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
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.”
Scam the QR code for details and to reserve a spot
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.
Mark your calendars and pre-register for this FREE event in January
Join us in person for a fun afternoon with the Birmingham Historical Society for a special screening of this award-winning documentary that captures the amazing musical history that came out of Ensley in the 1920s through the 1950s. Local filmmakers Katie Rogers and Brandon McCray will be in attendance for a special Q&A after the film, and Burgin Mathews will be signing and selling his book on the subject. Stay for drinks in the courtyard with live jazz by Jose Carr and Bo Berry and friends, who are also featured in the film. *Runtime: 52min
Enjoy the trailer & for more info on the film, visit www.tuxedojunctiondoc.com
Sunday, January 18, 2026 · 2 – 5pm CST
Virginia Samford Theatre1116 26th Street South Birmingham, AL 35205
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
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.
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.
