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.
Warren Manning and Jemison & Co. designed and developed Mountain Brook Estates from 1926 – 1929. (pgs. 114-115 of Birmingham by the Book) The main avenue in the newly developed Mountain Brook Estates was Mountain Brook Parkway, which parallels Jemison Park, designed as a linear parkway in the floodplain of Shades Creek.
The Tutwiler-McDonald Estate was built on the parkway as a replica of George Washington’s Mt. Vernon to showcase standards for Jemison & Co.’s new subdivision. The Old Mill facing the estate, was designed in 1927 as a promotional landmark for the new community, and was never a functioning mill. Other improvements included stone gates, bridges, bridle trails, and Mountain Brook Village, intended to mimic an English countryside village.
View of Shades Creek Valley from Mountain Brook Estates
Shades Creek: Flowing through Time tells the story of waters and tributaries touching the shores of Birmingham, Mountain Brook, Homewood, Hoover, Bessemer and other stretches of Jefferson, Bibb and Shelby County, Alabama. Far more than a trickling stream on a slow mosey, Shades Creek has shaped, supported and influenced life on its journey to today. Learn of explorers and Native Americans; Civil War iron-making; the water’s nurturing of native plants and wildlife; and how Shades Creek shaped modern times by providing inspiration to regional planners like Warren Manning and the Olmsted Brothers. Read too of problems in this paradise, brought on by bad judgments or good intentions gone wrong; and of the environmental groups rallying to rescue and protect the treasure. 216 pages, lavishly illustrated with more than 50 maps and 250 photographs
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.
W.P.G. Harding House, Glen IrisWorker House, East ThomasWorker House, East ThomasT.O. Smith House, Roebuck SpringsSchwab House, Highland Avenue AreaSadler House, McCalla, 1827Robley Munger House, Arlington ParkRobert Jemison House, Glen IrisParker Bown House, SmithfieldOwen House, Bessemer, 1833Mission Style House, HomewoodMcAdory House, Bessemer, 1840Mary M Means House, Dynamite Hill, SmithfieldLuffman House, Glen IrisLoveman House, SouthsideJordan House, Highland AvenueJohn Drew House, Dynamite Hill, SmithfieldJ. Cary Thompson House, Five Points SouthHollywood House, HomewoodH.K. Milner House, Milner CrescentHayes Davis House, East ThomasHassinger House, Highland AvenueForest Park HouseForest Park HouseEnsley HousesCullom Street Houses, SouthsideCullom Street House, SouthsideCullom Street House, SouthsideCullom Street Houses, SouthsideBrown and A.G. Gaston House, Smithfield
The Birmingham suburb known as Woodlawn was settled around 1815, when a street currently called Georgia Road, was still part of Mississippi territory. The town of Rockville was formed in 1832 and in 1838 pioneer Obadiah Wood acquired 400 acres on Georgia Road. Three generations of the Wood family would continue to support growth of the area by running a general store, sawmill, and post office, and by donating land for churches, a school, and homeplaces for former slaves. So in 1886, it was renamed Woodlawn in honor of the family’s contributions. The town was incorporated in 1891, and annexed into the City of Birmingham in 1910.
The former city hall, high school, library, and fire station are still standing and in use today.
City Hall, 1908Wood Family Cemetery, 1824Masonic Building, 1915Woodlawn HighlandsWoodlawn HighlandsGlenn Messer House, 1898-1995 who taught Charles LindberghWoodlawn HighlandsWoodlawn HighlandsWoodlawn Highlands
Homes for professionals, merchants, and managers included Victorian, Queen Anne, Craftsman, and Tudor Cottages and bungalows. See pgs 94-95 in Birmingham by the Book for more information and a map.
Birmingham Historical Society is excited to participate in the 2nd annual Porch Crawl in Highland Park, Sunday, October 18th, 3-5 PM! It’s FREE and open to the public, rain or shine, but hoping for beautiful October weather. It was very well attended last year! Take a look in the video below! And then read more about it and browse photos on Highland Parks Neighborhood Association website. Hope to see you in October!
Featuring 16 stops in no particular order, here’s a map:
And at our stop, you can expect the following:
Birmingham Historical Society 2827 Highland Ave Pick up a copy of the Historic Highland Scavenger Hunt! Complete and return it to BHS by 5 p.m. to win a copy of True Tales of Birmingham, one of the Society’s most popular books. While at BHS, browse an exhibit of aerial photographs from the Society’s newest release Birmingham by the Book: A Guide to the Magic City and the Society’s other books for sale, learn about Highland Avenue’s grand residences, and get tips on researching the history of your home or apartment and how to get an historical marker.
Ever thought about what historic organizations do and how they do it? What’s the organizational hierarchy?
