the largest of the reservations on Missionary Ridge and preserves the area where General William T. Sherman's troops assaulted the Confederate defenses on Tunnel Hill.
There is a small parking area at the intersection of Lightfoot Mill Road and North Crest Road. A small trail leads into the reservation, which contains several monuments, tablets, and cannon. There is also a connector trail allowing visitors to hike between the Sherman Reservation and the 73rd Pennsylvania Reservation down the hill along Glass Street.
There is a famous house located on Missionary Ridge. Recently the Frank Lloyd Wright home in Missionary Ridge was listed for $1.6 Million. The home sold for $4 Million dollars. The home was sold to a couple outside of the Nashville area and the sale closed on August 7, 2026.
You can drive along Missionary Ridge and enjoy the grand estates but another way to enjoy Missionary Ridge is taking a train ride. The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum offers a 65-minute train ride along the Ridge. Guests get to ride a vintage diesel-powered passenger car through Chattanooga, pass through the pre–Civil War Missionary Ridge Tunnel, watch the locomotive turn on a working turntable, and tour the museum’s active restoration shop.