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Homewood, AL
· 3.4 mi
Homewood, Alabama, a suburb just south of Birmingham, has a history that stretches back to the early 20th century. While not a hotbed of celebrity culture, its quiet, residential streets have nurtured talent that has…
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Ensley, AL
· 4.9 mi · Local history
Ensley, Alabama, a historic steel town on Birmingham's west side, has been grappling with its legacy and future. While the steel mills that once defined the area have long been shuttered, the community's more recent…
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Gardendale, AL
· 9.6 mi · Local history
Gardendale, Alabama, sits nestled in the rolling hills of northern Jefferson County, its story deeply entwined with the iron ore that fueled Birmingham's rise. Originally a scattering of farms and small settlements, the…
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Dunbar High School (Bessemer, Alabama)
· 11.2 mi · Scraped Hmdb
Pull over for a moment! This unassuming spot tells a powerful story of education and resilience in Bessemer, Alabama. Once a segregated school for African-American students, Dunbar High School represents a significant…
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Steel in Twenty Minutes
· 11.8 mi
Here's the trick the whole town is named for. Molten iron straight from the furnace, called pig iron, has too much carbon in it, which makes it brittle. The old way to fix that took at least a full day of heating,…
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A Pinch of Carbon Changes Everything
· 11.8 mi
Here's a fact that runs this whole valley: the only real difference between soft iron, tough steel, and brittle iron is a tiny pinch of carbon. Take iron with almost no carbon, under a twentieth of one percent, and you…
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The Iron God on the Mountain
· 11.9 mi
Just up the road on Red Mountain stands the world's largest cast-iron statue, and it's the perfect mascot for this valley. It's Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and the forge, hammer in hand, fifty-six feet tall and…
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Bessemer, AL
· 12.0 mi
Bessemer, Alabama, a city forged in the fires of industry and named for the steelmaking pioneer Henry Bessemer, carries the weight of its history like a seasoned foundry worker. While its peak population has dwindled…
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Why a City Is Named for a Machine
· 12.0 mi
Most towns are named for a founder, a saint, or a hometown back east. Bessemer, Alabama, is named for a piece of technology. In 1886, industrialist Henry F. DeBardeleben bought thousands of acres in Jefferson County and…
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Hueytown, AL
· 12.2 mi · Local history
Hueytown, Alabama, nestled in the rolling hills west of Birmingham, owes its name to a prominent family who shaped the area in the 19th century. The Hueys were early settlers, arriving in the region and establishing…
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The Luckiest Geology on Earth
· 12.3 mi
To make steel you need exactly three raw ingredients: iron ore, coal to fire the furnaces, and limestone to pull out impurities. In almost every steel city on Earth, those three things sit far apart and have to be…
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Trussville, AL
· 14.1 mi
Trussville, Alabama, a place where the air is crisp at 712 feet above sea level, holds more than just scenic views and a strong sense of community.
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Helena, AL
· 15.7 mi · Local history
Helena, Alabama, nestled in the Cahaba River valley, bears the quiet imprint of its Scotch-Irish and English settlers. These families, drawn by the promise of fertile land in the early 19th century, established the…
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Pelham, AL
· 16.2 mi
Pelham, Alabama, might seem like just another suburb south of Birmingham, but it's quietly nurtured some impressive talent. While it may not boast a sprawling Hollywood Walk of Fame, its athletic legacy is particularly…
