UTC history major Emily Kleiner, who helped curate “Glass from the Past,” stands with a vintage glass display at the Chattanooga Public Library. Photo by Angela Foster.
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga history major Emily Kleiner spent the spring semester curating a public exhibit for the downtown Chattanooga Public Library as part of her internship with Overlooked Materials, a local glass recycling service.
Early in her internship, Kleiner—who just completed her junior year at UTC—was invited to help curate a portion of the exhibit, “Glass from the Past,” which explores Chattanooga’s early 20th-century history of glass production.
“I’ve been doing a lot of research … a lot of talking to people, building connections and getting a better understanding of Chattanooga,” Kleiner said. “I’m not from here. I moved here (from New Jersey) around five years ago, so it’s very interesting learning about the unique, local history.”
More than 100 years ago, Chattanooga looked vastly different than the National Park City it is today. The urban landscape was dominated by factories and train stations rather than shops and restaurants, and the early 20th century was a time for industrialization in the old gateway to the Deep South.
During this time, glass was the standard for storing products from food to medicine, and its production in Chattanooga’s Alton Park factory made the city a leading source for glassware.
Chattanooga is widely known as the birthplace of Coca-Cola bottling, but fewer people realize the city was also once home to one of the nation’s largest glass manufacturers. For decades, the Chattanooga Glass Company produced tens of millions of bottles each year for Coca-Cola and other major brands, employing hundreds of workers at its Alton Park facility before closing in 1988.
Now, many of the old factory buildings remain with other businesses taking their place. To Kleiner, recognizing the history of these places is an important part of connecting with the city.
“A lot of these buildings that used to be completely different businesses still stand today,” Kleiner said. “I think people can build a connection like, ‘This is what that building looked like 100 years ago versus now.’”
Once labeled the dirtiest city in America, Chattanooga has revitalized itself to become a popular tourist destination for its history and beauty. Exhibits like “Glass from the Past” highlight the importance of preserving the city’s industrial heritage even amid reinvention.
“When learning about the past and history, think of it as learning people’s stories. They’re now narratives,” she explained, “and that can be different from other people’s experiences.
“Learning those perspectives and learning the actual events … and using that to try to figure out what the narrative is can definitely be very helpful.”
As someone who has always been fascinated by history, Kleiner said working on “Glass from the Past” has been an exciting learning opportunity. Although she is not sure what she wants to do after graduation, she is more confident in her skills and goals after working on this exhibit.
“I’ve learned how important it is to talk to people and to build those connections because when you do that, those people can help you out and give lasting advice,” she said.
“Glass from the Past” is on display on the third floor of the downtown Chattanooga Public Library through June 21. Visitors are invited to learn about the city’s rich industrial past and how it shaped the Chattanooga of today.
“This is Scenic City and it prides itself on local stuff,” Kleiner said. “I feel like learning that local history can make people feel more a part of the community.”
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“Glass from the Past” photo gallery by Angela Foster
