About
The Blue Goose Hollow Artistic Trailhead Marker Project was conceived to celebrate and honor Black history in Chattanooga by highlighting American Blues Singer and famed Chattanoogan, Bessie Smith, as well as to commemorate Bessie's life in historic Blue Goose Hollow, a neighborhood that was erased by urban renewal.

Bessie Smith was born in Chattanooga in 1894 and was one of the most gifted blues performers of her time. As a pioneer for the genre, Bessie was known as “Empress of the Blues”. Her influence on the direction of American music and her contribution to the success of Black performing artists is significant. As a Grammy Lifetime Achievement recipient and one of the most iconic Black women of the 20th century, Bessie deserves a lasting tribute in her hometown and specifically in the location of her childhood neighborhood, Blue Goose Hollow.

Blue Goose Hollow was a predominantly Black community between Cameron and Academy Hills and the river. Beginning in the 1950s, redevelopment plans in the area displaced over 1,400 residents and demolished over 1,100 buildings, erasing Bessie Smith’s historic neighborhood and displacing the many Black families who lived there.

Artist Statement
“This artistic marker is symbolic of strength, joy, and resilience. It is meant to capture the boldness of Bessie’s ancestry and the lineage of all people who have been displaced from this land. Made of black materials and material coated black to represent the survival and innovative nature of Black People, their life and death in the shadow of capitalism, their embodiment of all colors, and their black essence.” -Rondell Crier

Learn more about Rondell Crier.

This project was a partnership between the Bessie Smith Cultural Center, Public Art Chattanooga, ArtsBuild, Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga Neighborhoods Arts Partnership, and RISE Chattanooga with support from the Lyndhurst Foundation.