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flag  History of Birmingham, Alabama, USA

Journey back in time to Birmingham, Alabama, USA

Visit Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Discover its history. Learn about the people who lived there through stories, old newspaper articles, pictures, postcards and ancestry.

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Birmingham, Alabama, USA - Cathedral of St. Paul 2120 3rd Ave. N, Birmingham, ALABAMA 35203 Established 1872 Source: Google maps

The Birmingham Airport opened in 1931. At the time of the opening a Birmingham to Los Angeles flight took 19 hours.

50states.com

There is MUCH more to discover about Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Read on!

Birmingham Nostalgia: Vintage Photos, Ads, and Postcards


Birmingham, Alabama, USA

Photograph
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Cathedral of St. Paul
2120 3rd Ave. N, Birmingham, ALABAMA 35203
Established 1872
Source: Google maps

Birmingham, Alabama, USA

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Church of Advent, Birmingham, Ala.

"1871: A small group of planters, investors, and railroad men organize the Elyton Land Company to buy 4,150 acres of raw land and to create an industrial center.

1872: Bishop Richard Hooker Wilmer sends a deacon to establish an Episcopal mission in the new town. Philip Fitts arrives to serve congregations in Elyton and Irondale along with the sixteen Episcopalians he reports in Birmingham. Elyton Land Company deeds to the Episcopal Church one quarter of a choice downtown block for five dollars.

1873: A frame church building seating 200 is constructed facing Sixth Avenue (near the location of the present Rector’s Garden). In the first decade, the Church of the Advent has six different rectors (three of whom served a year or less).

1882: The Rev. Thomas Jefferson Beard begins his fourteen-year ministry.

1887: The foundation is laid for a new church structure.

1893: The church in which we worship today is... Read MORE...

Birmingham, Alabama, USA

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20th Street, Looking North

Birmingham, Alabama, USA

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A section of the skyline

Birmingham, Alabama, USA

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Norwood Street Scene, Birmingham, Ala.

Discover Birmingham: History, News, Travel, and Stories

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  • 1871 - Birmingham, Alabama founded

    wikipedia.org
  • 1872 - Cathedral of St. Paul established in Birmingham

    www.gcatholic.org
  • News  1891 - Mangled to Death.
    BIRMINGHAM, Oct. 29. - At the State Fair grounds today S. E. Gambee jumped from a dummy before it stopped. He slipped and fell between the car and the platform and was mangled to death in the presence of hundreds of people.
    The Macon Telegraph
    Macon, Georgia
    October 31, 1891
  • 1895 - Birmingham
    Bir’mingham, a city, capital of Jefferson co, Al: 95 miles by rail N.N.W. of Montgomery. It has 6 national banks and 6 other banks, a fine court-house which cost $60,000, 24 churches, 8 public and 8 private schools, 4 refining-mills, 9 furnaces, 2 steel-works, several iron-works:" newspaper offices, a saw-mill, and machine-shops of the South & North Alabama Railroad. Its streets are traversed by dummy- and horse-railroads. Coal and iron ore abound here. Pop. in 1880, 3086; in 1890, 26,178.
    Lippincott's Gazetteer of the World: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer Or Geographical Dictionary of the World Containing Notices of Over One Hundred and Twenty-five Thousand Places ... Joseph Thomas January 1, 1895 J.B. Lippincott
  • News  1900 - BIG LOSS. Fire in Alabama Does Damage to the Extent of Many Thousands.
    Birmingham, Ala., Feb. 23. - An explosion of a gasoline stove in the basement of the Metropolitan hotel this afternoon was followed by a fire which burned that building and the Hewett block adjoining, causing a loss of about $160,000. The insurance amounts to about three-fourths of the loss. After two hours' hard work by the firemen the flames were beyond control and fearing the entire block, including the Potter buildings and the Morris hotel, would be swept away, a telegram was sent to Montgomery asking for aid. An hour later, however, the fire was under control and the request for help from Montgomery was countermanded. Everything on Twentieth street from Girst to Morris avenue, is a wreck, but a strong fire wall back of the Hewett building and the Metropolitan hotel prevented the fire from extending any further in that direction. The Borney bank removed from its building and a company of militia was called to guard and keep back the crowd. A number of guests on the top floors of... Read MORE...

