Category Archives: Research

Architecture, Birmingham Historical Society, Birmingham Landmarks, City of Birmingham, Highland Avenue, Historic Preservation, Neighborhoods, Publications, Research, Southside

What’s the National Register?

Ever thought about what historic organizations do and how they do it? What’s the organizational hierarchy?

  1. Federal Agencies
  2. Non Profit Organizations
  3. State Organizations
  4. 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.

Local Historical Organizations

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.

In November of 2022, Birmingham Historical Society moved to the Southside area in the Highland Avenue Historic District near the Rhodes Park, Chestnut Hill, Country Club, Milner Heights, and Hanover Place Historic Districts.

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.

Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, Historic Preservation, Research

If you love music…

If you love music, check out The Southern Music Research Center, founded by Burgin Mathews in 2022. It’s an extensive digital archive of Alabama musicians, preserving unique musical histories. Although our state has an astounding legacy of recorded musicians, you may not have heard many of them. Mathews intends to change that!

The Southern Music Research Center, and its signature radio show, The Lost Child, recently featured a recording by Smokey Reason, an Alabama native who performed at the Grand Old Opry, and with Ernest Tubb, among other great country stars. But his music may have been lost forever, were it not for the accidental find of his 1949 record at an estate sale. Relatives of Smokey Reason all tuned in when it was broadcast on The Lost Child and they finally heard it for the first time, despite having the lyric sheet to one of his songs.

Burgin is the author of Magic City: How the Birmingham Jazz Tradition Shaped the Sound of America (2023). Extensively researched, this book tells the story of Birmingham’s jazz heritage.

Random antique music scores

Title

Smokey Reason, “Stolen Kisses” Lyric Sheet & Statement of Authorship

Description

Original typewritten lyric sheet for “Stolen Kisses,” an original composition by Smokey Reason. Also included is a notarized letter documenting Reason’s authorship of the song. 

Reason’s original acetate disc recording of the song may be heard in Southern Music Research’s collection here.

Lyric sheet and letter courtesy Marrtha Casinger, Judy McCormick, Mandy Bahe, and the family of Smokey Reason. Special thanks to John Horton, whose searching unearthed the original record.

Date

04-07-1941

Birmingham Historical Society, Coal Mines, Historic Preservation, lecture, Railroads, Red Mountain, Red Mountain Park, Research

James Lowery on the Birmingham Mineral Railroad’s Legacy

Learn why the Birmingham Mineral Railroad was significant to Birmingham’s economic development, as explained by railroad historian, James Lowery. As volunteer coordinator and member of the Board of Directors of the Mid-South Chapter, Lowery details the privately funded Historic Birmingham Mineral Railroad Signs Project created to locate signs all along its route, in order to preserve its historical significance. More information is available HERE, along with a summary on Birmingham Historical Society’s May newsletter HERE

Note that this is the full presentation of James Lowery’s talk and is an hour and a half.
James Lowery and BHS President Wayne Hester hold the sign used to mark the Birmingham Mineral Railroad bed
Birmingham Civil Rights, Birmingham Historical Society, Birmingham Landmarks, Churches, City of Birmingham, civil rights, Historic Preservation, Historic Preservation Month, Railroads, Research, Rickwood Field

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

Birmingham Historical Society, Historic Preservation, lecture, Railroads, Research

Riding the Rails: Past Meets Present

Mark your calendars for this upcoming event on Sunday, May 10th, 3:00 PM at 2827 Highland Avenue! James Lowery is an authority on the path of the Birmingham Mineral Railroad, and has installed 199 signs to indicate the former roadbed.

Screenshot
Charlie Preston took this photo just north of the English Village Shopping Center: from the Birmingham Public Library Archives Collection
Birmingham Civil Rights, Birmingham Historical Society, Birmingham Landmarks, Birmingham pioneers, BOOK, Book Sale, City of Birmingham, Neighborhoods, Publications, Research

A Passion for Birmingham’s History

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

Promotional image for 'Birmingham by the Book' featuring a QR code and text stating 'AVAILABLE NOW'.

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…

Birmingham by the Book: A Guide to the Magic City

Marjorie White: Birmingham Lifestyle

Annual meeting, Birmingham Civil Rights, Birmingham Historical Society, Birmingham Landmarks, Birmingham pioneers, BOOK, Book Sale, City of Birmingham, Historic Preservation, Neighborhoods, Publications, Research, UAB

Coming in February! An Epic Guide to Birmingham!

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!

Back cover of a book titled 'Birmingham by the Book' featuring a colorful mural that says 'It's nice to have you in BIRMINGHAM' against a brick wall, surrounded by greenery.

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.

Birmingham Historical Society, Birmingham pioneers, BOOK, Book Sale, Publications, Research, Trustees

Behind the Scenes of Birmingham’s Industry

Did you know that the aggregate mass–stone, slag, gravel, and sand–of our highway system (in 1961) was the ‘equivalent of constructing 23 great pyramids each calendar week?’ – B.A. Monaghan, President Vulcan Materials Company

Or that a woman was instrumental in organizing the American Cast Iron Pipe Company in 1905?

