Birmingham Historical Society, Birmingham pioneers, BOOK, TRUE TALES, True Tales of Birmingham

From Comic Pages to ‘True Tales’: Birmingham’s Early Pioneers

In the days before digital news, the comic pages were a favorite fixture of the newspaper by kids and adults alike. The Birmingham Historical Society used its popularity to promote early leaders of the city in quick profiles published every Saturday from February 1991 to April 1992.

The series, entitled True Tales, highlighted the accomplishments of the people who contributed much to the early development of Birmingham. Its 128 pages tell the stories of industrialists, educators, church leaders, activists, settlers, developers, architects, entertainers, philanthropists and more! And for a definitive current guide to Birmingham and its history, check out Birmingham by the Book: A Guide to the Magic City.

Join our Highland Park Historical Scavenger Hunt Sunday, October 18th from 3-5 and you might even win a copy of True Tales!

Invitation to Highland Park community event on Sunday, October 18th from 3-5pm, featuring an after-party at Rojo. Includes details about enjoying local businesses, live music, and community camaraderie.
For more info: https://highland-park.org/10-18-26/
Table of contents for a book featuring various historical figures, including engineers, educators, and entrepreneurs, with associated page numbers.

Bethel Baptist Church, Birmingham Civil Rights, Birmingham Landmarks

Birmingham’s Legacy of Historic Churches

Birmingham has a rich history in churches and Birmingham by the Book highlights the historical significance of many of them. Over 50 churches active in the Birmingham Civil Rights Movement from 1956-1963 are listed on page 9 the guide, and three are within the Civil Rights District.

In 1972, city directories listed 608 churches and synagogues. Early churches were encouraged to build by developers offering congregations lots at well below market cost. A 2000 publication by Birmingham Historical Society entitled Aspiration: Birmingham’s Houses of Worship celebrates this legacy and is full of photographs by noted photographer, Richard Payne, many of which are included below.

A row of gravestones in a cemetery, with green trees and a road visible in the background.
Wilson Chapel
1916
A stone church with two conical towers, featuring a large circular stained glass window and a wooden entrance, surrounded by a grassy area and walkway.
Union Missionary Baptist
1887 (1914)
Front view of Greater Saint Thomas Baptist Church, featuring a red brick exterior, a pointed roof, and a sign over the entrance.
Thomas Presbyterian 1891
Close-up of classical architectural details featuring ornate columns and decorative cornice, in black and white.
Temple Emanu-El
1913
A stone church building with a cross on the roof, large stained glass windows, and a set of stairs leading to the entrance, surrounded by neatly trimmed bushes and a road in front.
St. Mark’s Catholic 1905 (1937-1939)
Historic South Baptist Church with classical architecture, featuring tall columns and a prominent entrance, surrounded by trees and parked cars in black and white.
Southside Baptist
1911
Historic church with a tall steeple and stained glass window, set against a clear sky.
South Highland Presbyterian
1892
A historic stone church building with large stained glass windows, set against a clear blue sky, surrounded by trees.
Independent Presbyterian
1922-1926
Interior view of a church featuring a vaulted ceiling with intricate artwork and icons, including a prominent depiction of Christ above the altar.
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox
1906 (1949)
Exterior view of a white church with a green roof, surrounded by colorful flowers and lush grass under a blue sky with clouds.
Holy Rosary Catholic 1889
A historic stone church in the foreground contrasts with a modern skyscraper in the background, set against a bustling city street.
First United Methodist 1890-1891
Historic brick church facade with intricate architectural details and stained glass windows, set against a backdrop of modern buildings.
First Presbyterian 1886-1888
Historic church with a tall steeple, intricate stained glass windows, and surrounding urban landscape.
First Presbyterian 1886-1888
A black and white photograph of a large brick church featuring a prominent rose window, arched entrances, and a bell tower, surrounded by greenery.
East Lake Methodist 1887 (1948)
Interior of a church featuring large stained glass windows, gothic arches, and wooden pews in a monochrome style.
Cathedral of St. Paul 1890-1893
Black and white photograph of a large church with two tall steeples, featuring intricate architectural details, surrounded by trees and parked cars on a city street.
Cathedral of St. Paul 1890-1893
A brick building with a distinctive architectural design, featuring a large entrance, multiple windows, and decorative details. In front, there is a small park-like area with green grass, a flagpole, and a historical marker.
Bethel Baptist
1926, 2006
A historic brick building with a dome, featuring large columns and arched windows, surrounded by trees on a quiet street.
Avondale Baptist
1916
Historic brick building with ornate windows and a prominent tower, showcasing architectural details typical of early 20th-century religious structures.
16th Street Baptist 1909-1911
Architecture, Birmingham Historical Society, Birmingham Landmarks, civil rights, Map, Neighborhoods, Parks & Recreation, Railroads

