Category Archives: Birmingham Botanical Gardens

A Guide to Architectural Styles, Architecture, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, BOOK, Book Sale, lecture, Meetings, Neighborhoods, Publications

Residential Architecture Symposium

The Birmingham chapter of the American Institute of Architects is holding its first ever Residential Architecture Symposium.  The goal?  To give curious homeowners an opportunity to learn more about how the design of where they live can have a significant impact on how they live.   A summary of the event follows.

Keynote: “The Art & Science of Place Planning”

  • Speaker: Ryan Frederick, bestselling author (Right Place, Right Time) and Stanford Center on Longevity advisor.  Ryan is a friend and an engaging, informative and thoughtful speaker.   More about him and his work can be found here .  And his book is included in the ticket price!
  • Big Idea: We spend more time planning vacations than planning where we’ll live at different life stages.   We need a plan for the important life transitions too. 
  • What You’ll Learn: How your home and neighborhood directly impact your health, happiness, and longevity
  • Takeaway: Practical tools for making housing decisions that support your life goals—whether you’re renovating, relocating, or aging in place.

Purchase the Book that Inspired the Movement

The right place elevates personal well-being. It can help promote purpose, facilitate human connection, catalyze physical activity, support financial health, and inspire community engagement. 

Conversely, the wrong place can be detrimental to health. In Right Place, Right Time, Ryan Frederick argues that where you live matters enormously—especially during the second half of your life.

Panel: “Why Residential Architects Matter”

  • Real Stories: Local architects share how they’ve helped families solve complex design challenges
  • Behind the Scenes: Learn how architects guide homeowners through big and small construction decisions
  • Your Future Projects: Discover how architects create homes that are beautiful, sustainable, and designed to work for every life stage

Why This Matters to You:

  • Perfect for anyone thinking about home improvements, life transitions, or helping aging parents
  • Opportunity to learn from experts in the field – whether that’s thinking about aging in place or designing a new addition for your family.
  • Rare chance to network with residential architects and vendors who can answer questions about how they work to design custom homes.

Details:

Ticket Link Here  – Ticket price includes Ryan’s book!  Bring a friend—these conversations are better shared!

Tuesday, September 16th, noon to 3pm.  

BIrmingham Botanical Gardens, Doors open to the public at noon.

See also Birmingham Historical Society’s A Guide to Architectural Styles

Annual Gathering, Annual meeting, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Birmingham Civil Rights, Birmingham Historical Society, Birmingham Landmarks, Birmingham pioneers, BOOK, Book Sale, Book Signing, Cake & Pie Contest, Cake Contest, Meetings, Membership, Parks & Recreation, Publications, Rickwood Field

The 83rd Annual Meeting Featuring America’s Oldest Ball Field – Rickwood

ALL ARE WELCOME at the 83rd Annual Meeting of the Birmingham Historical Society at 7PM on Monday, February 24th at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

The meeting will feature guest speaker, Gerald Watkins, Director of the Friends of Rickwood, and a lifetime baseball enthusiast! His talk, Rickwood: Then & Now, will tell the story of America’s oldest grandstand and ballpark. The Friends’ fundraising campaign, spearheaded by Terry Slaughter, Tom Cosby, and Coke Mathews, enabled the park to be restored, expanded, and subsequently brought Alabama’s first Major League Baseball game to Birmingham. Books about Rickwood will be available for sale, and chocolate cake entries from the annual cake contest will be judged and available after the meeting for sampling!

Baseball fans, society supporters and members, and Alabama historians, don’t miss this meeting!

Annual Gathering, Annual meeting, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Birmingham Historical Society, Cake Contest, Favorite Pie & Cake Contest, lecture, Meetings, Membership

The Great Chocolate Cake Contest

The 83rd Annual Meeting of the Birmingham Historical Society is at 7PM on Monday, February 24th at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens and will feature guest speaker Gerald Watkins, Director of the Friends of Rickwood Field.

CALLING ALL CAKES

For The Great Chocolate Cake Contest

THE RULES: Bake your cake and bring the form above,

along with the recipe, and your cake for judging, to the

Birmingham Botanical Gardens Auditorium

between 3:30 and 4:00 p.m. on February 24.

JUDGING CATEGORIES: Most Chocolatey Cake Creation + Best

Overall Cake + Best Visual Presentation + Best Flavor Profile +

Most Pleasing Texture + Best Memory Statement

Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Birmingham Historical Society, Farming, Gardening, Grandmothers Garden

In memory of Sallie Lee, Jeff County Extension Agent

For fifteen years, Sallie Lee guided the Birmingham Historical Society in the creation of an early 20th century demonstration garden at Sloss Quarters. She was an invaluable resource in identifying plant materials that might have been planted next to a shotgun house of that era as well as providing soil amendment advice and even labor. Over the years, the master gardener volunteers and BHS Director Marjorie White enjoyed her friendship as well as her tutelage in creating Grandmother’s Garden.

