News and Newsletters
Our newsletters are published quarterly and provide members with up to date detailed progress on current projects and special events, as well as a preview of upcoming publications.
February 2024
About the “Little Villa” on Highland Avenue
January 2024
A.I. Tells Us Why We Matter
Preservation of History
Education and Awareness
Research and Documentation
Community Engagement
Tourism and Economic Development
September 2023
Announcing our Annual Publication
100 Years by Anne Roberts Gayler
Big Jim and Christine
Bluff Park: Then & Now to be featured
August 2023
Bluff Park: Then & Now
Gardner Hale and Hale Springs
Shades Crest Road, a Scenic Drive Along the Bluff
The Proposed Bluff Park Preserve: The 1885 Bluff Park Tip Top Grill, & Sunset Rock
May 2023
Exploring our Neighborhood and Culinary History
Birmingham Realty Prepared to Sell Land
Announcing the Fruity Wonders Cake Competition, 2024
Exploring the history of our neighborhood: Visits of John Charles Olmsted Favorite Childhood Cake Competition 2023: Participants and Their Cakes
February 2023
Talks, Autograph Party, and Cake Walk
In Praise of Pat Camp
Birmingham and Alabama’s Bankhead Legacy
The Bankhead Highway
September 2022
Our New Home on Highland – We have moved!
The Society and The Altamont
About our new home: The Altamont
Jacob E. Salie
May 2022
Red Mountain Park – Up & Over Red Mountain
B.F. Roden & Associates Plan Clifton…in Shades Valley, 1886
Developing a Park at the Crest, 1890
Leasing the Park Site for Mining, 1903-1908
Ore Mining at Township 18 S.,R.2 W.
Subdividing the Park and Mine Site, Beginning in 1925
January 2022
Birmingham’s Olmsted Legacy
About Frederick Law Olmsted & Olmsted Brothers
The Birmingham Legacy
Frederick Law Olmsted Observes the Future Site of Birmingham, 1853
Olmsted Brothers Plans a Park System for Birmngham
November 2021
George Ward, The Birmingham Audubon, and the Wildflower and Bird Sanctuary at Vestavia
August 2021
Celebrating Birmingham: The City Beautiful
and George B. Ward, its Champion
Celebrating Birmingham’s 150th Anniversary
“This Magic Little City” of 1873
The Emperor of Vestavia
Completing the Rail Link to Found Birmingham
May 2021
Farming in Old Elyton: Making Sense of the Censuses
A Few Farms and Farmers in “Old Elyton,” 1850-1880
What Happened to Old Elyton’s Farms and Fashionable Residences
March 2021
Rails to Trails: Celebrating the City Created at the Crossing of Two Railroads
The Cut that Created Birmingham
The Loop that Integrated Birmingham’s Iron Industry
The Club and Plans for Vulcan’s Iron Wonderland
Redeveloping the Railroad as the Kiwanis Vulcan Trail
December 2020
Birmingham Epidemics
Birmingham’s Cholera Epidemic of 1873
The Spanish Flu of 1918
Family Flu Stories from Trustees
August 2020
Samuel Ullman and the Poem,”Youth”
February 2020
True Tales: John T. Milner and the Making of Birmingham and Ross Bridge’s Journey from the Old South to Today
The Birmingham District – The 2020 Members Book
Stories from 2019 Family Favorites Cake Contest
September 2019
Pretty Posies Publication and Exhibition to Debut in October
Viteri to Lead September and October Walks and Talks
Society Calendar
June 2019
What you (the members) think…Survey Results
Survey Response by Age Graph
Membership Tenure by Years Graph
Activity Participation in the Past Year
Likelihood to Recommend BHS
If BHS went away, what would be missing?
One thing BHS should start doing
One thing BHS should stop doing
Overall Opinion of BHS
Additional Thoughts to Share
April 2019
Birmingham Foodways: Cultural Traditions in Home Gardens
About Grandmother’s Garden
About our Gardeners and Talk Leaders Grandmother’s Garden Planting Plant, Spring 2019
January 2019
Shades Creek to Flow Freely Through Time at the Annual Meeting
2018 Nifty Fifties Cake Competition Winners
Heirloom Cakes Feature Your Faves
2019 Heirloom Cake Competition Entry Form
Society Calendar
December 2018
Annual Report to the Members: Accomplishments in 2018; Membership Updates
October 2018
Planning the Future Greater Birmingham, 100 Years Ago; Shades Creek Book Inching to Press
January 2018
Let Us Eat (Heirloom) Cake–Again!; 2017 Heirloom Cake Competition Winners
November 2017
Accomplishments 2017; Founding The Society 1942; Keeping Busy; Publishing; Building A Digital Collection
October 2017
Grandmother’s Garden at Sloss Quarters Today and Yesterday; Sloss City Furnaces and the Sloss Quarters, 1880s; Sloss Furnaces and the Sloss Quarters, Early 20th Century; Site of Sloss Quarters, 1922; The Site of Sloss Quarters, 1930; Sloss Furnaces and the Quarters Site, 1950s; Sloss Shuts Down, 1972; Sloss Quarters Begin Again, 1983; Investigating Life in the Quarters, 2012.