Map Your Visit to the Magic City

Birmingham by the Book Cover

Use this guide and the map below to plan your visit to Birmingham. Each location includes the matching page number from Birmingham by the Book: A Guide to the Magic City, so you can easily read more about it.

Using the map: Tap or click the white menu icon in the upper-left corner of the map (legend button), immediately to the left of the blue B to chose a category, then select any map marker to see the site name, photographs, information, and its page number in the book.

On a phone or tablet: You can move around the map and zoom in to explore different areas of Birmingham. Use the map’s legend button to switch between categories. Choose a category before expanding the map in the upper right hand corner.

When you click or tap a pin on the map, a little popup will appear with the site’s name and the matching page number from the book, so you can easily find it.

Using an iPad and it won’t open? Try this link instead and open in a new tab.

What’s in Birmingham by the Book? All these sites above and MORE!

Visit the Magic City of Birmingham using Birmingham by the Book!
Birmingham Landmarks, Birmingham pioneers

Did you know Birmingham had a Red Light District?

The City of Birmingham sanctioned a red light district which operated from 1905 to 1915 along 1st Avenue South, east of 20th Street. (Birmingham by the Book, pg 58) Madame Blanche Bernard offered free carriage rides from her ‘house of ill repute’ to guests’ hotels. She was among several proprietors who ran ‘classy sporting houses’. Statewide prohibition in 1915 shut these down as well as more than 100 saloons on Birmingham’s Southside.

Today’s Rotary Trail follows the stretch of tracks along 1st Avenue South linking Railroad Park to Sloss Furnaces as part of the Freshwater Land Trust’s Red Rock Trail System. And breweries once again flourish in the area.

Historic brick buildings with green awnings and large windows, under a partly cloudy sky.
Seaboard Saloon (1897) 2131 1st Avenue South
Front view of a brick building with large windows and a balcony, surrounded by trees and greenery, with a person standing near a streetlight.
Madam Blance Bernard (1907) 2227 1st Avenue South
A night view of the Rotary Trail sign in Birmingham, Alabama, illuminated with lights, showcasing the words 'Rotary Trail in the Magic City' against a backdrop of a full moon and modern buildings.
Rotary Trail (2016) 1st Avenue South from 20th Street to 24th Street South
Birmingham Historical Society, Birmingham pioneers, Coal Mines

WOW! The Sky over Sloss Furnaces

Birmingham, also known as The Magic City, was nicknamed for its amazingly fast growth fueled by iron ore, limestone, and coal. Sloss Furnaces was America’s largest producer of iron in the 1920s.

