Monday, May 26, 2014

Lookout Mountain, Chattanooga, Tennessee 1886 and the Incline Railway 2014.


The view from the front seat of the Incline Railway Car is straight down to Chattanooga below. Fortunately the decent is at 6 mph. 


Traveling up or down the incline rail you pass another train traveling in the opposite direction. The track momentarily separates half-way through the one mile ride.

I insisted we travel to and from Lookout Mountain by this means because great grandfather John Morgan wrote that he took his wife Mellie with him on the Incline Rail in the 1880's.  Or so I thought. I haven't been able to locate that account in his journal since.

The first of January 1886 John Morgan traveled to the Southern States Mission and his daughter, Mellie, accompanied him to act as his secretary. She became ill during her stay and President Morgan remained in the area longer than he'd planned to nurse her to health.

March 14 1886  … got a carriage and took Mellie [daughter] and Misses Sarah and Susie Fowler to Lookout Mountain. Went to Rock City, Natural Bridge and other points Returned at 6 p.m. Mellie standing the trip pretty well. … 

(To be continued.)

2 comments:

  1. You are very brave, even at 6 mph. Don't you hate it when you read something and then can't find it again. I'm sure you will come up with it.

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  2. You are ever the optimist, Flora Lee, and thank you for your comment.

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