The city of Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee, like many other small towns in America, is unique with a distinct personality. I have spent many years photographing places and things around town that catch my eye. Many of these places no longer exist. Some are disappearing as I type this article due to fast-paced growth in our small town. Obviously, many other people have noticed how dreamy our little city is!

One of my favorite projects is to alter my Soddy-Daisy photos to give them a dreamy, fantasy look. Some folks may even find them to be eerie. However, these photos have been some of my best-selling work. I call the project my Somewhere In Soddy-Daisy series. These photos are one reason this online magazine came into being. I hope you enjoy seeing them when I occasionally post one.

Sometimes Dead Is Better – © 2011 Ann Jackson

I was a teen when I took my first photos. Even then, I was intrigued by old structures. With my parents 110 Kodak Pocket Instamatic camera in hand, loaded with Kodachrome film, I set out to document places in Soddy-Daisy that had caught my attention. Looking through photos I’ve taken since the late 1970s demonstrates I have always had an eye for our small towns consequential and quirky places and people. I’ve never seen another photo of the Victorian farmhouse my fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Biggs, lived in. It was on lake and I still remember the wallpaper of an outdoor scene in the front entryway.

I was told the house was built by Colonel William Clift. I was told it was not Colonel Clift’s house. I have no idea. But, I have three photos of it! And, Colonel Clift is buried in the cemetery very near the property.

Recently, I have scanned some of my old photos and digitally altered them to create dreamlike images. (There will be an article on those later). I have also referenced my photos to create paintings. The first paintings, executed in high school, were of the above mentioned Victorian farmhouse and another farmhouse in Soddy near the train tracks. The Victorian farmhouse was demolished in the mid 1990s and a large, brick house was built in its place. In the mid 1980s there was an article in the Chattanooga News-Free newspaper when the other 100 year old farmhouse burned to the ground.

Side note: In 2010 manufacturing of Kodachrome film ceased. When people discovered the last place to get their film developed would run out of the chemicals soon, things got crazy for that small family business. Dwayne’s Photo in Parsons, Kansas, became the last processor in the world of Kodachrome. Rolls of film arrived from six continents!

Prints of any images on this website are available for purchase. Please email with inquiries.