Category Archives: civil rights

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!

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.

Follow Birmingham’s Civil Rights History with Birmingham by the Book

Birmingham has struggled to shed the images of violence and destruction from 1956-1963 and today is home to several memorials and a premier civil rights museum.

Critically, Birmingham was the site of the 1963 Birmingham campaign; Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail; the Children’s Crusade, with its images of students being attacked by water hoses and dogs; the bombing of the A.G. Gaston Motel – the movement’s headquarters motel – and the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. All these locations are now preserved as part of the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument. Sixty churches active in the Alabama Christian Movement and Civil Rights Movement are listed on pg. 9 of Birmingham by the Book.

Follow the Birmingham Civil Rights Trail using Birmingham by the Book, (pg. 6) available on Amazon.com. Or for in depth information, A Walk To Freedom has first hand recollections, and 225 photographs.

May is Preservation Month!

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

Ways to Celebrate Black History Month

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.

From the Birmingham Times:

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.”

A skyline view of Birmingham, featuring various tall buildings and blue skies, with text overlay honoring Black History Month.

February Reunion of Music Lovers

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

  • 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.

Birmingham Historical Society presents Tuxedo Junction documentary

Mark your calendars and pre-register for this FREE event in January

Tickets available HERE

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

Register HERE

Date and time

Sunday, January 18, 2026 · 2 – 5pm CST

Location

Virginia Samford Theatre1116 26th Street South Birmingham, AL 35205

Collage of historical images and contemporary moments related to the documentary 'Tuxedo Junction,' featuring musicians, filmmakers, and people celebrating the musical heritage of Ensley.