Or that Thomas Martin, as President of Alabama Power, was also responsible for building Southern Research Institute, and organizing the Alabama State Chamber of Commerce? And that the first electric plant in Birmingham was at Elyton Land Company in 1886?

Or that Birmingham’s greatest development began with the purchase of Birmingham’s Pratt Coal & Iron in December of 1886 by Tennessee Coal & Railroad Company? And that the sale included 76,000 acres of coal lands, and about 13,000 acres of land including 7 ½ miles on Red Mountain’s iron ore seam?

Cover page of the Birmingham Historical Society's publication titled 'Building Birmingham's Industrial Base: Newcomen Monographs' featuring names of the authors Robert Gregg, Thomas W. Martin, B.A. Monaghan, and William David Moore, along with the publication year 2025.
A biography of William David Moore, detailing his birth date, education, and career as an engineer and leader in the pipe industry, along with his contributions to various professional societies.
Cover of 'Origin and Development of the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company' by Robert Gregg featuring an old building and a group of men in formal attire.
Explore the history of one of America’s most influential companies with Robert Gregg’s illuminating study of the Tennessee Coal Iron and Railroad Company. Gregg delves into the origins of the company, tracing its growth and development throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. With insightful analysis and detailed research, this book is an indispensable resource for anyone interested in American business history.
Illustration of Bernard A. Monaghan, a notable businessman and former CEO of Vulcan Materials Company, featured in the Alabama Business Hall of Fame.
Portrait of Thomas Wesley Martin, founder of Russell Manufacturing Company and civic leader, in a formal suit, smiling at the camera.

These fascinating stories and much more are from Birmingham Historical Society’s 2025 publication entitled Building Birmingham’s Industrial Base: Newcomen Monographs. It features the words of four Birmingham leaders of industry: Robert Gregg, William David Moore, Thomas W. Martin, and B.A. Monaghan as they tell the ‘back stories’ of Birmingham’s industrial giants.

With much thanks to Birmingham Historical Society Trustee, John C. (Jay) Draper IV, who shared his collection of the Newcomen Society of America’s (Alabama Chapter) annual volumes for reprint.

What is the Newcomen Society? It was founded in 1920 in England centering around the study and promotion of the history of engineering and technology. The American Society was founded in 1923 focusing on American business leadership and industrial progress. The American Society closed in 2007 after publishing over 1600 monographs now preserved in Philadelphia’s National Musueum of Industrial History.

Purchase Building Birmingham’s Industrial Base: Newcomen Monographs HERE

For more information about the book, please click HERE

Birmingham Historical Society, Birmingham pioneers, Birmingham Public Library, Exhibition, family history, Genealogy, Historic Preservation, Research

Does Birmingham Historical Society archive historic photos?

Birmingham Historical Society is often asked if we’d like old family photos, artifacts, or local memorabilia. As much as we would like to archive and even permanently exhibit these historic collections, we do not currently have the space or resources to adequately catalog and preserve them. While we appreciate their importance, we are primarily a research and educational organization. Rather, we encourage individuals to consider donating their items to larger institutions that have the capability to properly care for and display such collections.

There are two places that we recommend: The Southern History Department at the Birmingham Public Library focuses on items regarding Birmingham and Jefferson County. Open to the public by appointment only, the downtown location also maintains a digital library available on demand.

City directories, local newspapers on microfilm, and state and local histories are the Southern History Department’s most used items. Research class projects, books and articles, and the histories of local houses and buildings are also popular searches.

The Alabama Department of Archives and History In Montgomery is about all things Alabama. “Founded in 1901, the Alabama Department of Archives & History is the state’s government-records repository, a special-collections library and research facility, and home to the self-guided Museum of Alabama, the state history museum.” Their vast digital collection features genealogy and family histories, maps & architectural drawings, photos, video, posters and much more.

The Alabama State Museum, as part of the Department of Archives and History, was first housed in the State Capitol. Thanks to the efforts of Thomas & Marie Owen, the current Archives and History building was opened in 1940 and the final wing was completed in 2005. Visit the beautiful building virtually HERE or plan a visit to Montgomery. To donate a personal collection to the state archives, please submit a donation form HERE, or if you have a very specific item, consider one of these history museums.

And thank you for your interest in donating historic materials!

Exterior view of the Alabama Department of Archives and History building with classical architecture and columns, under a clear blue sky.
Interior view of a marble hallway in a historic building, featuring an elevator, decorative walls, and doors in the background.

