Category Archives: Exhibition

Birmingham Historical Society, Birmingham Public Library, Exhibition, Healthcare, Medical Care, Research, UAB

Medical History Collection at Lister Hill Library

The collection at the newly opened Dennis C. Pappas Gallery at UAB’s Lister Hill Library features important scientific and medical items related to vision and hearing loss.

Notably, it includes the original handwritten notes (above) of Joseph Henry Johnson, M.D., the founder of the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind, dating back to 1855. The gallery also displays original instruments and highlights the lasting impact of Helen Keller, encouraging visitors to learn more about these significant topics.

While Dr. Johnson was inspired by his deaf brother, the idea for the Institute emerged as a direct result of Talladega native Reuben Ashbury’s harrowing experience of imprisonment in darkness during the Civil War. He returned to his community, profoundly changed and determined to dedicate his life to assisting those who lived with blindness.

The UAB Library celebrates this legacy by creating a gallery that is open to the public. It features a fascinating medical display that showcases the innovations in care and support for people with visual and hearing challenges, including rare books, medical equipment, touchscreen technology, and 3D objects.

Photos by Louise McPhillips

A Guide to Architectural Styles, Altamont, Architecture, Birmingham Historical Society, BOOK, Book Sale, Exhibition, Highland Avenue, Neighborhoods, Publications, The Altamont

Thanks for coming!

Lots of interest in our Highland Park neighborhood, at an event in which Birmingham Historical Society displayed photographs of nearly all the original homes constructed along Highland Avenue (many courtesy of historian and neighbor Randy Merritt). Our Open House included not only our extensive exhibit, but also tours of the offices of our new neighbor, Alabama Audubon, The Greenbriar lobby in the historic Altamont building, and the front porches of several neighboring historic homes. The tour ended with music at Rojo.

Photos by Katie Tipton

Note that the BHS book, A Guide to Architectural Styles, provides context and recognition tips as to the style of many of the homes in Southside. And our latest book, a reprint of the 1962 book published by The Birmingham News, It’s Nice to Live in Birmingham, is now available for $20 via link above and will not be sold on Amazon.

Thank you to all who attended and we hope to see you again soon!

Photos by Louise McPhillips
A Guide to Architectural Styles, Birmingham Historical Society, Birmingham Landmarks, BOOK, Exhibition, Highland Avenue, Historic Preservation, Housing, Neighborhoods, Open house, Publications, Southside

Experience Historic Highland Park

We’re having an OPEN HOUSE Sunday, October 13th 3-5, celebrating our new/old reprint from the Birmingham News 1963 publication, “It’s Nice to Live in Birmingham”. Come join us, see an extensive exhibit of historic Highland Park homes in our offices, and visit our new neighbor, Alabama Audubon. Step inside the historic grand lobby and courtyard of The Greenbriar at Altamont, visit with neighbors on the front porches of several historic homes, and end the afternoon at Rojo with live music. 1920’s attire is welcomed!

More information on our Facebook Page

Our Highland Park Neighborhood Invitation

Birmingham pioneers, Exhibition, Healthcare, Medical Care, UAB

UAB invited BHS to see THEIR History!

We‘re excited to be among the first
to see this exhibit.
Please mark your calendars and plan to attend.

Navigating Communication:
Breaking Invisible Barriers

The inaugural exhibit at the newly opened Pappas Gallery features rare books, medical equipment, and touchscreen technology and 3D objects, exploring scientific effort to counter vision and hearing loss.

The Dennis G. Pappas Historical Collections Gallery is on the Second Floor, UAB’s Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences, at 1700 University Boulevard

Sunday, November 3, 3 pm

Free Parking at 9th Avenue Parking Deck 1602 9th Avenue S, just across University Blvd. from the library. (Sign boards will direct you to the pedestrian bridge that leads across University Blvd. that leads to the library gallery.)Drop-offs on University at the front of the library are also possible.

Altamont, Birmingham Historical Society, BOOK, Brock’s Gap, Exhibition, George Ward, Hoover, Membership, Research, Shades Creek, Shades Crest Road, shades mountain, Trustees, Warren Manning

Bye Bye Birgit!

Sunday afternoon, the Birmingham Historical Society hosted a going away reception for a much appreciated member and BHS Trustee who is moving to Tampa, Florida; Birgit Kibelka. A gifted landscape architect, Birgit was responsible for a massive amount of work for BHS as well as for the community which was displayed throughout the BHS offices.

Birgit researched and documented historic sites with BHS during 14 years from 2010 until 2024. Together with BHS Director Marjorie White, they explored, mapped and documented early residential developments, parks, trails, culverts, railroad cuts and creeks.

These historic sites include Warren Manning’s plan for Mountain Brook, Ross Bridge, Altamont Park, the George Ward Preserve, Brock’s Gap, Bluff Park and the Shades Creek watershed.

Birgit initiated the Brock’s Gap research project after discovering plans for a road that could potentially harm the significant historic site. It ultimately led to the inclusion of historic sites in Hoover’s 2023 Parks & Public Spaces Plan (pgs 44-47).

