History of Montague Park
1910 - 1948
Following the death of T. G. Montague in 1910, the land that was to become Montague Park was donated to the City of Chattanooga by Mary T. Montague to honor her late husband’s memory. Plans were drawn for the new park in 1913, which unfortunately were shelved and never to materialize. The low lying and often swampy land was left to languish until 1948.
1948 - 1968
In an effort to resolve the issues caused by the land’s low grading and wet conditions, the City Commissioner and future mayor, P. R. Olgiati, tapped the Montague Park site as a location for a refuse landfill to be eventually capped in an effort to “reclaim” and elevate the land for future recreational uses. At the time, this was believed to be a good idea, as it solved two issues at once—that of elevating the park’s low profile, and providing a convenient place for garbage disposal.
1968 - 2003
Once the landfill was filled to it’s necessary capacity, the site was capped with soil and a new plan was proposed. The new vision for the park was that of a sports and recreation center, which included baseballs and softball fields, a tennis and archery center, as well as playgrounds, a community center, and ample parking. This plan was only partially realized, however, and only the ballfields and parking lots were realized.
2003 - 2013
After more than three decades as a home to Chattanooga’s recreation softball and baseball leagues, it became apparent that the site’s landfill reclamation efforts had some unintended consequences rising to the surface. After an environmental study by the State found emissions of methane gas and deemed the site’s original soil cap inadequate, the park was closed and the ballfields removed in 2003. The park sat fenced off and vacant for nearly ten years, until the completion of a new recreation field for rugby in 2012.
2013 - 2022
Soon after the park was re-opened to the public, the City leased the northern 33 acre portion of the park to John Henry, a renowned sculptor that lived and worked just north of the park. Over the next several years, John Henry sculpted the land and populated the park with sculptures from various and widely known sculptors, finally opening the Sculpture Fields of Montague Park in 2016.
In 2019, the remaining portion of the park was leased to the Chattanooga Football Club Foundation, (CFCF) utilizing the existing rugby pitch for their community soccer events. CFCF’s programs and places seek to care for the under-served in the community by providing access to safe places to play and build community, structured physical activity, mentorship and leadership development.