Underground Chattanooga is an intriguing topic that has been a subject of much speculation and debate over the years. The story goes that in Chattanooga, on March 4, 1867, a rainstorm began that wouldn’t quit for four days. By March 9, 1867, the water in the downtown area had risen to 4 to 8 feet over the city streets. Unfortunately, there was no warning given to the people living and working in the area, resulting in many lives lost and a large number of buildings enduring structural damage.

The bridge linking Chattanooga’s north and south was washed away and telegraph lines were destroyed. Local farms were severely damaged, and homes and businesses along the river were catastrophically destroyed. With the river rising at one foot per hour and looting running rampant, the Chattanooga American Union wrote that “the losses of our merchants, businessmen, and citizens cannot be estimated.” The death toll remains unknown to this day, but it is clear that the number of deaths was high as corpses were floating in the streets.

In the aftermath of the flood, it was decided that the streets would be raised to eliminate future flooding. A 40-block area of downtown was raised by 3 to 15 feet. Parts of Cherry and Chestnut Streets, as well as Market and Broad Streets, were completely packed. However, there is no official documentation of exactly what was actually done, leading to speculation and controversy over the years.

Some claim that it used to be standard practice for buildings downtown to have steps leading into their basements. These walk-downs, some of which had handrails and descended to a basement entrance, were present at the time in downtown Chattanooga. The windows in the basements allowed for both light and ventilation. A few photographs of structures taken over a thirty-year period show little to no alteration exists. Archways in some buildings could be accounted for by the fact that they served as structural supports.

It is important to note that the raising of the streets, if it did occur, would not have been the only reason for the presence of architectural anomalies, such as window arches at ground level. This can also be attributed to other factors such as urban infrastructure expansion and the use of basements for commercial purposes.

In 1933, the Tennessee Valley Authority Act was passed and that brought on the construction of the Chickamauga dam which helped regulate the Tennessee river and prevented the downtown area from flooding. This further adds to the confusion and speculation surrounding the story of underground Chattanooga.

The next time you’re in the downtown area, take a look for yourself and make up your own mind as to the probable history of downtown Chattanooga and its story of how underground Chattanooga came to be. It is important to note that while the story of the raising of the streets is a popular one, there is no concrete evidence to support it, and it is important to consider alternative explanations for the architectural anomalies present in the downtown area.