Above: Landscape Architect Birgit Kibelka and James White. Below: Birgit with BHS Director, Marjorie White
Birgit’s work is included in three BHS publications including Altamont: A Portion of Red Mountain and Its Park, Mountain Brook: A historic American Landscape, and Shades Creek – Flowing Through Time
Photos by Louise McPhillips and Rebecca Moody

During the reception, Marjorie White acknowledged Birgit’s dedication and highlighted her impressive contributions to the Society. Birgit then spoke, sharing her insights and passion for the historical value of traditional paper maps, and explaining their importance in today’s time of continually updated online maps. She explained that maps are important for historic documentation in that historic sites are otherwise not found. She later provided the example below of Brock’s Gap.

The history of the gap is well described in the 1992 book “A History of Hoover, Alabama and Its People” by  Marilyn Davis Barefield. Nevertheless, the historic marker was located facing the second railroad cut and not the original one and no one  – except for Sam Curren – knew where the site was. A map would have prevented such a general loss of knowledge.

Good luck, Birgit, in your new home. You will be greatly missed!

cookies by BHS President Wayne Hester’s daughter, Georgeann@baked.by.georgie
Photos by Louise McPhillips and Rebecca Moody

Exhibition, Historic Preservation, Hoover, lecture, Neighborhoods, Parks & Recreation, Shades Crest Road, shades mountain, Vestavia

Do you know the history of Bluff Park?

The popularity of beautiful Bluff Park was definitely affirmed at the extremely well-attended presentation by Birmingham Historical Society Director Marjorie White and landscape architect & BHS Trustee Birgit Kibelka on September 19 entitled Bluff Park: Then & Now, hosted by the Hoover Historical Society. Hoover had a series of town halls this past spring to determine the community’s interest in greenways, trails, parks, and public spaces. As a follow-up to those town halls, this event delved further into the history and possibilities of a Bluff Park Preserve with maps, photos of rock formations and existing springs, views, and historical correspondence.

Proposed Preserve

Friends of Shades Mountain (FOSM), working with the Hoover Historical Society, and Birmingham Historical Society are promoting the creation of the Bluff Park Preserve on Shades Mountain. As the City of Hoover explores possibilities for future parks and preserves, the opportunity to save the last remaining publicly accessible viewpoint along Shades Mountain presents itself. The proposed future Bluff Park Preserve might include the original “Bluff Park,” Lover’s Leap-Sunset Rock, and the site of Tip-Top Grill. Please read this BHS newsletter for additional information.

Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Birmingham Historical Society, Birmingham Landmarks, Exhibition, Frederick Law Olmsted, Olmsted Brothers, Parks & Recreation, Research, Warren Manning

The Life and Legacy of the Olmsted Family by Laurence Cotton, Historian

Celebrating Olmsted: BRINGING NATURE TO THE CITY AND CREATING BREATHING SPACE FOR DEMOCRACY

As part of a series of nation-wide, year-long events celebrating the legacy of Frederick Law Olmsted and the Olmsted family of landscape architects, historian Laurence Cotton presented a lecture detailing their impact at The Birmingham Botanical Gardens on February 16th.

Consulting producer on the PBS film, Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing America, Cotton had not only visited, but was often intimately familiar with many of the Olmsted projects he discussed. His slides traveled the audience across America, giving the history, motivation, and importance of each of the parks and green spaces. Many are well-known and include:

  • Niagra Falls
  • The Biltmore Estate
  • Central Park in NYC
  • Yosemite
  • The Capitol Grounds and The Washington Mall
  • The Great White City – Chicago
  • Boston’s Emerald Necklace
  • Prospect Park in Brooklyn

Cotton emphasized the social importance of the Olmsted legacy. The green spaces and parks were designed to be available to all walks of life, to enhance the health and well-being of visitors, to encourage social engagement across economic & cultural divides, to provide forestry and landscape experiments, and to stand the test of time. As he stated, Frederick Law Olmsted and his sons were true artists of the landscape, while working on a vast scale, in FOUR dimensions, with the fourth being time…to allow their design visions to mature over decades.

However, their public spaces were not always green, as Cotton illustrated by Olmsted’s plan for the Capitol steps in Washington, D.C. There, Olmsted’s step design again encouraged democracy and provided an open forum for public engagement.

As another example, their design for Niagra Falls restored and enhanced the beauty that was already there. Before and after images were startling.

Niagra gorge circa 1901

Cotton ended his travel log in Birmingham, drawing upon the resources written by The Birmingham Historical Society and Marjorie White, with a special recommendation for Shades Creek, Flowing Through Time. Related artifacts assembled by The Southern History Department of The Birmingham Public Library, were part of a special exhibit and reception following the lecture. Books by The Birmingham Historical Society on Olmsted were available, and a reading list assembled by Laurence Cotton is available HERE.

Birmingham Historical Society, Book Sale, Exhibition

Shop at Shoppe!

