Ledgendary 'Steel Drivin' Man'
The story of "steel driving' man" John Henry is one of America's most enduring legends. The strong ex-slave became a folk hero during construction of the Columbus & Western Railroad between Goodwater and Birmingham. He drilled holes for explosives used to blast tunnels. According to legend, he was involved in a race against a steam-powered drill that its manufacturer claimed could do the job faster than a man. Witnesses said after the all-day contest that he and his heavy hammer cleared substantially more feet than the steam drill. Versions of the blues song 'John Henry' relate how the powerful man won the contest but died from exhaustion, his "hammah" in his hand. He supposedly was buried nearby. Although other states claim John Henry, noted Georgia folklore researcher John Garst found evidence that the event occurred near Dunnavant on September 20, 1887, at either the Big Oak Tunnel or Coosa Tunnel, two miles apart.Source: "Historic Birmingham & Jefferson County" By James R. Bennett| HM Number | HMEOF |
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| Tags | |
| Marker Condition | No reports yet |
| Date Added | Monday, September 8th, 2014 at 5:52pm PDT -07:00 |
| UTM (WGS84 Datum) | 16S E 542780 N 3711681 |
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| Decimal Degrees | 33.54390000, -86.53920000 |
| Degrees and Decimal Minutes | N 33° 32.634', W 86° 32.352' |
| Degrees, Minutes and Seconds | 33° 32' 38.04" N, 86° 32' 21.12" W |
| Driving Directions | Google Maps |
| Area Code(s) | 205 |
| Closest Postal Address | At or near 901-999 Thornton Ave NE, Leeds AL 35094, US |
| Alternative Maps | Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap |
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