Now a National Historic Landmark, it defines Birmingham’s skyline with its towering blast furnaces which quit operating in 1971. The open air museum features events, festivals, and metal workers. Read more about it in Birmingham by the Book (pgs. 34-35)

A group of people, including adults and children, walking along a gravel path near industrial structures, including a tall furnace and a water tower with the word 'SLOSS,' set against a clear sky and green trees.
A group of workers in protective gear engages in metal casting in an industrial setting, with a furnace emitting flames in the background.
Black and white photo of an industrial site featuring tall smokestacks, trains, and large storage containers of materials.
A scenic sunset over an industrial landscape featuring rusty structures and smokestacks, with a city skyline in the background.
photo by Steve Dunlap, 2025
Architecture, Birmingham Historical Society, Birmingham Landmarks, Birmingham pioneers, Heritage Society

What is Birmingham’s Heritage Society?

Members of Birmingham’s Heritage Society receive all the benefits of membership in addition to an invitation to an annual gathering in one of Birmingham’s finest historic homes. It’s Birmingham Historical Society’s most popular event, and also its biggest fundraiser of the year. Spoiler alert! There are two featured homes in Forest Park this month. Interested? Join the Heritage Society!

Members are mailed a brochure with the history of the home, historic photographs, and information about the development of the area. Two of the homes featured in the past appear below. It’s a great way to learn about founding families of Birmingham and tour the estates that they created.

Heritage Society members are acknowledged in the annual report, AND receive an invitation to the annual Heritage Society gathering in an historic home. Heritage Society memberships are $500.

All Society Members receive newsletters, invitations to Society events, and the annual publication that is mailed if not picked up at the publication celebration. Annual memberships begin at $50. All memberships are for individuals or couples. Membership operates on the calendar year, January 1 to December 31.

A large, historical Tudor-style house with a mix of brick and wooden features, set in a green landscape with a well-maintained lawn.

2023 Heritage Home

A stone-clad historic house with a group of people gathered outside, engaging in conversation. The scene features well-manicured lawns and green shrubs, with some individuals walking towards the entrance.
Bush-Hill-Cooley Heritage Society Party 2022. Photo: Louise McPhillips

2022 Heritage Home

Birmingham Historical Society, Birmingham pioneers, BOOK, family history, Neighborhoods, Parks & Recreation, Shades Creek, Warren Manning

Building Mountain Brook: Shades Creek, Mt. Vernon Replica, and The Old Mill

Warren Manning and Jemison & Co. designed and developed Mountain Brook Estates from 1926 – 1929. (pgs. 114-115 of Birmingham by the Book) The main avenue in the newly developed Mountain Brook Estates was Mountain Brook Parkway, which parallels Jemison Park, designed as a linear parkway in the floodplain of Shades Creek.

The Tutwiler-McDonald Estate was built on the parkway as a replica of George Washington’s Mt. Vernon to showcase standards for Jemison & Co.’s new subdivision. The Old Mill facing the estate, was designed in 1927 as a promotional landmark for the new community, and was never a functioning mill. Other improvements included stone gates, bridges, bridle trails, and Mountain Brook Village, intended to mimic an English countryside village.

View of Shades Creek Valley from Mountain Brook Estates
Shades Creek: Flowing through Time tells the story of waters and tributaries touching the shores of Birmingham, Mountain Brook, Homewood, Hoover, Bessemer and other stretches of Jefferson, Bibb and Shelby County, Alabama. Far more than a trickling stream on a slow mosey, Shades Creek has shaped, supported and influenced life on its journey to today. Learn of explorers and Native Americans; Civil War iron-making; the water’s nurturing of native plants and wildlife; and how Shades Creek shaped modern times by providing inspiration to regional planners like Warren Manning and the Olmsted Brothers. Read too of problems in this paradise, brought on by bad judgments or good intentions gone wrong; and of the environmental groups rallying to rescue and protect the treasure. 216 pages, lavishly illustrated with more than 50 maps and 250 photographs
A Guide to Architectural Styles, Architecture, Birmingham Civil Rights, Birmingham Historical Society, Birmingham Landmarks, Birmingham pioneers, BOOK, civil rights, Dynamite Hill, family history, Farming, Highland Avenue, Housing, Neighborhoods, Smithfield, Southside

Historically Significant Architecture of Birmingham

The oldest homes in Birmingham tell the story of prosperous early industrialists and real estate developers, the struggles of the working classes, architectural trends, and the civil rights era.