Sallie Lee and Marjorie White talk about Grandmother’s Garden (video)

Sallie was featured on WBRC’s Good Day Alabama as a gardening expert and had many friends among Alabama gardeners as well as among the staff at Birmingham Botanical Gardens where she maintained an office and often lectured. Sallie retired in 2020 after serving Alabama Extension for over 22 years. She successfully held several positions beginning with 7 years as an Agent Assistant, before moving up to a County Extension Agent in 2005, and in 2009 an Urban Regional Extension Agent with the Home Grounds, Gardens, and Home Pests team.

Although she retired early to care for family members, she was making plans to move back to Alabama. Our BHS gardening group was really looking forward to reconnecting with her. Sadly, she died August 2nd. She will be greatly missed.

Annual meeting, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Birmingham Historical Society, Endowment, Heritage Society, Membership

Gift Memberships, New Memberships

At the 82nd Annual Birmingham Historical Society meeting featuring a talk by Guest Speaker Dr. William Deutsch, President Wayne Hester reminded the audience of the importance of $50 gift memberships, particularly for interested young people. The non-profit society depends upon the generosity of donors and members to provide free events and support its mission and research. Its volunteer organization relies upon the time and talent of its members. We encourage you to join us or give a gift! Thank you to all those who attended for your continuing support.

Left to right: BHS President Wayne Hester, Guest Speaker Dr. William Deutsch, BHS Director Marjorie White. Photo by Louise McPhillips

Annual Gathering, Annual meeting, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Birmingham Historical Society, BOOK, Book Sale, Book Signing, Cake & Pie Contest, Favorite Pie & Cake Contest, Meetings, Membership, Publications, Trustees

500 Million Years of Alabama History at our 82nd Annual Meeting

Please join us on Monday, February 26 at 7 p.m. in the Auditorium of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens for the 82nd Annual Meeting of the Birmingham Historical Society. President Wayne Hester will preside. 

Recorded history is said to have begun with the drafting of the Sumerian cuneiform tablets, approximately 5,000 years ago. Beginning in the 19th century, the study of fossils has evolved to tell a significantly longer span of earth’s history:  500 million years, i.e. “Deep Time.” Per our speaker Bill Deutsch: “Alabama has been part of this unfolding story  since the modern science of Paleontology began, and fossil richness will keep it center stage.”

 Deutsch will take us on a mesmerizing “Walk Through Deep Time”, unfurling Alabama’s rich fossil legacy and its connections to our history, geology, and world-class biodiversity.  (Add to your FB calendar HERE)

Following Dr. Deutsch’s talk, Carolanne Roberts will announce the winners of the Fruity Wonders Cake Competition, praising our members’ creations and sharing comments from our esteemed judges.

Then, we invite you to get a copy of Ancient Life in Alabama, to chat with Bill Deutsch,  sample  cake, and pay 2024 Society dues. Copies of Deutsch’s book will be available for sale for $30 cash, check, or charge.

About the Author

Dr. William (“Bill”) Deutsch is a Research Fellow Emeritus in the Auburn University School of Fisheries, Agriculture, and Aquatic Sciences. The New York native holds degrees in Biology, Anthropology and Zoology, and Aquatic Ecology, the later a PhD from Auburn. During his 26 years as an aquatic ecologist in Alabama, With a longstanding interest in fossils, Deutsch participated in fossils hunting expeditions across the nation He has taught, lectured, and written widely about the natural wonders of our state, especially its rivers and its fossilsand what they can tell us about the present and times long past.

“Since moving to Alabama nearly 40 years ago, I’ve learned about its rich variety of fossils. Rock outcrops are fanned out in a relatively discernible pattern, with bands of fossils representing each geological era. The story of more than 500 million years of life is here, just under our feet. Tropical seas teemed with sharks, mosasaurs, and reef life. Coal-forming swamps ringed coastlines with huge dragonflies and millipedes, slithering amphibians, and towering horsetail plants. Dinosaurs of several types were here along with toothed birds, legged whales, rhinoceroses, mastodons, and giant sloths—the highest fossil diversity of any state east of the Mississippi River! In Alabama? Who knew? How and when did this happen?”

–-Bill Deutsch, “Preface,” Ancient Life in Alabama : The Fossils, The Finders & Why It Matters, July 2022.

“Fruit came with the flowering plants in the Mesozoic age [145 to  66 million years ago]. Late dinosaurs probably imbibed.” Bill Deutsch. 

CALLING ALL CAKES

For the Fruity Wonders Cake Contest

THE RULES: Bake your cake and bring the form and your cake for judging to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens Auditorium between 3:30 and 4:00 p.m. on February 26. 

JUDGING CATEGORIES: Most Colorful + Best Creative Use of Fruit + Best Visual Presentation +Best Flavor Profiles + Best Memory Statement + Best Overall

Annual Gathering, Annual meeting, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Birmingham Historical Society, Cake & Pie Contest, Favorite Pie & Cake Contest, Food History

Fruity Wonders Cake Contest

The annual Birmingham Historical Society meeting next year will be February 26th, 2024, at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. As always, it will include a popular cake contest (and tasting!) after the featured speaker. Judges select multiple winners with 2024 categories listed below. Memorable family recipes are always a big hit with the judges! The meeting is FREE and open to the public. So start thinking of your best recipes that are filled with fruit! Need inspiration? Lots of ideas below…