Birmingham
By J. D. Weeks
5/5
()
About this ebook
J. D. Weeks
An avid collector of antique postcards, author J. D. Weeks is a retired public health administrator who began visiting Panama City with his parents in the 1940s and developed an interest in local history at an early age. Since then, his three children and nine grandchildren all have enjoyed similar experiences here. Weeks�s book Birmingham in Vintage Postcards was published by Arcadia in 1999.
Read more from J. D. Weeks
Panama City Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBirmingham in Vintage Postcards Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Birmingham
Related ebooks
Williamsburg in Vintage Postcards Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMontgomery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWest Central Georgia in Vintage Postcards Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Monroe County Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsYoungstown Postcards From the Steel City Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMichigan City Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Washington, North Carolina Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5St. Charles Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCivil Rights in Birmingham Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHomewood Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMemories of Downtown Birmingham: Where All the Lights Were Bright Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNew Salem: A History of Lincoln's Alma Mater Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLost Birmingham Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMcDonough County Historic Sites Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEarly Anaheim Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCheney Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAspects of Birmingham: Discovering Local History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Portraits of Conflict: A Photographic History of Alabama in the Civil War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThese Rugged Days: Alabama in the Civil War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsColorado Women: A History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Waynesville Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJane Means Appleton Pierce: U.S. First Lady (1853-1857): Her Family, Life and Times Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFree the Beaches: The Story of Ned Coll and the Battle for America's Most Exclusive Shoreline Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Inside Alabama: A Personal History of My State Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5North Augusta:: James U. Jackson's Dream Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHistoric Photos of Christmas in Chicago Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Main Street, New Hampshire Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLiving the Dream: The Contested History of Martin Luther King Jr. Day Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPullman: The Man, The Company, the Historical Park Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAllen County in Vintage Postcards Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Travel For You
The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Travel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Spotting Danger Before It Spots You: Build Situational Awareness To Stay Safe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Spanish Verbs - Conjugations Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Everything Travel Guide to Ireland: From Dublin to Galway and Cork to Donegal - a complete guide to the Emerald Isle Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFodor's Bucket List USA: From the Epic to the Eccentric, 500+ Ultimate Experiences Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Notes from a Small Island Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kon-Tiki Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5RV Hacks: 400+ Ways to Make Life on the Road Easier, Safer, and More Fun! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings50 Great American Places: Essential Historic Sites Across the U.S. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge: Traveler's Guide to Batuu Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Camp Cooking: 100 Years Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5South: Shackleton's Endurance Expedition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fodor's New Orleans Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Lonely Planet The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country in the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Disney Declassified Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Footsteps of the Cherokees: A Guide to the Eastern Homelands of the Cherokee Nation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lonely Planet Mexico Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Fodor's Best Road Trips in the USA: 50 Epic Trips Across All 50 States Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tales from the Haunted South: Dark Tourism and Memories of Slavery from the Civil War Era Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Longest Way Home: One Man's Quest for the Courage to Settle Down Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rocks and Minerals of The World: Geology for Kids - Minerology and Sedimentology Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lonely Planet Puerto Rico Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Vagabonding on a Budget: The New Art of World Travel and True Freedom: Live on Your Own Terms Without Being Rich Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Reviews for Birmingham
1 rating0 reviews
Book preview
Birmingham - J. D. Weeks
Weeks.
INTRODUCTION
Although Birmingham is in the heart of the Deep South, it is still a very young city. We will explore the changing landscape of this not-so-old Old South
city during the last 100 years. Industry will be a primary focus, since Birmingham was founded in 1871 at the crossing of two railroads near a vast quantity of coal, iron ore, and limestone, all the minerals needed to make iron. This is the only place on the planet that has all three ingredients in large quantities and close proximity, thus allowing the production of iron and steel without the added costs of transportation to the furnaces, foundries, and mills.
The creation of a new city, with this rich mineral wealth, resulted in the rapid development of an iron and steel industry, with all the accompanying support industries. While steel and iron were the primary products initially, Birmingham soon became a major producer of machinery, such as cotton gins; railroad cars and rails; cast iron, including water and sanitary pipe; cement; brick and clay products; chemicals; lumber; and many others. From 1918 to 1923, the Premocar automobile was produced in Birmingham by the Preston Motor Company. The iron and steel industries alone would earn Birmingham the title of Pittsburgh of the South.
Since the early 1900s, Birmingham has produced most of the cast-iron pipe used in the world. This industrial development required an enormous amount of manpower, and the population quickly grew, so much in fact that it acquired another name—the Magic City.
In 1904, Birmingham wanted an exhibit at the St. Louis World’s Fair, actually the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, which would showcase the mineral wealth of the region. It was decided to build a 56-foot-tall statue made of iron from Red Mountain ore and cast in Birmingham. Made in the likeness of Vulcan, the mythical Roman god of fire and forge, it was a great success and won a grand prize, as well as a gold medal for Guiseppe Moretti, the Italian sculptor. After the exposition, offers to purchase the huge iron statue came from the cities of St. Louis and San Francisco, but they were declined. Vulcan returned to Birmingham and, after spending over 30 years at the Alabama State Fairgrounds, was finally erected in 1939 on Red Mountain, from whence he sprang over 100 years ago. He still stands proudly overlooking the city of Birmingham in newly renovated Vulcan