September 2017
Warren H. Manning: Environmental Planner and Landscape Architect
June 2017
Ross Bridge Goes on the Record.
February 2017
Let Us Eat (Heirloom) Cake … with Frances Robb. Society News. Second Saturdays at Sloss Walks and Talks for Spring 2017. 2017 Heirloom Cake Competition.
September 2016
For Science and Humanity: Building Southern Research (2016 Members’ Book); Quinlan Hill’s Transition; How Does Our Garden Grow?; Artists in the Garden; Scanning; Easement Review.
February 2016
Reminiscences on the Annual Meeting of 1976 and Getting the Society Running Again. Reflections on the Second Society’s Early Operations. A New Look at an Old Creek: Birmingham’s Shades Creek. The Other Giant on Southside. Society Calendar. Announcing Second Saturdays at Sloss.
December 2015
Donald Dohrer of Auxvasse, Missouri thoughtfully preserved this 1915 promotional booklet, issued by the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and the Dixie Route railroads to encourage travelers to stop, enjoy and invest in our city. Thanks to Mr. Dohrer’s generosity, we are pleased to share with you this view of Birmingham a century ago.
July 2015
The Confederate Monument in Linn Park
March 2015
The Yankees Came: Wilson’s Raid Across Alabama and Georgia, March 22-April 20
Wilson’s Raid by Jim Bennett
Timeline of the War in the East, 1864-1865
Timeline of Wilson’s Raid Across Alabama and Georgia
The Spencer by Carol Slaughter
Major-General James Wilson’s Summary Report on the Raid
Major-General Edward Winslow’s Official Report of the Destruction Military Facilities of Selma
A Special Invitation to a presentation at Arlington Antebellum Home and Gardens on April 14
January 2015
Annual Meeting Salutes Bob Moody and His Vision of and for Our City
April 2014
MOUNTAIN BROOK BOOK / EXHIBIT TO DEBUT AT EMMET O’NEAL LIBRARY APRIL 13; April Garden Workshop Features Common Cure-alls for Your Health; Veggie Garden to Feature Southern Soul Food
January 2014
Annual Meeting Offers Sneak Peek at Newest Book, Gardening the Old-Fashioned Way, 2014 Officers and Trustees to Be Nominated
October 2013
Our Next Volume …The Planning of Mountain Brook; Photographing the Mountain Brook Landscape; Improvements at the Duncan House; Artists in the Garden
January 2013
SALUTE TO ’63, SATURDAY FEB. 2ND; Seeing the Scene.
December 2012
ANNUAL REPORT TO THE MEMBERS 2012: ACCOMPLISHMENTS 2012; EVENTS COMING IN 2013
November 2012
Exhibit Highlights Career of Civil Rights Attorney Shores
Arthur Shores Timeline: 1904-1996
Selected Cases of Attorney Shores
February 2012
BEAUX ARTS IN BIRMINGHAM The Jemison Magazine: Birmingham and Mountain Brook, 1926-1930;
Daniel to Debut in September; Officers and Trustees to be Elected
November 2011
The Birmingham Scene: Seldom Seen Artwork from the 1930s and 1940s. Artists and Their Work in the Birmingham Scene Exhibition.
September 2011
Jemison Book Debuts: Forward-thinking Birmingham. Sky’s the limit. Growth, prosperity, promise, and innovation. A city on the rise, notable on the national scene. Vibrant and important. That’s the way our city looked in 1910.
New Exhibit to Open November 6 at the Library Gallery, Special Publication from the Archive: Two Industrial Towns: Pratt City and Thomas.
April 2011
BRIDGING THE PARKWAY
A New Road for a New Era–“New” Montgomery Highway
Parks and Parkways: The Lake and Lakeshore Parkway
The Lakeshore Bridge-The R.H. “Bob” Wharton Bridge
What Is a “Functionally Obsolete” Bridge?
February 2011
ANNUAL MEETING FEATURES TALK ON ARCHITECTURE
Local Ash Can Advocate to Be Featured
From Plantation to Suburban Community-The History of Smithfield and Dynamite Hill
Jemison Magazines to Be Re-issued
November 2010
DEPRESSION-ERA MURALS LIVE ON
Where to See the Real Murals
Murals, Murals Artists
Historical Panorama of Alabama Agriculture
February 2010
The Roads to Mountain Brook Talk
Naturalistic Design Philosophy
November 2009
Digging Out of the Great Depression: Federal Programs at Work
The Alphabet Agencies
What New Deal landmarks remain?
A List of Major WPA Projects, 1935-1941
March 2009
A Time to Celebrate Local Landmarks.
Election of Officers and Trustees
PRESERVATION AWARDS 2009
February 2009
Grandmother’s Garden.
What is an heirloom plant? Why grow heirloom plants?