  • The Smithfield/Dynamite hill homes of the civil rights era are described on pg. 90 of Birmingham by the Book.
  • Some of the most expensive homes were built on 30 acres in Glen Iris Park (pgs 102-103) prior to 1920 and along Highland Avenue in Southside.
  • More modest homes were in the Five Points South area and along Cullom Street, built in the 1890s.
  • In the late 1880s, Thomas was a company town with rented housing for those who needed to live close to the iron producing furnaces. By 1912, 550 workers lived in this community.
  • Pioneering early planters who became prominent citizens of Birmingham included Isaac Sadler, Thomas McAdory, and Thomas Owen who built flourishing plantations from 1820s to early 1900s. (pg. 26 of Birmingham by the Book)

Other significant early neighborhoods included :

  • Anderson Place, Milner Heights, Forest Park and Mountain Terrace. (pgs. 104-109).
  • The Hollywood homes in Homewood were designed in 1924, influenced by Hollywood, California, and including some of Birmingham’s first mission style architecture.
  • Roebuck Springs was contoured around knolls, and boasted an English Garden aesthetic as well as the first designed 18-hole golf course and country club grounds. (pg. 98 of Birmingham by the Book).

See more neighborhood history as well as over the mountain areas, all divided by region in Birmingham by the Book. Some early examples are included below.

W.P.G. Harding House, Glen Iris
Worker House, East Thomas
Worker House, East Thomas
T.O. Smith House, Roebuck Springs
Schwab House, Highland Avenue Area
Sadler House, McCalla, 1827
Robley Munger House, Arlington Park
Robert Jemison House, Glen Iris
Parker Bown House, Smithfield
Owen House, Bessemer, 1833
Mission Style House, Homewood
McAdory House, Bessemer, 1840
Mary M Means House, Dynamite Hill, Smithfield
Luffman House,
Glen Iris
Loveman House, Southside
Jordan House, Highland Avenue
John Drew House, Dynamite Hill, Smithfield
J. Cary Thompson House,
Five Points South
Hollywood House, Homewood
H.K. Milner House, Milner Crescent
Hayes Davis House, East Thomas
Hassinger House, Highland Avenue
Forest Park House
Forest Park House
Ensley Houses
Cullom Street Houses, Southside
Cullom Street House, Southside
Cullom Street House, Southside
Cullom Street Houses, Southside
Brown and A.G. Gaston House, Smithfield
Architecture, Birmingham pioneers, BOOK, Neighborhoods

Woodlawn’s Origins: From Rockville to Railway Boomtown

The Birmingham suburb known as Woodlawn was settled around 1815, when a street currently called Georgia Road, was still part of Mississippi territory. The town of Rockville was formed in 1832 and in 1838 pioneer Obadiah Wood acquired 400 acres on Georgia Road. Three generations of the Wood family would continue to support growth of the area by running a general store, sawmill, and post office, and by donating land for churches, a school, and homeplaces for former slaves. So in 1886, it was renamed Woodlawn in honor of the family’s contributions. The town was incorporated in 1891, and annexed into the City of Birmingham in 1910.

The former city hall, high school, library, and fire station are still standing and in use today.

City Hall, 1908
Wood Family Cemetery, 1824
Masonic Building, 1915
Woodlawn Highlands
Woodlawn Highlands
Glenn Messer House, 1898-1995
who taught
Charles Lindbergh
Woodlawn Highlands
Woodlawn Highlands
Woodlawn Highlands

Homes for professionals, merchants, and managers included Victorian, Queen Anne, Craftsman, and Tudor Cottages and bungalows. See pgs 94-95 in Birmingham by the Book for more information and a map.

Woodlawn High School, 1922

Research, Publishing, and Education