Explore Chattanooga Spring 2023

Spotlight | WHAT TO DO

THE INTERNATIONAL TOWING MUSEUM CELEBRATING A LIFE-SAVING INDUSTRY

C hattanooga provides the perfect historical backdrop for the International Towing Museum. Originally housed in a tractor trailer that traveled around the country, the museum on Broad Street is now home to a collection ranging from models made in the early 1900s to a 2001 pink freightliner. Chattanooga has been credited as the birthplace of the tow truck thanks to Chattanooga native, and inventor, Ernest Holmes. Holmes and his son, Ernest Holmes Jr., established a major towing manufacturer named the Ernest Holmes Company. Holmes is credited with inventing the tow truck in 1916 after a frustrating attempt to get a friend’s flipped truck out of a ditch. He outfitted a Cadillac with a pulley system in his garage, which is only a few blocks from where the museum is located today. A life-saving industry was born out of Holmes’ invention! It all started more than 20 years ago when a group of dedicated towing professionals formed the Friends of Towing, an organization to recognize outstanding individuals in the towing and recovery industry worldwide, collect artifacts and memorabilia, and record

In 2006 The Wall of the Fallen Memorial was added to the grounds of the museum and provides a poignant reminder of the dedication and sacrifice of the men and women who lost their lives in the line of service to the motoring public. At the first Wall of the Fallen dedication service, held in 2007, 94 names were added. Since its establishment, names of

the industry’s history. The Friends of Towing created the first Hall of Fame initially consisting of 27 members which today has grown to include over 300 distinguished towing professionals.

Spring 2023