Featured this year are three FREE events, with a tour of Rickwood Field, a talk on Birmingham Mineral Railroad, and a Community Preservation Spotlight in Titusville. Mark your calendars for these upcoming events! For more information, please contact Birmingham’s Historic Preservation Manager: Hannah.Garmon@birminghamal.gov
For over 50 years, Marjorie White has been sharing her research and discoveries about her adopted city of Birmingham. Her story as told in Birmingham Lifestyle Magazine is one of dedication, curiosity, exploration, and documentation. She knows this city well, and shares her enthusiasm in her latest publication, Birmingham by the Book.
Currently available locally (and mailed) from Birmingham Historical Society offices on Highland Avenue, at Thank You Books in Crestwood, and Shoppe in Forest Park, and at Amazon.com. Use the QR code to buy via PayPal or click HERE
If you want to share Birmingham with out-of-towners, this is a comprehensive, well-illustrated, but easy to read overview. And locals may just find out something new about Birmingham! Check it out! And read more about Marjorie’s story below…
Birmingham by the Book: A Guide to the Magic City
February is Black History Month and reviewing Birmingham’s Civil Rights History is a great way to acknowledge it. The following is a video produced by CBS 42 with places to explore.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson who died today, had ties to Birmingham’s Civil Rights history rooted in his work with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and his commitment to honoring the city’s civil rights history. He visited the A.G. Gaston Motel in March 2025 and was in Alabama in 2013 for the 50th anniversary of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in September 2013.
Jackson and his family were at A.G. Gaston Motel to explore future partnership opportunities with Kendra Woodfin, wife of Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, and KultureCity, a nonprofit dedicated to sensory inclusion and disability accessibility.
“It’s good to be home again,” Jackson whispered from his wheelchair. “I have Parkinson’s and I can’t talk very well, but my mind is on freedom.” He added, “The Bible says, ‘Remove not the ancient landmarks which thy fathers have set.’ This is a landmark. Never forget it. It is dark, but the morning comes. When it is really dark, you can see the stars more clearly. Amen.”
The film produced by Katie Rogers and Brandon McCray tells the story of how jazz was cultivated and popularized in Ensley, centered around what is now known as the Nixon Building, located at the junction of two streetcar lines. During the 1920s and 1930s, the nightclub on this corner was a vibrant social hub and dance venue. Admission required tuxedos and proper evening attire, a standard that gave rise to the club’s legendary name: Tuxedo Junction.
This era also marked the emergence of some of Birmingham’s most influential jazz musicians, many of whom were trained by renowned band director Fess Whatley at Parker Industrial School. At the time, Parker Industrial was the only Black high school in Alabama, and its students honed their musical skills by performing at Tuxedo Junction, helping to shape a distinctive jazz tradition that would resonate far beyond Birmingham. The song Tuxedo Junction performed there and written by Erskine Hawkins cemented its place in history.
The good news is that the documentary Tuxedo Junction will air on PBS on February 19. Those who attended the special screening on Sunday can attest that it is well worth the wait—don’t miss it! Sunday’s event also featured a book signing by Burgin Mathews, author of Magic City: How the Birmingham Jazz Tradition Shaped the Sound of America, his 10 year passion project that further highlights the city’s enduring impact on American music. Jazz music by Birmingham legends, Bo Berry and Jose Carr, created the magic that continues to captivate music lovers everywhere.
Tuxedo Junction by Erskine Hawkins
with lyrics by Buddy Feyne
Feelin' low
Rockin' slow
I want to go
Right back where I belong
Way down south in Birmingham
I mean south in Alabam'
There's an old place where people go
To dance the night away
They all drive or walk for miles
To get jive that southern style
It's an old jive that makes you want
To dance till break of day
It's a junction where the town folks meet
At each function in a tux they greet you
Come on down, forget your care
Come on down, you'll find me there
So long town, I'm heading for
Tuxedo Junction now
[Instrumental]
Feelin' low
Rockin' slow
I want to go
Right back where I belong
Way down south in Birmingham
I mean south in Alabam'
There's an old place where people go
To dance the night away
They all drive or walk for miles
To get jive that southern style
It's an old jive that makes you want
To dance till break of day
It's a junction where the town folks meet
At each function in a tux they greet you
Come on down, forget your care
Come on down, you'll find me there
So long town, I'm heading for
Tuxedo Junction now
Tuxedo Junction now
Do you think you know this city? Or are you a visitor, and you would like to know more? This guide is for YOU! Heavily illustrated with maps, tours, and descriptions of everything Birmingham, this is the culmination of 50 years of research and detailed publications by Birmingham Historical Society. This highly readable guide is unlikely to become outdated, so don’t miss out. It’s a valuable resource for every resident and visitor to our Magic City!
