One of the remarkable Will Stokes photos from the turn of the century, amplified with Sam Hall's Deep Zoom technique, gives an interesting view of the section around where City Hall was built.
It was taken from the top of the Custom House on E. 11th Street.
The photo shows a shack with a lot surrounded by a board fence where the stately City Hall would be erected a few years later.
Eleventh Street was little more than a trail beyond King Street.
King Street was developed with several industries, including the tall Mountain City Mills, that remains at the same site.
The Belt Line Railroad can be seen in the vicinity of 10th Street. It connected with another Belt Line section near the National Cemetery.
The East Tennessee Virginia and Georgia elevated track is shown - with overpasses at 9th Street, 10th Street and 11th Street. The overpasses are still in place, though the train no longer runs.
Several houses sported clothes lines - in the days long before the modern washer and dryer.
Go to the photo here at the Deep Zoom site: http://deepzoomchattanooga.com/stokesgallery.php#stokes284
Click on the photo to make the details emerge.