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 This highly readable guide is unlikely to become outdated, so don’t miss out.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
Jothan CallinsCalvin Sexton
Founder: BYJE was founded in 1994 by Jothan Callins, a musician, educator, and co-founder of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.
Purpose: The ensemble toured internationally and mentored hundreds of students, providing an opportunity for young musicians to learn and perform.
Alumni Reunion: The original ensemble operated from 1994–2005, and an alumni reunion is planned to celebrate Callins’ legacy and the music he created.
Reunion Events: The reunion will include a meet-and-greet, a banquet, a tribute concert called “Winds of Change,” and a BYJE Alumni Concert.
Date and Location: The celebration takes place from February 19–22, 2026, at the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame in Birmingham, AL.
Alumni: Alumni are encouraged to sign up and participate in the reunion events, including rehearsals starting in January 2026.
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.
1st accredited African American Architect
1st African American enrolled at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Established 1st black architectural firm in the nation, Taylor & Persley
Great Grandfather of Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor to former president Barack Obama
Architect of Prince Hall Masonic Temple in Birmingham, Alabama
Primary architect at Tuskegee Institute
His likeness is on a U.S. postage stamp
His father was a freed slave
Developed & planned the industrial curriculum at Tuskegee Institute with Booker T. Washington
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.
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.”
Friend of Rickwood left to right: Mike Newton, Coke Mathews, Sam Fisher, Ben Cook, Lamar Smith, and Gerald Watkins. Not pictured but in attendance, Tom Cosby
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
Friends of RickwoodHABS AL-897 posterBooks available about Rickwood FieldCarolanne Roberts, with winners of Chocolate Cake contestGerald Watkins, Director of Friends of RickwoodTom Cosby, early supporter of fundraising to preserve Rickwoood fieldWayne Hester, President Birmingham Historical SocietyMarjorie White, Director Birmingham Historical SocietyTrustees Carol Slaughter and Kaydee Erdreich
Do you know the compelling history of America’s oldest ball field? Last night at Birmingham Historical Society’s annual meeting, baseball enthusiast and Friends of Rickwood Director, Gerald Watkins, powerfully recounted the legendary games played on this iconic ground. He also recounted many of the famous players that began their careers on this historic ball field including Willie Mays, Babe Ruth, and Reggie Jackson.
He acknowledged the important part the Society contributed to Rickwood in documenting the age, historical significance, and in verifying the anecdotal stories that the Friends of Rickwood had been using to raise funds for its restoration. Upon the completion of the research, Rickwood was officially confirmed to be the oldest ball park in the nation, and national leagues began to take interest, resulting in Alabama’s first Major League Baseball game in 2024.
Friends of Rickwood Director Gerald Watkins with Birmingham Historical Society Director Marjorie White hold a poster documenting the process of establishing Rickwood’s significance through the National Park Service’s Historic America Buidlings Survey (HABS)
Watkins recounted the struggles the Friends endured in preparing the field for the Major Leagues as well as the fundraising necessary for maintaining the standards required to sustain the relationship. And he acknowledged the Friends who were in the audience including Tom Cosby who along with Terry Slaughter and Coke Mathews led the early promotional efforts.
Erected in 1910, Rickwood Field stands as a monument not just to thrilling baseball moments, but also to the profound social and cultural evolution of the sport. The Birmingham Black Barons began playing in 1920 in the Negro Leagues, and Rickwood served as a gathering place for Birmingham’s black community attracting large crowds until integration caused the Black Barons to dissolve in 1963 and Rickwood shut down for several years.
Several books have been written about Rickwood’s history which were available at the meeting including this tribute book above. Watkins shared that while the Friends hoped that Birmingham native Willie Mays would be at Rickwood’s first Major League game in 2024, he passed that same day, memorializing him forever in Rickwood’s memories.
These three books, companions to one another, celebrate Rickwood Field, the primary ball park of Birmingham professional baseball teams from 1910 to 1987. Each book is a building block in a trilogy on the history of the legendary ball park. Each book stands alone, complete within itself, but together they form a structure larger than its parts: a trilogy.