  • News  1900 - FALLING BUILDING KILLS TWO. Eleven Others Injured, Two Mortally, in an Accident at Birmingham, Ala.
    Birmingham, Ala., April 28. - By the collapse of the framework of the main building of the Dimmick Pipe and Foundry Company, in course of construction at North Birmingham, this morning, two men are dead and eleven injured, at least two of whom will die.

    The dead are: JAMES McWHORTER and DAVIS WHITE. The injured are: WILLIAM McWHORTER, head crushed and internally injured, will die; D. O. PATILLO, fractured jaw and concussion of brain, will probably die; HOMER BROWN, K. P. WALKER, JOHN OLIVER, W. H. ALLEN, J. O. BECK, GEORGE SILER, W. B. WYNN, J. A. ROLPH, JOHN SHARPE.

    The building was 300 feet long and 100 feet wide. While an immense beam was being placed in position on the roof, thirty feet above the ground, it fell, and, striking the next beam, knocked it down. The second beam knocked down the third, and so on until twenty-six beams had fallen, causing a general collapse of the structure.

    About thirty men were at work on the building, and of this number thirteen were on the... Read MORE...

  • News  1902 - OVER ONE HUNDRED LIVES LOST IN CHURCH DISASTER
    The negro population of Birmingham, Ala., is in mourning, and a gloom has been cast over the entire state as the people begin to realize the immaualty of the appalling disaster at Shiloh Baptist church. The number of dead has reached 110 and ninety of these have been identified. A large majority of the victims of the stampede were residents of Birmingham, and as fast as the undertakers can prepare their bodies for inspection they are being identified.
    American Eagle
    Murray, Utah
    September 27, 1902
  • News  1908 - EIGHT CARS GO INTO RIVER. Bridge Over Cahaba River Knocked Down But No Lives Lost.
    Birmingham, May 19. - (Special.) - The steel bridge over Cahaba River, about fifteen miles east of Birmingham, was knocked down early this morning when several cars in freight train No. 36, eastbound, became derailed and ran on the cross ties. Eight cars went into the river. No lives were lost but traffic was delayed all day. A broken flange on one of the cars in the freight train caused the wreck. A large force of men was put to work repairing the bridge. In the meantime the track of the Southern Railway was used between Weems and Henry Ellen.
    The Montgomery Advertiser
    Montgomery, Alabama
    May 20, 1908
  • 1916
    Birmingham, a city, capital of Jefferson co., Ala., on the Central R. of Georgia, the Kansas City, Memphis and Birmingham and other railroads, 95 miles NNW. of Montgomery. It contains a number of prominent public buildings, the St. Vincent Hospital (completed in 1900), and several parks. Its industries are largely associated with coal- and iron-mining, which is being extensively prosecuted in the surrounding districts. Iron Mountain, 6 miles distant, contains almost inexhaustible deposits of hematite. Three-fourths of the Alabama iron-ore is obtained from the Birmingham district. The city has numerous blast-furnaces, rolling-mills, steel-works, railroad machine-shops, etc. It is the trade-centre for a large agricultural region and has extensive cotton and cotton- seed oil interests. Pop. in 1880, 3086; in 1890, 26,178; in 1900, 38,415.
    Lippincotts New Gazetteer: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer Or Geographical Dictionary of the World, Containing the Most Recent and Authentic Information Respecting the Countries, Cities, Towns, Resorts, Islands, Rivers, Mountains, Seas, Lakes, Etc., in Every Portion of the Globe, Part 1 Angelo Heilprin Louis Heilprin - January 1, 1916 J.B. Lippincott - Publisher
  • News  1925 - 48 DEAD TAKEN FROM SHAFT OF ALABAMA MINE. FIVE ADDITIONAL BODIES BELIEVED IN OVERTON PLANT NO. 2 FOLLOWING EXPLOSION. MULE'S TAIL SAVES NEGRO. WORKER BLINDED BY FLASH GRABS APPENDAGE AND IS DRAGGED TO OPEN.
    Birmingham, Ala., Dec. 11. - Twenty-six bodies were brought up from the recesses of the Overton mine No. 2 this morning, bringing the total removed to 48. Mine officials and rescue workers believe that five bodies still remain in the mine, and have abandoned all hope that the remainder of the men would be found alive.

