I would like to introduce myself; my name is Jeff Webb. I was born in Chicago, Ill. but, I was raised in the greatest community, ST Elmo the youngest of ten children. My family moved to ST Elmo from Chicago, Illinois in 1966. My father worked for General Motor's Electro Motors Division in Chicago until his sudden death at the young age of 39. My mother's and father's families were from Walker and Hamilton Counties so, my mother decided we should move to Chattanooga where she had family.  She found a big two-story house on ST Elmo Avenue where she lived until her death.

    I attended ST Elmo Elementary School under Herbert W. Kaiser followed by Lookout Junior High. In mid-year of my second year at Lookout the Chattanooga City Schools busing program began so, I ended up graduating from Alton Park Jr. High School where C. B. Robinson was principle.

   Growing up my sister and I were well known in ST Elmo for delivering the Chattanooga News - Free Press after school pulling a little red wagon back when the paper had to be left on the porch.

    

Our House 4310 ST Elmo Avenue  former home of Mr. and Mrs. L. E. Beatey.

    I moved away from ST Elmo for a few years when I got married but, I couldn't wait to get back to ST Elmo. My wife Alma and I bought the old L .E. Beatey home on ST Elmo Avenue. Mr Beatey had operated a barber shop in downtown ST Elmo at 3914 St. Elmo Avenue which later became the site of the Incline Drug and Surgical Co. Mrs. Beatey was the grandmother I never knew so, it's like the house stayed in the family. The Beatey's bought the house new in 1920 so, we are only the second family to live here.

   While renovating we made sure to keep the house as close to original as we could. Instead of gutting the house we repaired the plaster walls and ceilings and only replaced what had to be replaced. I hope Mrs. Beatey would be pleased.

   My sister Vicky Garner, like me moved away for a few years after getting married but, she was the first of us to return to ST Elmo. She bought the old Paul R. Millsaps home right next door to our mother. We both live within one hundred feet to our old childhood home.

 

     I would like to thank the following people and publications; Alma Webb, www.hctgs.org, the Local History Department at the Downtown Public Library, the Chattanooga News-Free Press, the Chattanooga Times, the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Chattanooga Yesterday and Today vols. 1,2,3 and 4 (c)1951-1964 by Paul Hiener, The Patten Chronicles by John Wilson, Lookout "The Story of a Mountain" (c)1941 by Robert Sparks Walker, Early Hamilton Settlers (c)2001 by John Wilson, Lookout (c)1977 by John Wilson, Chattanooga's Story (c)1987 by John Wilson, So Firm a Foundation (c)1968 by Z.C. Patten, Glen Falls Lookout Mountain, History of the Incline Railway, A History of Tennessee and Tennesseans (c)1913 by Will Hale and Dixon Merritt, and the late Paul Heiner whose work inspired both this website ST Elmo Yesterday and Today and my book ST Elmo Yesterday and Today "The Story of a Community". Photo credits go to Rodney Pierce, Sharon Skipper Allen, Pat Beatey Pinto, Tim McDonald, the Chattanooga Public Library, the Paul Heiner Collection. Other photos used are from my personal ST Elmo collection.