September Events at

Alabama Department of Archives & History

Construction update on the Museum of Alabama's Children's Gallery, highlighting the transformation of the space with play areas like a limestone cave and an ecology wall for children.
Collage image showcasing personal and military photographs of William Dudley Battle Jr., including a portrait with a family member, an outdoor scene of him in military clothing, and a group of soldiers interacting in a military setting.
Birmingham Historical Society, Healthcare, Historic Preservation, Publications, Research, Trustees, UAB

Dr. Julius E. Linn Jr. 1941 – 2025

Image

The following is a heartfelt remembrance from Birmingham Historical Society Director, Marjorie White, about Dr. Linn’s numerous contributions during his career as well as his importance to the society ~ quietly serving while editing over 20 annual publications, over 100 newsletters, and numerous event invitations. Above is a picture of Dr. Linn with editor and BHS Trustee, Katie Tipton.

Physician, scholar, historian, editor, gentleman. Our wise and kind Trustee and friend, Julius E. Linn Jr. was all of these. 

My acquaintance with Julius began in 2003. Ehney and Pat Camp and I called upon him in his home on Thornhill Road to discuss an idea for a book. (Julius lived in the home his parents built c.1927 surrounded by family furnishings, books, and art lovingly handed down over the generations. )

Over the next 22 years, I relished walking in Julius’s living archive and being wrapped in its–and his–warm embrace. Julius not only gave us the funds to publish our book but also introduced us to the legacy of his favorite aunt, Carrie Hill (1875-1957), who exhibited nationally and internationally in the 1920s and 1930s and worked tirelessly to support the arts in our city.

Julius had gone on plein air “painting picnics” with her as a child.  Nearly all of Hill’s paintings were held  by family members at this time; her oeuvre was all but forgotten. Publishing  Art of the New South: Women Artists of Birmingham in 2004 became the first step of many steps in Julius’ quest to memorialize Hill’s legacy.

When in 2006 Graham Boettcher came to Birmingham as the curator of American Art at the Birmingham Museum of Art, we invited him to lunch and shared stories of our “great” local painters. Boettcher’s initial skepticism receded as he learned more, and he too came to join Julius and champion Carrie Hill’s legacy.

Three individuals gathered at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens for an Annual Meeting, standing beside a painting. The group includes UAB art historian Dr. Heather McPherson, collector Dr. Julius Linn Jr., and Marjorie White, discussing the impact of early 20th century Birmingham women artists.

In the early 2000s, Julius was a passionate patron and supporter of the Birmingham Museum of Art and of the Birmingham Opera, but soon his professional talent as Director of Medical Publications at UAB led him to serve as a wise and sensible editor of Birmingham Historical Society publications. He became a patron, trustee, and officer of the Society as a member of its Executive Committee. He refused to accept the  presidency of the Society; he wanted to serve quietly.

At the end of each year,  following the publication of our annual book, he would say, “I guess I will stay tuned”… red pen in hand…for the more than 20 of our annual publications,100 newsletters, and many more invitations to events. Julius’ finely tuned sensibility to design issues and his eagle’s eye for things that needed fixing were invaluable. His comments, corrections, and suggestions were proffered in the most gentlemanly fashion.

Our favorite outing with Julius was a trip to Auburn to petition the head of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) to permit their fragile Depression-era murals on the History of Alabama Agriculture to travel to Birmingham for an exhibit. As always, Julius made us look credible. ACES not only loaned the murals, but later  restored them, and transferred them to the Auburn museum for long term conservation. Julius had indeed made us look credible.

Julius helped Katie Tipton and me work out the concept and format for Birmingham by the Book: A Guide to the Magic City (coming Winter 2026). He told me how to organize the UAB chapter and thankfully approved of the resulting  text and layout. He read and edited the first draft of the book and this summer was serving as a final reader. Ten days ago, he returned his page proofs of a major chapter with this hand-written note: 

A man wearing sunglasses and a red polo shirt, smiling while resting with a hand on his face in a green, leafy setting.
A group photo featuring three individuals standing together in a warmly decorated room, with a large piece of art displayed on the wall behind them.
Dr. Linn and Katie Tipton seated at an outdoor table surrounded by trees, enjoying a sunny day.
A man wearing a formal suit and oxygen tubing, standing next to a woman dressed in a patterned black dress, both smiling at an event with a festive atmosphere in a well-decorated venue.
A group of four people enjoying a meal outdoors, surrounded by greenery. One woman is standing, smiling, while three men are seated at the table, engaged in conversation. The scene conveys a friendly and sociable atmosphere.
A man standing in front of a large, dark wooden house, surrounded by colorful flowers and greenery.

“Marjorie, Wonderful, descriptive book of Birmingham’s development, the central areas & more. It should become a classic for newcomers, for businesses, for recruitment of companies & workers. It is well organized with beautiful photography and more. Congratulations to everyone who worked on and organized this project. ” – Julius E. Linn

I hope Julius knew how much we valued his counsel and his friendship.

– Marjorie White, BHS Director

A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, August 15, at 11:00 a.m. at First United Methodist Church, Birmingham (downtown)

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Opera Birmingham, the Birmingham Historical Society Publication Fund, the Birmingham Museum of Art, or First United Methodist Church of Birmingham.