The three books tell the story of people, places, and events of the early twentieth century and make you feel a part of history, not an observer of it. The books explore world events, American history, and the game of baseball when it was — and perhaps still is — this country’s most culturally relevant sport.
.For more information or to arrange a behinds the scenes tour of the historic ball field, please visit Rickwood Field or visit the park for a self-guided tour M-F 9AM to 4PM.
To commemorate their involvement, the Birmingham Historical Society created a poster (illustrated below) documenting the Society’s role in helping launch the Rickwood Revival of the 1990s.
The Society brought Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), a federal program that documents historic architecture in the United States, to Birmingham to conduct the field work necessary to establish the national significance of the ball park, not only architecturally but also as the home of the Black Barons launching baseball stars including Mules Suttles, Satchel Paige, and Willie Mays.
Up until then, the newly formed Friends of Rickwood assumed that they were the oldest park without documentation, despite other contenders, because Comiskey Park in Chicago had just been demolished.
The Friends took the HABS drawings and made them into promotional renderings to kick off their long-term campaign to preserve and enliven the park. It’s a remarkable success story…about which we will hear more at the Annual Meeting February 24th at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. It’s FREE and open to the public. Please join us!
What is HABS?
Purpose:
To create a public archive of American architecture
To establish standard practices for surveying and listing historic sites
To help restore and rehabilitate historic properties
To inform new designs based on historical precedents
History:
Established in 1933 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Originally a make-work program for unemployed architects, draftsmen, and photographers
Became a permanent program of the National Park Service in 1934
Formally authorized by Congress in 1935
Documentation: Measured drawings, Large-format black and white photographs, Written histories, and Supplemental materials.
Significance:
HABS documentation is part of the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress.
HABS is the nation’s oldest federal preservation program
HABS documentation is often a key part of preservation efforts
So very proud of Birmingham Historical Society Trustee Barbara Shores who continues to share the story of her life on Dynamite Hill. As the daughter of civil rights activist Arthur Shores, she has preserved her family’s involvement in Birmingham’s civil right’s history in the book, “Birmingham’s Dynamite Hill”, and in the videos below.
During this Black History Month, we encourage reflection on the acts of violence that necessitated struggles against racial barriers in the pursuit of a more equitable Birmingham.
Alabama Public Television Presents is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.
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!
Lots of stories from those who lived or worked on Red Mountain, as well as from scholars who have studied the area’s history, will soon be available on your phone, offering both historical & personal insights. These narratives will bring to life the daily struggles and triumphs of individuals who shaped the community, providing a personal connection to the past. Four key mining sites will be discussed: each site carries its own unique story, revealing the complexities of mining operations, the lives of the miners, and the impact of this industry on the surrounding environment and local culture.
Sites on tour include: Mine No. 13, the Smythe Mining Camp excavation site, Mine No. 10, and the park’s Wenonah entrance on Venice Road.
“Red Mountain Park is hosting “Go Tell It On Red Mountain” – An Oral History Presentation on Sunday, November 17th at 2 PM. The program will feature a panel discussion with the project’s scholars and UAB collaborators facilitated by Laura Anderson from the Alabama Humanities Alliance. Together, they will share stories from Birmingham’s mining era and discuss the project’s development. Afterward, attendees will be encouraged to take a self-guided audio tour on their phones to a few key historical sites.”
You’re invited to join BHS Trustee, Barbara Shores, on February 8th at 7:00PM as Alabama Public Television shares the story of her father, Arthur Shores, who served an instrumental part in Birmingham’s civil rights history.
From left: Autherine Lucy, Thurgood Marshall, and Arthur Shores exit the federal courthouse in Birmingham, Alabama, in February 1956, following Lucy’s reinstatement as the first black person to be admitted to the University of Alabama. Photo courtesy of The Birmingham News
The premier screening will be one of the first events at the newly renovated historic Carver Theater, which also houses the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. For a full list of events, please click HERE.
Tickets for the movie screening are FREE but for guaranteed entry, please register HERE and pick up tickets at the theater’s box office Wednesday to Friday from 11AM to 2PM