    Mine officials expressed the belief that the total death list would not exceed 53, as they estimated that all bodies except five had been recovered.

    Rescue crews worked patiently all night and continued their labors today hoping to remove before nightfall the remaining bodies.
    Cause Is Unknown.

    The Overton mine is the property of the Alabama Fuel and Iron company and is considered by federal and state mine officials one of the best equipped in the Alabama field. The blast did not wreck the air machinery, and this aided the rescue party.

    The cause of the blast had not been officially determined. Some of the mine workers believed it was caused by a miner... Read MORE...

  • 1930s Birmingham

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  • January 30, 1936 - Birmingham, AL, established a single storm record and 24 hour record with 11 inches of snow. (29th-30th)

    The Weather Channel
  • News  1948 - May 1 - Glenn Taylor, Idaho Senator, arrested in Birmingham Alabama for trying to enter a meeting through a door marked "for Negroes"

    www.historyorb.com/ countries/ usa/ alabama/ birmingham
    May 1, 1948


Discover Your Roots: Birmingham Ancestry

Ancestors Who Were Born or Died in Birmingham, Alabama, USA

We currently have information about ancestors who were born or died in Birmingham.

View Them Now (sorted by year of birth)



male ancestorJohn Wesley CLARK (4 July 1843, Harrodsburg, Mercer, Kentucky, USA - 10 December 1919, Birmingham, Alabama, USA)
male ancestorJames Balch MOOR (25 October 1853, St Clair, Alabama, USA - 30 July 1904, Birmingham, Alabama, USA)
photo of Alice Amanda STEPHENSONAlice Amanda STEPHENSON (6 October 1860, Bowden, Georgia, USA - 22 May 1923, Birmingham, Alabama, USA)
female ancestorCora Drew MORROW (April 8, 1885, Walker County, Alabama, USA - November 29, 1959, Birmingham, Alabama, USA)
female ancestorLucille Meredith MOOR (March 28, 1888, Birmingham, Alabama, USA - 4 March 1955, Oakland, Orange County, Florida, USA)
female ancestorNeva CAMPBELL (11 August 1890, Birmingham, Alabama, USA - May 1974, La Mirada, California, USA)
male ancestorArthur William HUNTINGTON (18 October 1896, Birmingham, Alabama, USA - , )
male ancestorJohn Earl RAY (10 August 1901, Birmingham, Alabama, USA - 1 February 1967, )
female ancestorFrances Alfreda NICKERSON (9 August 1911, , Nova Scotia, Canada - 9 October 1980, Birmingham, Alabama, USA)

Ancestors Who Were Married in Birmingham, Alabama, USA

We currently have information about ancestors who were married in Birmingham.

View Them Now

male ancestorJoseph A MCCLURE (16 July 1810 - 2 November 1855) and female ancestorPatience Elizabeth MCCLAIN (5 February 1820 - 2 March 1896) married 29 October 1835
photo of Joseph Francis NEEL Joseph Francis NEEL (25 November 1878 - February 4, 1934) and female ancestorLucille Meredith MOOR (March 28, 1888 - 4 March 1955) married 9 March 1909
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Updated: 3/28/2023 12:31:55 PM

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