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Chattanooga, TN
Second Presbyterian
700 Pine Street
Chattanooga
, TN
423-266-2828
Second Presbyterian Church was founded in 1871 to accommodate the influx of post-War Northerners who were affiliated with the Northern branch of Presbyterianism. The current structure at the corner of Seventh and Pine Streets was designed by H.R. Hunt and was constructed in 1891. The building draws heavily from the Romanesque school of architecture, and is noted for its dramatic castle-like turrets and towers. The current church building is built on catacombs which can be toured.
This interesting architectural design was incorporated in the construction of the church to prevent flooding, which often was a tragic element of
Chattanooga
’s history during the Victorian period. The church contains twelve stained glass windows, one of which predates the current building. The Hattie Ackerman memorial window was crafted before 1880 as a memorial tribute to the school teacher and nurse to whom it was dedicated. In the summer of 1878 Ms. Ackerman tirelessly ministered to the
Chattanooga
’s citizenry that had fallen ill with Yellow Fever. In the fall of that year, Hattie Ackerman, too, fell ill and died. She has been known as one of the heroes of
Chattanooga
’s Yellow Fever epidemic of 1878. Prior to the construction of Memorial Auditorium, Second Presbyterian was used as the civic auditorium, and its seats were numbered like those in a theater.
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