Searching for that perfect holiday gift? Many of our BHS titles are now available at the Shoppe in Forest Park. Enjoy browsing among the gorgeous flowers and gifts to find them.

Our newest publication, Pretty Posies, is surrounded by gardening tools, the best gift ever for the gardener on your list.

Need a stocking stuffer for a golfer? How about BHS publication, “Golf in Birmingham before 1925”, along with assorted pocket tools. And the popular Bob Moody’s Birmingham is stacked among what could be described as a watercolor still life display of history titles and orchids.

A big thank you to the owners for contributing to BHS as Heritage Society members in addition to showcasing their appreciation for the history of our community! Please drop by and support them!

What a TREAT to see many of our BHS titles displayed so beautifully at the SHOPPE in Forest Park. Many thanks to these Heritage Society members who have such an appreciation for the history of our community!
Book Sale, Book Signing, Exhibition, Grandmothers Garden, Watercolors

Pretty Posies “Rainy Day” Garden Party, Sunday Oct 13th, 2019

Pretty Posies publication principals: artists/illustrators, author and editor, left to right: Gardener, Editor, & BHS Director, Marjorie White; Illustrators, Ellen Erdreich, Sumter Coleman; Herbalist and author, Antonia Viteri; Illustrators, Gail Cosby, Louise McPhillips, and Jane Reed Ross….and Mary Virginia Rushing and her sister sampling the lavender.

Barbara Shores is presiding over the Lemon Balm and Lavender Punch that was a big hit….

  • Watercolors and books are for sale at the Botanical Gardens Library, $20 and $300 respectively. Thirty-four watercolors are in the exhibit.
  • Gardeners (with floral hats) Eunice Gray and Marjorie White. Pretty Posies publication principals include artists/illustrators, author & editor, left to right: Marjorie White, Ellen Erdreich, Sumter Coleman, Antonia Viteri, Gail Cosby, Louise McPhillips, and Jane Reed Ross.
  • Eunie Gray and Marjorie White previewing the exhibit
  • Eunie Gray and Marjorie White previewing the exhibit
  • The herbalist/author Antonia Viteri and her sister Esperanza
  • Herbed biscuits using herbs from Grandmother’s Garden
  • Barbara Shores serving Lemon Balm and Lavender Punch
  • Mary Virginia Rushing and her sister sampling the lavender with Jane Reed Ross’s watercolors of the Passion Flower vine/May Pop (that they also enjoyed eating in the garden).
Book Sale, Book Signing, Exhibition, Grandmothers Garden, Watercolors

Sunday, October 13, 3-5PM

Sunday, October 13, 3–5 p.m.—Garden Party, Publication Celebration, and Exhibit of watercolors from Pretty Posies, Healing Powers–An Herbal Primer by featured artists Sumter Coleman, Gail Cosby, Ellen Erdreich, Louise McPhillips, and Jane Reed Ross, all Birmingham residents. Grandmother’s Garden at Sloss Quarters, 10 North 32nd Street.

October 15–November 30—Watercolors from Pretty Posies, Healing Powers–An Herbal Primer. Birmingham Botanical Gardens Library Gallery. Here’s a preview!

Watercolor illustration of blackberry plant featuring white flowers and green leaves on the left, and ripe blackberries with leaves on the right.
Illustration of Chickweed (Gail Crosby_H01) with green stems and small white flowers, along with a close-up of the leaves.
Watercolor illustration of a dandelion plant with yellow flowers and its root system on the left.
A watercolor illustration of a Plantain plant with broad green leaves and slender stems on the left.
Left artwork depicts a violet plant with green leaves and purple flowers, illustrated in watercolors.
Left: Watercolor illustration of a violet plant with purple flowers and green leaves on a light yellow background.
An illustration featuring two herbal plants: oregano with pink flowers on the left, and parsley with green leaves on the right.
A watercolor illustration of a rosemary sprig with purple flowers on the left.
Thirty-four watercolors are included in the exhibit at Botanical Gardens Library and are available for sale at $300/each. Books are available for $20/each. Proceeds benefit the Botanical Gardens and the Birmingham Historical Society.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Maria Antonia Viteri, a native of Mobile, has studied Western and Southern Appalachian herbal traditions in Alabama and California. Viteri, a Master Gardener, is also licensed in Architecture and Landscape Design. She currently resides in Sterrett, Alabama.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATORS

Birmingham Historical Society “Artists in the Garden,” all avid gardeners themselves, have been painting en plein air in Grandmother’s Garden for many years. For this volume, they sketched our herbs from specimens and photographs, coordinating their work at lunchtime gatherings at Gail Cosby’s home.

Sumter Coleman is a psychiatrist now retired to her mountain top residence where she writes and paints.

Writer, editor, publicist Gail Cosby now employs her talent as a watercolorist.

Artist and art historian Ellen Erdreich first sketched herbs as a teenager.

Louise McPhillips, an architect by profession, currently specializes in making portraits of her family.

Landscape architect Jane Reed Ross has left her mark on many Birmingham area park and greenway projects.