Sources of Seeds and Plants.
What We Do at Duncan House Garden. Heirloom Varieties Currently Grown at Duncan House Gardens.
Tips to Try a Home Garden This Year.
Lists of Most Common Vegetables, Annuals, Perennials, and Medicinal Herbs.
November 2008
Architecture As Art-Drawings from the D. O. Whilldin Collection (1904-1962) at the Birmingham Public Library Archives.
About D. O. Whilldin.
About Thomas Mark Shelby, His Research, and the Forthcoming BHS Book.
About the Whilldin Collection at Archives.
February 2008
Society Publishes Park Letters: Hand Down Unharmed-Olmsted Files on Birmingham Parks, 1920-1925.
Annual Meeting Salutes Our Hero: M.P. Phillips
Cataloguing School Closures
Models for Successful Reuse of Historic School Buildings
November 2007
Turning On Alabama-An Exhibition of Images and Artifacts from the Collections of the Alabama Power Company and the Alabama Historic Radio Society at Birmingham Public Library
Hand Down UnHarmed-Olmsted Files on Birmingham Parks, 1920-1925, the Society’s forthcoming publication.
All Fixed for Fall-A Report from the Society’s Duncan House Garden.
May 2007
PRESERVATION WORKS. 2007 Preservation Awards.
February 2007
An Evening in Celebration of Parks and People: Looking at Birmingham’s Exciting Park Developments and a Talk with Tupper Thomas. Feb. 27, 2007.
The Society’s Olmsted Project.
The Caldwell of Caldwell Park.
Society News: Endowment Thriving; New Trustees and Officers to be elected.
December 2006
Celebrating 40 Years of Historic Presevation. The Keynote Address to the Alabama Preservation Conference, By Richard Moe, President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation,
Preservation Organizations in Birmingham,
Alabama Historical Commission: 40 Years of Educating and Preserving by Ellen Mertins, AHC Director of Outreach. (Originally published in and reprinted with permission of Design Alabama.)
November 2006
Parks for Birmingham, Putting Flesh on the Bones of Birmingham’s Civil Rights History.
June 2006
Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Movement, Documenting and Listing Movement Churches on the National Register of Historic Places, and more…
February 2006
Revisit The Olmsted Vision and the Annual Meeting and the exhibit at the Botanical Gardens
Phillips High School: Can It Be a National Historic Landmark?
May 2005
“Restore America”: Preservation Week 2005 Activities
2005 Preservation Award Winners
February 2005
Reflections on Art of the New South: Women Artists of Birmingham—Talks for the Annual Meeting
The Olmsted Vision: announcement of the forthcoming exhibit and publication
Registering Civil Rights Resources
May 2004
“New Frontiers in Preservation”: Preservation Week 2004 Activities
2004 Preservation Award Winners
February 2004
The Houses We Live In—A Talk by Frances Robb at the Annual Meeting
Let’s Hear for “the Ladies” of the Birmingham Art Club
November 2003
Name That Style!
About the Illustrator of Birmingham Homes: Cheryl Morgan
Birmingham Illustrated: The Variety of Styles in the Magic City
Quick. How many house styles can you name in the Birmingham area?
May 2003
“Cities, Suburbs and Countryside”: Preservation Week 2003 Activities
2003 Preservation Award Winners
February 2003
Theatrical Tales to be Told at the Little-Virginia Samford Theatre—Talks for the Annual Meeting
Birmingham Parks and Parkways: You Don’t Know What You Have
The Little Theater—A Brief History
November 2002
Maps from the Collection of Rucker Agee Exhibition
Rucker Agee: The Man Behind the Maps
May 2002
“Preserving the Spirit of Place”: Preservation Week 2002 Activities
2002 Preservation Award Winners
February 2002
Motor on Over to the Motorsports Museum for the Annual Meeting
All Jazzed Up–J.L.Lown’s book on Birmingham Jazz Greats
Motorcycle Mania— a Look at the Barber Motorsports Museum
November 2001
Discover Downtown Anew: Society Reissues The Discovery Tour
The Birmingham Public Library Archives Celebrates Twenty-five Years
Digging Deep—The Collections of the Birmingham Public Library Archives
Title That Treasure (architectural details of city center buildings)
May 2001
“Renew, Restore, Rediscover Historic Schools”: Preservation Week 2001 Activities
Powell School and its Honoree—James P. Powell, Birmingham’s First Elected Mayor and Friend of Education
A Community Guide to Saving Older Schools
Alabama Architecture: Alice Bowsher’s new book
November 2000
Aspiration Attained—Birmingham’s Historic Houses of Worshippublished and exhibited
Title That Treasure (churches and synagogues)
October 1999
Vive Vulcan!: Long Live Our City Symbol – an exhibit and publication
National Trust for Historic Preservation lists Vulcan as an American Treasure
4th-6th Grade Teachers Receive 3,000 Vive Vulcan Packets
Vulcan and the Society
Birmingham Historical Society 