Iron and Steel: A Guide to the Birmingham Area Industrial Heritage

Alabama: The Forge of History

by James R. Bennett, Karen R. Utz

This guidebook of historic iron-production sites is designed to give the reader a factual and illuminating look at the people and events that shaped Birmingham into one of America’s leading steel centers. Iron & Steel is heavily illustrated with both color and historical black-and-white photographs. It can be used while visiting parks or read as a coherent volume before or after a visit. The book contains chapters devoted to the larger preserved sites open to the public, such as Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark and Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park. It also highlights lesser-known, yet still accessible, sites such as Blocton Coke Ovens Park. The work provides easy-to-follow maps for every site as well as driving directions to the more remote locations, giving visitors easy access to all the notable iron and steel sites in Jefferson, Shelby, Tuscaloosa, and Bibb counties. Each chapter also includes a variety of historical information, with accompanying photographs, in order to present the reader with a detailed and comprehensive account of the Birmingham Iron and Steel District. Featured sites Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park; Shelby Ironworks Park; Billy Gould Coke Ovens Park; Brierfield Ironworks Historical State Park; Oxmoor Furnace Site; Irondale Furnace Park; Helena Rolling Mill Site; Red Mountain Park, Iron Ore Mines; Lewisburg Coke Ovens Park; Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark; Ruffner Mountain Nature Center; Blocton Coke Ovens Park; and Vulcan Park and Museum.

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Reagan Faith Waggoner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only place where iron ore, limestone, coal all closely found together - Birmingham has many historical sites.

Tannehill - started in 1830, active metal trade along Roupes Creek, 12 miles south of Bessemer - where Jefferson, Bibb, Tuscaloosa, and Shelby counties all used to come together. When it opened, crew made $1.50 a day and the supervisor made $3. In 1840, it became a part of Tannehill plantation, and as the Civil War began, the Confederacy invested in more furnaces to make pig iron.
In 1865, Wilson, Croxton, and Sutherland destroyed most of Birmingham - Wilson destroying Oxmoor and Irondale, Croxton destroying Tuscaloosa. Tannehill was then owned by University of Alabama for a while before it became a park

Shelby Ironworks Park - Horace Ware started it about the time of the golrrush, and remaining ruins + rolling mill site still located in Columbiana

Billy Gould Coke Ovens - Buck Creek in Helena just before merging of Cahaba River
Brierfield Ironworks Historical State Park - Confederate government took over and it was burned during Wilson's raid on March 31, 1865.

Oxmoor Furnace Site (1863-1923) - Bham grew during Civil War - wartime secrecy - shipped to Selma and Naval Gun Works to create weapons - Furnace 2 Eureka experiment of 1876 showed coke from AL could be used to make pig iron. In 1892, TCI bought it

Irondale Furnace Park - second Jefferson County Furnace - roots in demise of MS furnace - like Oxmoor, used red ore - attacked by James Wilson 3/31/65
Sloss Furnaces - When Birmingham was formed, Sloss began his furnace, believing BHAM was destined for greatness, called it the "Magic City" Sloss furnaces sold to US Steel in 1907
tier :
all-white managers, accountants, engineers, chemists
mixed groups of skilled and semi-skilled
all-black labor gangs, convicts
Sloss had on-site housing, emphasized importance of railroads and economy

Henry DeBardeleben Bham titan with "Little Alice" pig iron in 1880

Coke = solid residue of the destructive distillation of coal processed by high temperatures

[Leah Waggoner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love our city. Have begun visiting these sites. Want to see again or for the first time:
Tannehill
Shelby ironworks
Billy Gould
Brierfield
Oxmoor furnace
Irondale furnace
Helena rolling mill
Red mountain park
Lewis burg coke
Sloss
Ruffner
Blocton
Vulcan

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Photos, driving directions and light history of Birmingham's iron and steel heritage.