Billy Graham Reached New Heights in Southeast Tennessee

Billy Graham Reached New Heights in

48 // April 2020 About The Author Southeast Tennessee by Douglas B. Caywood

Doug Caywood is the president of Trek Thru Truth and managing principal of Lewis Group Architects, Cleveland Office. He is married to Jill Caywood and has three sons, two grandsons, and a granddaughter. Doug and Jill are members of Samples Memorial Baptist Church where they have actively taught the Pre-K and Kindergarten SS Classes for over ten years. F rom October 2019 thru March 29, 2020, Trek Thru Truth hosted a national traveling exhibition from the Museum of the Bible entitled Billy Graham: Pilgrim Preacher. This 1,500 sf exhibit highlighted the seven decades of Graham’s ministry of which his educational career began at Bob Jones College, now the home of Lee University, in Cleveland, Tennessee.

One of Graham’s first jobs was at a shoe store in downtown Cleveland and he resided in Medlin Hall in 1936. He also delivered two of his first sermons locally, the first at Charleston Methodist Church and the second at Antioch Baptist Church. Lee University’s campus now features a street called Billy Graham Avenue honoring Graham’s tenure in Cleveland.

While the exhibit has been featured at Bradley Square Mall, there have been so many rekindled memories and stories of the impact that Billy Graham has had locally, nationally and internationally. Of those, one from 1953 has stood out with major significance.

In Spring 1953, Billy Graham planned to have a crusade in Chattanooga, Tennessee. With his increasing popularity, just 17 years from his early educational career in Cleveland, a new facility was needed to accommodate the 10,000 who would come for 26 days to hear his teaching. The Warner Field House was constructed for this purpose.

If you have been to the Chattanooga Zoo, the Warner Field House is still in use and is an integral part of the African Expansion that is set to open in Spring 2020. The completion of the first phase of this expansion will include three new male giraffes. The Warner Field House, with its size and height, is providing a perfect home to these tall, majestic animals.

In addition to providing a structure that is still in use by a major attraction in Chattanooga, the 1953 Crusade was also a pivotal point in history for racial integration. At the crusade, Graham himself removed the ropes that were separating the blacks and whites when an usher refused to do so. From this point forward, Graham provided crusades that were integrated with all attendees being treated equally.

The Billy Graham Exhibit was visited by thousands during its tenure at Trek Thru Truth’s Satellite location at Bradley Square Mall. This space will now be transformed into other interactive uses to share a glimpse of things to come at the final destination for the 60,000+ sf children’s museum. Visit www.trekthrutruth.com and the Trek Thru Truth Facebook page for additional information about this one-of-a-kind museum’s development.

Also, this Spring, make your plans to visit the African Expansion at the Chattanooga Zoo and see the giraffe’s new home in an original facility built for Billy Graham’s history making crusade in 1953. For more information on the Chattanooga Zoo, visit www.chattzoo.org.

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