Birmingham, AL Summary

photo by gusto

Birmingham is the largest and most cosmopolitan city in Alabama; it has a population of 908,000 residents.

Situated at the foot of Red Mountain in north-central Alabama, Birmingham offers evening entertainment, quality dining, cultural activities, and opportunities for open-air recreation.

The city is situated on land once occupied by the Cherokee, Creek and Choctaw tribes. Its genesis was related to the discovery, in the Jones Valley, of the three major elements of steel production—iron ore, limestone, and coal. Birmingham was founded by bankers and investors at the intersection of two new railroads in 1871. The first blast furnace was constructed in 1880. Demands for iron led to rapid growth and Birmingham soon became a major industrial center, swelling its population from 3,000 in 1880 to 132,000 in 1910.

As Birmingham grew, it developed a strict and punitive system of racial discrimination and implemented “Jim Crow” segregation laws. By the 1950s it had earned a reputation as the South’s most segregated city. This became apparent in May 1961 when activists riding desegregated buses through the South were savagely beaten by a Birmingham mob.

In 1963 civil rights leaders led silent marches of African-American citizens through the city to protest local conditions. Police Chief “Bull” Connor met the peaceful protesters, including women and young children, with cattle prods, fire hoses, police dogs, and mass arrests. Television broadcasts caused a national outcry and the combination of pressure from above and mass protest from below ultimately bore fruit. However, reactionaries resorted to a terror campaign which eventually culminated in the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church. Since that time African-American enfranchisement and political power have become a reality and race relations have greatly improved.

The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute attempts to explain the hatred, violence and discrimination that necessitated the Civil Rights Movement by means of historical footage, photography, audio aids, and artifacts such as the burnedout bus firebombed in Anniston by whites in an attempt to kill African-Americans who refused to adhere to segregated seating arrangements. Nearby is the 16th Street Baptist Church that was, in the civil rights era, a center of African-American community life and a rallying point for demonstrations. A shrine at the church commemorates the four young African-American girls killed in the 1963 bombing. Nearby is Kelly Ingram Park where “Bull” Connor turned fire hoses on peaceful demonstrators. The event is commemorated by sculptures and inscriptions.

The visitor center has a brochure outlining a walking tour of the historic 4th Avenue African-American business district. Nearby is the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame where there are exhibits relating to jazz figures with links to Alabama, such as W.C. Handy, James Reese Europe, Nat King Cole, and Dinah Washington. The Alabama Sports Hall of Fame has a similar focus on the state’s sportspeople, such as Jesse Owens, Willie Mays, Carl Lewis, “Satchel” Paige, and Joe Louis. The distinguished Birmingham Museum of Art is the largest municipal museum in the southeast.

To the east of downtown are the chimney stacks of Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark, which supplied pig iron to the city’s steel foundries from 1882 until 1971. It is now a museum of industry. A 10-minute audiovisual program outlines the history of Birmingham steel, and displays focus on such issues as poor working conditions of ex-slaves, unskilled immigrants, and prisoners. Other attractions include Arlington mansion (1840s), the Birmingham Zoo, and the McWayne Center, which is a new interactive science museum.

Five Points South is the most lively and interesting section of downtown Birmingham, boasting bars, restaurants, nightspots, shops, Art-Deco buildings, and the Breckenridge Brewery. To its south, atop Red Mountain, is the world’s largest cast-iron statue, which depicts Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and blacksmiths. Standing a massive 55 feet high, on a 124-foot pedestal, it is a testimony to the importance of steel manufacture to the town’s history. The views are outstanding, especially in the evening. About 2 miles southeast of Five Points is the Birmingham Botanical Garden.

Birmingham is located at the intersection of I-65, I-59, and I-20. There are daily trains and buses and an airport.