A group of local area citizens has formed a new organization, the Soddy, Daisy and Montlake Historical Association. The new association plans to preserve and display the unique histories of these North Hamilton County communities.
The Soddy, Daisy and Montlake communities have made contributions to the history of Hamilton County and the state of Tennessee beginning with their roles in American Indian history, Civil War history and the coal mining, pottery and hosiery mill industries. The association intends to collect historical items, stories and information about these histories and to display them in a permanent museum facility.
The association also seeks to preserve information about the many family histories in the area.
The initial slate of officers for the new association are: President, Steve Smith, Vice President, Tom Levi, Julia Fugate, Secretary and Scott Brogdon, Treasurer. The Board of Directors will consist of Don Crawley, William J. (Bill) Shadwick, Cindy Cunnyngham, Kenneth Thomas and Brandon Thurman.
Mr. Smith said, “Our mission is to preserve as much of our history as possible.”
Mr. Brogdon said, “We have so much history here in such a small area. We must do everything we can to save the history for future generations.”
The association is currently developing a membership program to engage the local communities in financial and organizational support. The association will also be seeking contribution or loan of historical artifacts relating to these important chapters in the history of the communities for curation and display.
The association requests that inquiries regarding membership and donation or loan of historical items be directed to Steve Smith at slsmith01@comcast.net.