Buildings

One of the recent projects of the South Pittsburg Historic Preservation Society Inc. is the ongoing restoration of the old Primitive Baptist Church building on Clute’s Hill. This beautiful century old hand-hewn sandstone building is located at the corner of Elm Avenue and Eighth Street. (Read More)

The Chapel on the Hill is now available for weddings, receptions, family reunions, award ceremonies, and the like. All funds generated from the rental of the building will be put into a maintenance fund for the building. If you are interested in renting the Chapel for your event you may do so by contacting the Society at: SPHPSSocial@gmail.com

The Coca-Cola soft drink company opened a bottling plant at South Pittsburg, Tennessee in February 1914 under the management of Hunt Keith. Pictured here is the early facility, which was located on Elm Avenue where the Beene-Pearson Library now stands.

Needing more room for production machinery, the Coca-Cola soft drink bottling plant at South Pittsburg, Tennessee moved to this new facility on Cedar Avenue between Fourth and Fifth streets in July 1940 until it ceased operations in 1966. Today, Citizens State Bank and the headquarters for Sequatchie Concrete are operated out of the building.

The old Cumberland Presbyterian Church, pictured here around 1908, was located at the corner of Holly Avenue and 6th Street. It was built in 1891 and destroyed by fire December 1, 1929.

Pictured here is the old Farris planning and saw mill at South Pittsburg around 1908. This was located near where Galaxie Carpet Mill now stands.

The old First Baptist Church at South Pittsburg, Tennessee as it appeared around  1908.

The First National Bank, corner of Elm Avenue and Third Street, opened in South Pittsburg, Tennessee in 1887. Pictured here in 1906 from left to right are: Tom Mix, Miss Irene McRae, T. G. Garrett, A. A. Cook and Richard Hardy. South Pittsburg City Hall occupies the building today.

Methodist Episcopal Church located at the corner of Magnolia Avenue and 3rd Street in South Pittsburg, Tennessee as it appeared in 1911.

This image, made about 1970, shows Paul’s Food Market located at 439 Cedar Avenue in downtown South Pittsburg, Tennessee. Paul’s was owned by Paul Turner and operated between 1964 to 1982.

Pictured here is the South Pittsburg, Tennessee Post Office. It is located at the corner of Elm Avenue and Third Street and was constructed in 1934/35. It was dedicated officially on April 27, 1935 after opening for business a few weeks before.

The Sequatchie Valley Railroad branch railroad bridge across Battle Creek near South Pittsburg nearly stands under water in this picture, which was taken on December 29, 1926. The flood was severe enough to inundate a portion of the tracks farther up.

Pictured here in 1927 is the Robert E. Lee Hotel, formerly known as the Cameron-Patton Hotel, located at the intersection of Cedar Avenue and Third Street in downtown South Pittsburg, Tennessee. The hotel was built on the site of the old Central Hotel, which was rolled to the back (right side of picture) and incorporated into the construction of the new building. The old section burned in the early 1990s.

This photograph shows the old frame school building at South Pittsburg around 1910. You will notice that the building is getting a facelift with a new coat of paint. This unique building was built in 1898 and was located facing Cedar Avenue between 5th and 6th streets. The city removed the school from the building and into a new modern brick structure in 1924. The building was being used as an apartment complex when it burned in 1931.

This photograph shows the brick South Pittsburg, Tennessee public school building around 1930. This building, which stood facing Cedar Avenue between Seventh and Eighth streets in block 39, was built in 1924 and replaced the old frame building that stood two blocks north of this location. This building was used by both grade and high school students until a modern grammar school was constructed in 1938. This building, which was being used as a high school at the time, was razed and replaced with the present modern high school facility in 1965.

This photograph shows the McReynold’s High School and gymnasium at South Pittsburg, Tennessee about 1948. This African-American public school building was built in 1921 and was located in front of the old City Cemetery at the foot of Whiteacre Point. The school building was abandoned in 1965 after Marion County schools became integrated. The historic building was burned down that same year by an arsonist. Today, the old gym (pictured on the left) is home of the City of South Pittsburg street department.

The South Pittsburg Elementary School building pictured here was built in 1938 facing Elm Avenue between Second and Third streets on what was once the old city park. The grammar school was originally combined with the high school, but was separated that year due to increased student enrollment.  This building burned to the ground on February 25, 1993. A modern elementary school facility was constructed in its place the next year. The new building still uses the lunch room from the old school building, which was saved and incorporated into the new structure during construction. The picture here was taken in 1973.

The South Pittsburg High School building pictured above was built in 1965 facing Cedar Avenue between Seventh and Eighth streets. It replaced the old public (high) school building built in 1924 that stood at this same location, but was razed to make way for a modern facility. The school building is still in use today. The picture here was taken in 1973.

The new South Pittsburg Elementary School as it appeared in December 2004. Built in 1994, it replaced the old structure that burned the year before at the same location on Elm Avenue.

Pictured here in 1914 is the old South Pittsburg Ice Company at South Pittsburg, Tennessee. This company was started in 1895 by Joseph Lodge who had the stone building constructed in 1900. He sold the company to N. S. & C. Baumgartner in 1906. It had a capacity at that time of eight tons daily. The structure was located in block 3.

Pictured here is the Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad blast furnaces at South Pittsburg in 1909. At that time they were owned by the United States Steel Corporation.

Pictured here is the H. Wetter Manufacturing Company plant at South PIttsburg as it appeared around 1908. This cast iron foundry originally started in 1887 as Perry Stove Works and ceased production in 1977 as U.S. Stove.

Pictured here is the old U.S. Stove building on Cedar Avenue at South Pittsburg, Tennessee just weeks before demolition on the century old structure began.