The guide is to be released at the Annual Meeting of the Birmingham Historical Society on February 23rd at 7:00 PM at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens auditorium. This event is FREE and open to the public, and guides will be available for purchase.
Two-night “Winds of Change” tribute and BYJE Alumni Concert honor visionary trumpeter, educator, Broadway musician, and cultural catalyst Jothan McKinley Callins at the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame
Friday, February 20, 2026 at 7:00 PM CST and
Sunday, February 22, 2026 at 5:00 PM CST
Led by trombonist, bandleader, and former BYJE member Calvin Sexton—a Birmingham native, New York City–based artist, educator, and South Arts Jazz Road awardee—the project gathers past BYJE musicians, Callins’ family, and a new generation of artists to honor a man whose work changed the sound—and the future—of young Black musicians in Birmingham
Friends and former students describe Callins as “unforgettable,” “a man we can call great,” and “the epitome of a jazz legend for the Magic City.” The project is part of a grant from South Arts Jazz Roads Residency Award, which Calvin Sexton is an Awardee for $40,000.
New interest in the preservation of the historic Prince Hall Masonic Temple brings the importance of Robert R. Taylor‘s contribution to Birmingham to the forefront. As the first accredited African American architect, together with his partner Louis H. Persley, he brought planning concepts he adopted as the first black MIT graduate to the campus at Tuskegee Institute.
But his importance to Birmingham is in the historic, 100 year old Prince Hall Masonic Temple, designed by Taylor & Persley. While it is currently in disrepair, a recent dialogue between national preservation leaders Brent Leggs and Irvin Henderson is starting the process toward protecting the building from further deterioration by raising support, and advocating to include it as part of the Civil Rights National Monument fundraising.
The building opened in 1924, and with an auditorium that could accommodate 2000, it often featured Duke Ellington’s orchestra and Count Basie’s big bands, along with dances, meetings, and special events. The offices of notable black businesses were located in the upper floors. The cost of construction was funded entirely with contributions.
See also a video of the interior here
Kweisi Daniels, Ph.D, School of Architecture and Construction Science at Tuskegee University, emphasized that every historic building tells a story. The Masonic Temple stands as a “towering reminder of black ingenuity, entrpreneurship, and civic pride“, as he further states,
“There’s something profound about standing in a space designed by the first African American architects. you’re not just preserving structures, you’re preserving legacies.”
At last month’s summit meeting, Leggs and Henderson left the audience with a challenge.
“We are stewards of this history, not just spectators,” said Henderson. “And we must work hand in hand with developers, preservationists, city officials, and, most importantly, community members to preserve the past in a way that empowers our future.”
Much appreciation to the speaker at our 83rd Annual Meeting, Gerald Watkins, Director of Friends of Rickwood, along with all the other Rickwood Friends who were in attendance. Critical to the preservation of the nation’s OLDEST BALL PARK, these baseball enthusiasts are holding the HABS (Historic American Buildings Survey) poster that certified Rickwood’s age and importance.
But before that 1993 certification, Tom Cosby, Terry Slaughter, and Coke Mathews recognized the importance of the ballpark, and led fundraising efforts which ultimately led to Birmingham Historical Society’s involvement in the HABS documentation. It’s a preservation success story that put Birmingham on the map, bringing its first Major League Baseball game to Rickwood in 2024. (View all the drawings and documentation at the Library of Congress HERE at HABS AL-897)
Gerald Watkins shared not only his enthusiasm for the sport, and the struggles in maintaining the park, but also the ongoing support that will be necessary to sustain it. Want to help? Attend an event! Or contribute to its support HERE
photos by Louise McPhillips
Read more about Rickwood’s history in our BHS newsletter HERE (downloadable pdf document) and in our archives HERE
