Once an old bank that stood at the corner of the street- now your local antique mall. History of The Soddy Banking Company - submitted to the Smithsonian in 2004
March 15, 2004
Mr. Morgan Freeman
RE: The Telling of America’s Story Project
Soddy Bank Company, 11298 Wall Street, Soddy, TN 37379
Dear Mr. Morgan,
The Soddy Banking Company was established in 1911 but did not build the Bank building till 1921. The Bank Company only lasted till the Great Depression in 1929. Unsecured loans and the closing of the Durham Coal Company were just too much for the bank to remain solvent. The building however has served in many other ways. It was a U.S. Post office, then gave up all its brass fixtures for shell casings during WWII in the forties and served as a bus station in the 1950s, an appliance store in the 1960s before being closed and boarded up in 1969. The building being left in disrepair was then being sought after by two salvage companies in the late 80s for the brick and 8' arch windows. My wife and I were able to purchase the building with the understanding that we would return the structure to its original glory. With Empire Style architecture it appears to be more of the late 1800s style seen in the United States rather than the early 1900s. The windows are very similar to those found in the famous Chattanooga Choo Choo just 12 miles from the old Bank. An article was published by the Chattanooga Times Free Press on Friday November 21, 2003 after renovation and opening of the photography studio that now resides in the old local landmark. Soddy once boasted of the largest membership in the United States in the United Mine Workers Union in the late 1800's and was considered a boomtown with a theater, city parks, golf coarse and many other amenities that small coal towns offered. The Bank has been considered as the center of this small town for many years. It has survived many major fires, which have destroyed most of the historic buildings now long gone. Many people are surprised to find such a style of building back in a residential area now that once was the heart of the city. The building deserved to remain standing after all it had served for this town name for an old Cherokee spring, "Tsati" (Soddy) and not be salvaged. Now many folks from the area are free to visit a local part of history that should always remain for future generations so that the people and stories of this mining town will never be forgotten. We have only one photo of the exterior of the building in its glory (none of the interior) but have pieced together what it looked like from the vault that came from an older bank in Waynesboro (don't know which state) to the paint scheme from beneath the baseboards to the placement of the old teller counter. With most old businesses moving out, we have moved in hoping to bring back some of the nostalgia of this city. Several books on local history have been published and the Bank is featured in each one. We have some items of local history on display and many have come just to enjoy seeing "the museum". The brick from the building is made from crushed pottery pieces from the old Hood Pottery Plant that used to thrive here in Soddy-Daisy, which also supplied most of the tile roofs across the country during the early 1900s. Renovation continues and will probably be ongoing for many years but the building is now serving the community again. This building does not have any formal historical recognition, just the love of those nearby. It stands to this community as a reminder of the glory days of the roaring twenties and how they affected even the small towns across this county. I know there are many deserving structures out there. I have a love for many of them but was able only to save this one from the wreaking ball. I hope that there are folks that will continue to save our history. Many of these structures take large investments from people with deep pockets. My wife and I invested a lot of elbow grease and sweat. We could not find investors that wanted to invest in something that is "off the beaten path" and promises no immediate return. This was a true labor of love. Many people stated to us, "If it was only on some other location". However, I feel that folks around here will always be appreciative. I can't count the times I heard, "We didn't know that this existed back here." From horse and buggy to today, this building has watched a lot of changing times and helped with those changes. Being designed as a bank, it became flexible to the needs of a community. I would greatly appreciate your consideration of this old “Bank on Wall Street” in old Soddy, Tennessee for your Telling of America’s Story. Thanks for your attention,
Scott Brogdon