Federal Agencies
Non Profit Organizations
State Organizations
Local Historical Organizations
Curious to learn more about a historic property? Living in a historic district, maybe? Let’s start with the National Register and answer those questions!
Federal Agencies & Non Profits
The National Register is a federal agency1 supported by tax dollars that promotes the restoration of significant historic properties. It maintains the official list of historic places in the United States worthy of preservation and is managed by the National Park Service.
It is NOT related to the National Trust for Historic Preservation which is a non-profit organization2 privately supported by their membership which advocates for historic properties. However, they do not manage nor approve register listings.
State
Properties included on the National Register must first be nominated or approved by state organizations3 and are subject to state laws, which in Alabama is the Alabama Historical Commission. Generally, nominated properties are at least 50 years old unless they are exceptionally important.
Birmingham Historical Society is among the local historical organizations4 which take great pride in their cities, researching their surroundings to educate and make recommendations about significant historic properties and people. It is often involved in the nomination process of historic properties and districts. Available publications document their research since their start in 1942.
Since that time, we’ve enjoyed exploring our new home in more depth. Our Highland Avenue neighbor, Randy Merritt, has been documenting the remaining historic homes on Highland Avenue as well as collecting archival photos of those that have been demolished.
The assortment tells the story of Birmingham’s pioneering residents whose strong belief propelled the city’s growth. It’s a tale of architectural innovation, economic power, social norms, financial successes, and the complex local politics of that time.
So, whether intrigued by the people, the location, the event, or by the lessons learned, history at all levels creates a compelling story worth preserving and telling. Grateful for the organizations that continue to tell those stories! One can’t help but appreciate the efforts of all of the organizations dedicated to upholding and conveying this history.
Below shows some of the process in registering the Highland Avenue Historic District. The Birmingham Historical Society offices are on the ground floor retail space in what was originally the Altamont Apartment Building on lot #4 on diagram below.
The 44 miles of Village Creek make up 53% of Birmingham’s Special Flood Hazard area. The creek stretches across Birmingham metro area from Roebuck Springs in the east to Ensley in the west and played a major part in Birmingham’s industrial beginnings. The Freshwater Land Trust is now actively working to develop the area into a continuous recreational trail and greenway, while preserving local habitats. However, in the interim, repeated flooding over 50 years has resulted in more than 17 federal disasters.
The Birmingham Historical Society has been advocating for green space along this corridor since 1984 beginning with the BHS study of the floodplains in East Lake, East Birmingham, and Ensley for the US Army Corps of Engineers. (See an excerpt below.) During that study, it was discovered that the celebrated Olmsted Brothers (a NY landscape architecture firm well known for their design of Central Park) had presented a plan for Birmingham back in 1925 for continuous greenways along the creek. This plan was subsequently reprinted and publicized by the society.
Katie Britt, Alabama’s senator, has now secured $2.6 million for Village Creek floodplain restoration. This will provide a long-term solution, protect residents, particularly those in Ensley, improve infrastructure, and reduce flooding risks for motorists traveling through these areas. The federal/local partnership is an investment in local neighborhoods as well as quality of life with trailways for walkers, runners, and bikers throughout the city as illustrated by Phase I of the Ensley Greenway below. Thank you to all those involved and who continue to invest in Birmingham’s future!
Celebrating 100 years of the historic Hollywood neighborhood is a tour this Sunday from 1 to 4 PM of four beautifully renovated Hollywood homes. The district was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002, and is one of the earliest planned communities in the State. Noteworthy for its abundance of Spanish Mission style homes, it mirrored a taste for Hollywood, California glamour, enjoying its greatest popularity from 1915 to 1931.
The Tudor revival style also became popular through 1940, and many examples of this architectural style are found in Hollywood as well. Their distinctive half-timbered exteriors, with exposed wooden framing filled with stucco or brick, create a picturesque and Old-World charm. Together, the two architectural styles create a unique and recognizable neighborhood full of historic and well-maintained homes and gardens.
For over 50 years, Marjorie White has been sharing her research and discoveries about her adopted city of Birmingham. Her story as told in Birmingham Lifestyle Magazine is one of dedication, curiosity, exploration, and documentation. She knows this city well, and shares her enthusiasm in her latest publication, Birmingham by the Book.
Currently available locally (and mailed) from Birmingham Historical Society offices on Highland Avenue, at Thank You Books in Crestwood, and Shoppe in Forest Park, and at Amazon.com. Use the QR code to buy via PayPal or click HERE
If you want to share Birmingham with out-of-towners, this is a comprehensive, well-illustrated, but easy to read overview. And locals may just find out something new about Birmingham! Check it out! And read more about Marjorie’s story below…
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.
