Bound by the majestic Smoky Mountains and its lush, rolling foothills, East Tennessee was forged by the pioneering spirits of the region's Cherokee tribes and the white settlers who arrived in the early nineteenth century.
Named for famous Revolutionary War hero Colonel Benjamin Cleveland, the town grew from a humble traveler's rest called Taylor's Place into a bustling community full of diversity and opportunity, attracting people of all races and creeds over the years. This visual history, with over 200 black-and-white photographs and postcards, explores the Cleveland of yesteryear, a time when Ocoee Street and Central Avenue echoed with the sounds of horse and wagon and the first automobile made its noisy debut on the town's unpaved main streets. Cleveland transports readers into the past and allows them a unique opportunity to rediscover the city's early landscape, some of the notable residences, such as the Craigmiles House, and a few of the principal industries that guided the town through the Civil War, World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II. Most important to Cleveland's success and identity are its people and their achievements. This volume records the prominent businesses, religious institutions, and educational facilities, such as Centenary College, Bob Jones College, and Lee College, that the citizens of Cleveland worked hard to provide for their children, neighbors, and future generations.