Tag Archives: Dynamite Hill

A Guide to Architectural Styles, Architecture, Birmingham Civil Rights, Birmingham Historical Society, Birmingham Landmarks, Birmingham pioneers, BOOK, civil rights, Dynamite Hill, family history, Farming, Highland Avenue, Housing, Neighborhoods, Smithfield, Southside

Historically Significant Architecture of Birmingham

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 Iris
Worker House, East Thomas
Worker House, East Thomas
T.O. Smith House, Roebuck Springs
Schwab House, Highland Avenue Area
Sadler House, McCalla, 1827
Robley Munger House, Arlington Park
Robert Jemison House, Glen Iris
Parker Bown House, Smithfield
Owen House, Bessemer, 1833
Mission Style House, Homewood
McAdory House, Bessemer, 1840
Mary M Means House, Dynamite Hill, Smithfield
Luffman House,
Glen Iris
Loveman House, Southside
Jordan House, Highland Avenue
John Drew House, Dynamite Hill, Smithfield
J. Cary Thompson House,
Five Points South
Hollywood House, Homewood
H.K. Milner House, Milner Crescent
Hayes Davis House, East Thomas
Hassinger House, Highland Avenue
Forest Park House
Forest Park House
Ensley Houses
Cullom Street Houses, Southside
Cullom Street House, Southside
Cullom Street House, Southside
Cullom Street Houses, Southside
Brown and A.G. Gaston House, Smithfield
Arthur Shores, Birmingham Civil Rights, Birmingham pioneers, BOOK, Dynamite Hill, family history, Fred Shuttlesworth, Smithfield

Keeping the Stories ALIVE

So very proud of Birmingham Historical Society Trustee Barbara Shores who continues to share the story of her life on Dynamite Hill. As the daughter of civil rights activist Arthur Shores, she has preserved her family’s involvement in Birmingham’s civil right’s history in the book, “Birmingham’s Dynamite Hill”, and in the videos below.

During this Black History Month, we encourage reflection on the acts of violence that necessitated struggles against racial barriers in the pursuit of a more equitable Birmingham.

Have you seen “Defending Freedom: The Arthur D. Shores Story” produced by Jacksonville State University for Alabama Public Television? The film was created with historical footage and photos provided by the Shores family, as well as numerous interviews and meticulous research. It was first released in February 2024, but if you missed it, there will be a screening at Sidewalk Film Festival in August, or on PBS via links below.

How to Watch Alabama Public Television Presents

Alabama Public Television Presents is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.

Arthur Shores, Birmingham Civil Rights, Birmingham Historical Society, Birmingham Landmarks, BOOK, Book Sale, Book Signing, Churches, civil rights, Dynamite Hill, family history, Fred Shuttlesworth, Research, Smithfield

“Dynamite Hill” unveiled Sunday, December 11th at Tabernacle Baptist Church

The Birmingham Historical Society’s newest book has 13 first-hand accounts of what it was like to grow up on Dynamite Hill, the neighborhood that was repeatedly bombed in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Barbara Shores, the daughter of civil rights activist and attorney Arthur Shores, along with Marjorie White, director of BHS, bring those stories to life with childhood memories, photos, and historical background.

Ryan Michaels with The Birmingham Times, interviews Shores and White prior to the event on Sunday in this article. Shores notes that many young people who have grown up in Birmingham are unaware of the significance of Dynamite Hill in breaking the racial barriers that existed in housing and schools. It’s a story that needs to be told and retold! Please mark your calendars for Sunday’s event:

Birmingham’s Dynamite Hill” will be unveiled on Sunday, Dec. 11 at Tabernacle Baptist Church, 600 Center St. North in Birmingham’s Graymont neighborhood, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Please note that this and other BHS publications will also be available locally at SHOPPE in Forest Park, via USPS and online HERE

Arthur Shores, Birmingham Civil Rights, Birmingham Historical Society, Birmingham Landmarks, BOOK, Book Sale, Book Signing, civil rights, Dynamite Hill, family history, Fred Shuttlesworth, Historic Preservation, Smithfield

Autograph Party for Birmingham’s Dynamite Hill – December 11, 2-4PM

You’re invited to attend an autograph party of our newest publication, Birmingham’s Dynamite Hill, with speakers who grew up on the hill in the 1950s and 1960s. The event will be at the Tabernacle Baptist Church at 600 Center Street in the Center Street Historic District of Smithfield on December 11th, 2022, 2-4 PM. Please plan to attend!

Arthur Shores, Birmingham Civil Rights, Birmingham Historical Society, Birmingham Landmarks, Book Sale, Book Signing, civil rights, Dynamite Hill, family history, Fred Shuttlesworth, Historic Preservation, Smithfield

New Book Release! Birmingham’s Dynamite Hill

Gallery

This is the compelling story of the fight over residential segregation laws as told by the people who lived it. The multiple bombings in the ‘40’s, 50s, and 60’s of the close-knit Birmingham neighborhood, now known as Dynamite Hill, were intended to intimidate residents and discourage their families from building in designated ‘whites only’ zoned areas and attending white schools. But due to the persistence and courage primarily of resident and attorney Arthur Shores, archaic ordinances and laws were changed. In 2011, the Center Street district was added to the National Register of Historic Places, commemorating the fight for fair housing and schools.

Weaving first-hand accounts into the historical narrative, this new book personalizes the struggles and courage of the families whose homes and neighborhood were terrorized. It also tells of the accomplishments of the children of that era, their close ties, their memories, and their hope for the future. Multiple photos of historic events and homes along with personal interviews, makes this history come alive, representing as Arthur Shores’ daughter, Barbara Shores, says, ‘the best and the worst of humanity’. To purchase a copy of the book, please click HERE

Book signing at BHS Open House by Barbara Shores (daughter of Civil Rights attorney, Arthur Shores) and Jeff Drew (with whom Martin Luther King stayed when he was in Birmingham)

Although the neighborhood has seen brighter days, its location, character, and history make it unique. It’s important to know our history and to preserve and renew Dynamite Hill so that future generations may learn of this landmark neighborhood that illustrates the best and the worst of humanity.

~Barbara Shores