{"id":457662,"date":"2026-06-02T20:38:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T20:38:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/457662\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T20:38:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T20:38:09","slug":"new-alligator-statue-at-fountain-square-celebrates-a-bizarre-piece-of-chattanooga-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/457662\/","title":{"rendered":"New alligator statue at Fountain Square celebrates a bizarre piece of Chattanooga history"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. \u2014 A new alligator has quietly appeared at one of Chattanooga&#8217;s most recognizable downtown landmarks.<\/p>\n<p>The sculpture at Fountain Square is a nod to one of the city&#8217;s strangest forgotten stories: the time Chattanooga kept live alligators in the middle of downtown.<\/p>\n<p>Hamilton County officials recently unveiled the alligator statue at Fountain Square, which sits beside the historic Fireman&#8217;s Fountain on Georgia Avenue.<\/p>\n<p>Not every city can say its downtown fountain once housed live alligators.<\/p>\n<p>Chattanooga can.<\/p>\n<p>More than a century ago, two alligators named Tom and Jerry were moved to the fountain after the city closed the old Oxley Zoo in East Lake Park.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photo via Hamilton County Government.\" class=\"ImageEmbed_image__qZBo_\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7de0aa07-d8fd-4802-95f2-7aa7e6cf61bc-hamcoalligator1.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Photo via Hamilton County Government.<\/p>\n<p>The zoo, which opened in 1898, housed a wide range of animals including camels, monkeys, lions and alligators. But by 1915, city officials decided the zoo was losing too much money and began shutting it down.<\/p>\n<p>That left one unusual question: What should happen to the remaining alligators?<\/p>\n<p>City leaders chose Fireman&#8217;s Fountain.<\/p>\n<p>The fountain itself had been built in 1888 as a memorial to firefighters William M. Peak and J. Henry Iler, who died in the line of duty.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Photo via Hamilton County Government.\" class=\"ImageEmbed_image__qZBo_\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/10f015e0-9fe7-4446-84c9-1cacba4515d2-hamcoalligator3.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Photo via Hamilton County Government.<\/p>\n<p>Before Tom and Jerry arrived, the city installed fencing and warning signs around the fountain. Newspaper accounts from the time described the alligators as inexpensive pets because officials mistakenly believed they only needed to eat once a year.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/library\/2025\/04\/16\/special-collections-spotlight-the-alligator-guardians-of-firemans-fountain\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">research by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga<\/a>, the alligators spent several months living at the fountain, becoming a source of fascination for local children.<\/p>\n<p>Groundskeepers reportedly had to keep the reptiles away while mowing the grass, and children frequently climbed fences to get a closer look.<\/p>\n<p>When winter arrived, the alligators were moved indoors to the furnace room of the old Market House.<\/p>\n<p>They never returned.<\/p>\n<p>Newspaper reports from 1916 said the animals died during the winter under circumstances that remain unclear.<\/p>\n<p>The Chattanooga News reported at the time that the alligators either froze to death or were eaten by rats.<\/p>\n<p>Over time, the story faded into local folklore.<\/p>\n<p>Now, more than 100 years later, a new alligator has returned to Fountain Square.<\/p>\n<p>This one is made of metal, not scales.<\/p>\n<p>But city and county leaders hope it helps preserve one of Chattanooga&#8217;s most unusual chapters of history.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. \u2014 A new alligator has quietly appeared at one of Chattanooga&#8217;s most recognizable downtown landmarks. 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