Building early Birmingham

The arrival of two railroad lines in Jones Valley opened nearby deposits of iron ore, limestone, and coal to commercial development and helped make Birmingham one of the great industrial cities of the post Civil War South.

In 1871, the year of Birmingham's founding, civil engineer William P. Barker with North and South Alabama Railroad laid out Birmingham's system of streets and avenues to align with the main rail lines that still run through the city. Development began to fill in Birmingham's grid, first with simple wood-frame structures common to the American frontier, then with brick buildings, and, in little more than three decades, with the city's first skyscrapers.

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A view of Birmingham looking north from Red Mountain, 1885.

This bird's eye view of Birmingham from Red Mountain, created around 1885 to promote the young city, provides a glimpse of an area that was, just two decades prior, mostly farm land. Compare this early view of Birmingham with the city you see before you today. We have indicated modern-day landmarks to orient you.

1. Interstate 20/59
2. Financial District
3. UAB Medical Center
4. Birmingham-Shuttleworth Airport
5. Elton B. Stephens Expressway
6. Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark

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Show me all markers in:  Birmingham, AL  |  Jefferson County  |  35205  |  Alabama  |  United States of America

Industry
Vulcan Statue Historical
The Lone Pine Mine
Before Birmingham: Jones Valley
Mineral Railroad Trestle
The Works Progress Administration
South
Building The Park
Birmingham District Minerals
The Iron Man: Vulcan

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