I have been enjoying revisiting Red Bank's history. From reading about the first name of Red Bank to the street car that came up through our beloved community of Red Bank. I drew a pin and ink drawing of what the old Red Bank Elementary School looked like. It was torn down in the 1990's to make way for a new shopping center. The property was home for not just the elementary school but the wooden structure that was the middle school. The wooden structure burned in the 1930's.
The church on the hill was the first church that most denominations used until they feathered off into their own buildings. Found some wonderful history on most of the churches in Red Bank. My family and I grew up attending Red Bank Baptist Church. One of my uncles was an ordained minister at our church.
My family and friends have been swaping stories of growing up in Red Bank. My father told me of early days of Red Bank High School that found a home on Dayton Boulevard in the late 1930's. A section of the building burned down. It was called the Anex which was mostly metal and glass. Part of my family attended school at the beginning while another part graduated at the end of it as a high school. The school's signature was the brick boy and girl on the auditorium's front wall. The art piece was invented by a student's father back in the 1950's. In 2012, Red Bank High School alumni and community came together to help save the sculpture from the debris pile. The sculpture was safely moved to the present spot in front of the high school. Red Bank High School alumni Marty Green and his crew worked in the 95+ degree weather to put the sculpture back together.
The Chattanooga Memorial Park (aka Duck Pond) on Memorial Drive was Sherman's hideout. The Union troops hid out in the area while waiting for reinforcements. James Avenue Ballfields (Norma Cagle's Fields) is the former home of the White Oak Elementary School. Before the renewal of the fields, the smaller field once had in the ground dug outs. The brick foundation of the old school was just under the ball field dirt. Nowadays, the handicap ramp marks the spot.
I love looking at all the old pictures and listening to the wonderful stories. I am truly belessed to be raised in Red Bank. Our community has a magical past but the future looks good as well. The new park across from the Food City Shopping Center. New businesses are coming in with Bojangles' and a few others have come in. New houses are going up and new interest in Red Bank is building. New Middle School, Erlanger has reinvented the hospital in Red Bank. The community pool has been reinvented.
Laura Crane