The 83rd Annual Meeting of the Birmingham Historical Society is at 7PM on Monday, February 24th at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens and will feature guest speaker Gerald Watkins, Director of the Friends of Rickwood Field.
CALLING ALL CAKES
For The Great Chocolate Cake Contest
THE RULES: Bake your cake and bring the form above,
along with the recipe, and your cake for judging, to the
Birmingham BotanicalGardens Auditorium
between 3:30 and 4:00 p.m. on February 24.
JUDGING CATEGORIES: Most Chocolatey Cake Creation + Best
Overall Cake + Best Visual Presentation + Best Flavor Profile +
To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics… To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child,… or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded. — Author Unknown, Research shows inspired by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Dr. Cleve Kinney was an enthusiastic Trustee of Birmingham Historical Society for over 20 years despite his busy schedule as a much-lauded psychiatrist and professor at UAB. While he was often unable to attend Trustee meetings, he rarely missed an event, and supported BHS in numerous significant ways. He was our friend and advisor, an avid historian, and a cheerleader for Birmingham, its community, and the numerous students he mentored in addition to the hundreds of geriatric patients he treated over his career.
A Vietnam war veteran, his was a life of exemplary service during which he received many notable awards including the Arnold P. Gold Humanism in Medicine Award. Read his full obituary here. Thank you Cleve, for your support of Birmingham Historical Society. We will miss you.
Are you aware of all the information on our website? Could you find what you needed when doing a search? Here’s a short list below with links in green. Scroll away and share with your friends!
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.
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.georgiePhotos by Louise McPhillips and Rebecca Moody
At the 82nd Annual Birmingham Historical Society meeting featuring a talk by Guest Speaker Dr. William Deutsch, President Wayne Hester reminded the audience of the importance of $50 gift memberships, particularly for interested young people. The non-profit society depends upon the generosity of donors and members to provide free events and support its mission and research. Its volunteer organization relies upon the time and talent of its members. We encourage you to join us or give a gift! Thank you to all those who attended for your continuing support.
Left to right: BHS President Wayne Hester, Guest Speaker Dr. William Deutsch, BHS Director Marjorie White. Photo by Louise McPhillips
Please join us on Monday, February 26 at 7 p.m. in the Auditorium of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens for the 82nd Annual Meeting of the Birmingham Historical Society. President Wayne Hester will preside.
Recorded history is said to have begun with the drafting of the Sumerian cuneiform tablets, approximately 5,000 years ago. Beginning in the 19th century, the study of fossils has evolved to tell a significantly longer span of earth’s history: 500 million years, i.e. “Deep Time.” Per our speaker Bill Deutsch: “Alabama has been part of this unfolding story since the modern science of Paleontology began, and fossil richness will keep it center stage.”
Deutsch will take us on a mesmerizing“Walk Through Deep Time”, unfurling Alabama’s rich fossil legacy and its connections to our history, geology, and world-class biodiversity. (Add to your FB calendar HERE)
Following Dr. Deutsch’s talk, Carolanne Roberts will announce the winners of the Fruity Wonders Cake Competition, praising our members’ creations and sharing comments from our esteemed judges.
Then, we invite you to get a copy of Ancient Life in Alabama, to chat with Bill Deutsch, sample cake, and pay 2024 Society dues. Copies of Deutsch’s book will be available for sale for $30 cash, check, or charge.
About the Author
Dr. William (“Bill”) Deutsch is a Research Fellow Emeritus in the Auburn University School of Fisheries, Agriculture, and Aquatic Sciences. The New York native holds degrees in Biology, Anthropology and Zoology, and Aquatic Ecology, the later a PhD from Auburn. During his 26 years as an aquatic ecologist in Alabama, With a longstanding interest in fossils, Deutsch participated in fossils hunting expeditions across the nation He has taught, lectured, and written widely about the natural wonders of our state, especially its rivers and its fossilsand what they can tell us about the present and times long past.
“Since moving to Alabama nearly 40 years ago, I’ve learned about its rich variety of fossils. Rock outcrops are fanned out in a relatively discernible pattern, with bands of fossils representing each geological era. The story of more than 500 million years of life is here, just under our feet. Tropical seas teemed with sharks, mosasaurs, and reef life. Coal-forming swamps ringed coastlines with huge dragonflies and millipedes, slithering amphibians, and towering horsetail plants. Dinosaurs of several types were here along with toothed birds, legged whales, rhinoceroses, mastodons, and giant sloths—the highest fossil diversity of any state east of the Mississippi River! In Alabama? Who knew? How and when did this happen?”
–-Bill Deutsch, “Preface,” Ancient Life in Alabama : The Fossils, The Finders & Why It Matters, July 2022.
“Fruit came with the flowering plants in the Mesozoic age [145 to 66 million years ago]. Late dinosaurs probably imbibed.” Bill Deutsch.
THE RULES: Bake your cake and bring the form and your cake for judging to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens Auditorium between 3:30 and 4:00 p.m. on February 26.
JUDGING CATEGORIES: Most Colorful + Best Creative Use of Fruit + Best Visual Presentation +Best Flavor Profiles + Best Memory Statement + Best Overall
School is starting and fall is just around the corner. We’ve added a few new events to the calendar that should be interesting. Please mark your calendars.
September 19, 6:30 p.m., Bluff Park: Then & Now, hosted by the Hoover Historical Society at the Hoover Public Library, 200 Municipal Drive.
October 1, 4:00 p.m., 100 Years Publication Celebration, 2827 Highland Avenue.
October 3, Members’ Books to be mailed to those not receiving them at the reception. Please let us know if your book does not arrive.
October 29, 3:00 p.m. Christine Putman & Big Jim Folsom, Talk & Book Signing with Folsom’s grandson Jamie Putman, 2827 Highland Avenue.
Heritage Society members, thank you for your support! Don’t forget that this Sunday, May 7th at 5:00 PM is the annual gathering. You should have received an invitation via USPS and this is an RSVP event. Any last minute responses should be directed to BHS Director Marjorie White.
Drawing for invitation by BHS Heritage Society member, Louise McPhillips
Missed this event but want to join for next year? More information is available HERE. See you Sunday!
One of the society’s most anticipated events is the annual spring gathering at one of Birmingham’s beautiful historic homes. This year we will be hosted May 7th, Sunday evening, at 5PM at the Northington-Murray House. You must be a Heritage Society member to attend. But we’d love for you to join us! Here’s how…
First Trustee Meeting of the year is Tuesday, March 7th, at noon for lunch, at 2827 Highland Avenue. Note that according to the by-laws, you must attend at least two of the four Trustee meetings annually.
As a reminder, in order to maintain your Trustee status, you must first be a member and current on membership fees, submit an annual conflict of interest statement, and contribute to the society in a significant way. Trustee Service Forms are submitted annually and are available online HERE. There are a limited number of Trustees, and all applications must be approved by the nominating committee.
