It is HOT today, and there is another heat alert advising people to be cautious, but it IS July. So thought we’d take a look at some of Birmingham’s weather extremes throughout its weather history.
The hottest recorded temperature in Birmingham, Alabama history was a scorching 107 degrees Fahrenheit which occurred on July 29th, 1930. But it reached:
106 on July 13, 1980
106 on July 29, 1952
106 on July 25, 1952 and
106 on July 12, 1930.
Take a look at some more Birmingham extremes HERE. A special thanks to the Hostetler brothers. They created this site using U.S. government aggregate data in response to anecdotal stories from their parents about the extremely cold weather while students at the University of Michigan.
Maybe the upper 90’s in July are not so extreme after all! Stay cool…
Birmingham has a very rich heritage and Birmingham Historical Society has been researching and publishing educational articles about Birmingham for 80 years. Established in 1942, the Society has published an impressive list of books about its neighborhoods, its origins, its industrial history, and its civil rights history among others.
An interstate exchange is causing concern to Birmingham Historical Society members because of its impact upon the historic Brock’s Gap. A major mining area and a landmark of Birmingham’s founding, the nineteenth century site is currently a unique educational resource as well as a beautiful green space and nature trail. The hope is that interstate developers will consider not only traffic concerns but also the historic value of this site in their planning. For more information, please refer to this post.
Autumn Bracey with CBS News covers the story, interviewing Hoover Councilman, John Lyda, and Birmingham Historical Society Director, Marjorie White.
Death is not frightening, according to Birmingham Historical Society Trustee Wilhelmina Thomas, who leads tours through the historic Oak Hill Cemetery. She is among a number of volunteers who dress in period costumes and portray a deceased character buried there. Ms. Thomas brings to life the stories of Birmingham’s founders, politicians, and civil rights leaders. But she particularly likes to draw attention to the black elitists who are buried there as they are often overlooked in Birmingham’s history.
“The majority of the Black people in the cemetery were business owners, pastors, and started churches,” Wilhelmina explained. “When we’re looking at the Black people buried at Oak Hill, in the late 19th century, they’d have been the elitist. They were defined by the color of their skin and by how much money they had. The Black people who are buried there were very well educated, spoke more than one language, and were trying to build a community.”
In researching and telling the stories of residents buried there, Wilhelmina Thomas has become a compassionate voice of black history, and along with other volunteers, keeps Oak Hill residents ‘alive’.
Volunteers lead walking tours on the second Saturday of every month. Learn more and get tickets on Oak Hill’s website.
It’s rewarding when the efforts of Birmingham Historical Society trustees to preserve a first-class historical site are not only recognized, but seriously considered by city leaders and developers in urban planning. Thanks to the research and site visits of BHS Director Marjorie White, and BHS Trustee and Hoover resident Birgit Kilbeka, plans for a 4 mile parkway that could potentially destroy the landmark Brock’s Gap are now being debated. This article in The Hoover Sun by Jon Anderson highlights the importance of what is being proposed.
Thank you to Birmingham Historical Society Trustees for bringing historical sites to the attention of developers. And thank you to developers and city planners for listening and responding to these concerns!
Historic Houses of Worship: Avondale A Walking and Driving Tour Led by David R. Bains, PhD Sunday, April 5, 2020, 1:30-4:00 p.m.
Several Avondale churches built in the 1880’s still remain and have been joined by others in this thriving residential community established in 1884. See the map below for the houses of worship included on the tour led by Samford University’s professor in the Department of Biblical and Religious Studies.
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!
FLASH SALE of Birmingham Historical Society titles; $10-$20 per book. Great gifts for holiday giving (or gifting to yourself). Titles range from Bob Moody’s Birmingham (watercolors) and Shades Creek-Flowing through Time; Tall Tales (of Birmingham) and Pretty Posies-Powerful Healing; Digging Out of the Great Depression, Art of the New South AND MANY MORE.
Details: Saturday, November 16, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Little Hardware, 2117 Cahaba Road, Mountain Brook. Payment by check, cash, or credit card
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!
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.
