Only known photo of the historic Hooper House turned up in appraisal photos
photo by From the Pat St. Charles, Jr., Collection scanned by Sam Hall, Chattanoogahistory.com
The "stuccoed" Hooper House was at the corner of Fourth and Cedar
Plat shows the historic Hooper property where General Thomas made his headquarters
An antebellum home at Cameron Hill that was used as a headquarters by General George H. Thomas during the Civil War was among the casualties of Urban Renewal.
Little is known about the owners of the Hooper House and only recently did a photo of the historic two-story, stuccoed house surface.
Historian Zella Armstrong, who fought long and hard to try to save Cameron Hill, said the house was the third one built in Chattanooga. It originally was a deep lot going all the way to Pleasant Street, but rear lots were later sold off.
She said the original owners of the house at the corner of Fourth and Cedar were Richard Hooper and his wife. Mrs. Hooper was among the Chattanooga ladies who were volunteer nurses during the Civil War.
The Hoopers had a daughter, Warnell Hooper, who taught school in Chattanooga for many years.
The Hooper House was described as "lovely in its proportions and appearance." It was two stories with a double porch stretching the length of the front of the house. There were four tall white columns in front.
Sam Hall, of Chattanoogahistory.com, found a photo of the Hooper House at 417 Cedar in the St. Charles appraisal photos. Those pictures were made at the time all the Cameron Hill homes were torn down.
Mr. Hall noted the photo was labeled on the back as "Poe." The 1958 city directory shows a Poe living there.
He said the address on the porch appears to be 417.
Also, the style of the house matches the map view. A 1950 Sanborn map shows 417 as "stuccoed."
Cyrus W. Snyder, an attorney and U.S. claims agent, lived in the Hooper House beginning in the 1870s with his wife, Sabrina "Sabra" Ward. Sabra, who was born in 1831, died in Chattanooga on March 8, 1888. Their son, Charles Cyrus Snyder, was living there when he was still a law student in 1876. Charles Cyrus Snyder also became a lawyer and served as justice of the peace. He married Annie Vanderwhite. That couple lived at the Hooper House. Annie was still living at the Hooper House when she died in 1946. Annie Snyder always rented out the top portion of the big house.
Coster Lawrence Poe and his wife, Marguerite M. Powell Poe, afterward lived at the Hooper House for many years. They rented out the upstairs portion. L.L. Dent was there in 1958. The Poes' daughter, Jane, married a Dent.
Coster Poe was a son of John H. Poe, who was born at the historic Poe's Tavern at Daisy and was on the Quarterly Court.