Download or read book Underground Birmingham written by JEFF E. NEWMAN and published by America Through Time. This book was released on 2020-10-26 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Magic in Stone written by Ruth Beaumont Cook and published by NewSouth Books. This book was released on 2019-11-05 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sylacauga—Alabama’s “Marble City”—is blessed with an abundant natural resource that nurtures both its economy and its cultural heritage. Thirty-five miles long, at least four hundred feet deep, and more than a mile wide, the Sylacauga Marble Belt yields crystalline white marble frequently compared to the Parian marble treasured by Greek sculptors and the Italian Carrara marble often chosen by Michelangelo. Artisans have quarried Sylacauga marble for tombstones since the early 1800s, and architects prized it for years as dimension stone for buildings like the United States Supreme Court. In the early 1900s, Giuseppe Moretti and Gutzon Borglum both chose this marble for magnificent sculptures. When granite, better able to withstand industrial pollution, overtook marble as the preferred architectural stone in the 1930s, Sylacauga’s quarry owners shifted their focus to the production of ground calcium carbonate (GCC), a fundamental ingredient in manufactured products from toothpaste, foodstuffs, and disposable diapers to paints, caulks, and sealants. Many cringe at the idea of blasting and grinding marble into fine powder, but GCC is a vital factor in the local economy. Thankfully, the Magic of Marble Festival, first held in 2009, has revitalized interest in the artistic value of Sylacauga marble, inspiring sculptors from across the United States and masters from Italy to apply their skills to cream-white blocks of this beautiful stone and share their creativity with thousands of residents and visitors each year. This is the story of quarry pioneers, investors, artists, and artisans. It's also the story of their families, who fondly remember their lives along the edge of “the hole” that provided for them.

Download or read book Birmingham Landmarks written by Victoria Myers and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2009-10-01 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Though the landscape has certainly changed, many of Birminghams early landmarkstestaments to the steelworkers who built the city after the Civil War, as well as those who have since prospered hereremain. In Birmingham Landmarks, Alabama native Victoria Myers explores the Magic Citys most prominent industrial and cultural features. Step back in time to discover Rickwood Field, one of Americas oldest baseball parks, and the Carver Theater, the only venue that allowed African Americans to view first-run movies before the civil rights movement. Find out why Birmingham is known as the Pittsburgh of the South at Sloss Furnaces and learn the secrets of Vulcan, who was commissioned for the 1904 Worlds Fair and has become one of the states most recognizable monuments.

Download or read book The Birmingham Botanical Society written by Carolyn Green Satterfield and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 98 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book While the World Watched written by Carolyn McKinstry and published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. This book was released on 2011-02-01 with total page 317 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On September 15, 1963, a Klan-planted bomb went off in the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Fourteen-year-old Carolyn Maull was just a few feet away when the bomb exploded, killing four of her friends in the girl’s restroom she had just exited. It was one of the seminal moments in the Civil Rights movement, a sad day in American history . . . and the turning point in a young girl’s life. While the World Watched is a poignant and gripping eyewitness account of life in the Jim Crow South: from the bombings, riots, and assassinations to the historic marches and triumphs that characterized the Civil Rights movement. A uniquely moving exploration of how racial relations have evolved over the past 5 decades, While the World Watched is an incredible testament to how far we’ve come and how far we have yet to go.

Download or read book Five Star Trails Birmingham written by Thomas M. Spencer and published by Menasha Ridge Press. This book was released on 2014-08-18 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the first decade of the 21st century, Birmingham is building again on its natural resources, but this time it's not to fire steel-making smokestacks. Instead, where railroads ran and mines once burrowed into mountains, the healed landscape is being repurposed for hiking and biking. New and expanding venues around the city are providing more opportunities not only to get outside and exercise but also to appreciate the labor and industry that built the city. In Five-Star Trails: Birmingham local author Thomas Spencer leads readers to some of the best hikes around the city. Within a short drive from Birmingham, you can find yourself on an Appalachian mountain peak or on the banks of the Cahaba River as it broadens to snake through the Coastal Plain. You can visit old growth forest in the Sipsey Wilderness or hike down into the "Grand Canyon of the East" at Little River Canyon. And that's only the start. Across this landscape, you'll find a level of diversity of plant and animal species, some rare and endangered, that rivals anywhere in the North America.

Download or read book A Different Democracy written by Steven L. Taylor and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2014-10-28 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Four distinguished scholars in political science analyze American democracy from a comparative point of view, exploring how the U.S. political system differs from that of thirty other democracies and what those differences ultimately mean for democratic performance. This essential text approaches the following institutions from a political engineering point of view: constitutions, electoral systems, and political parties, as well as legislative, executive, and judicial power. The text looks at democracies from around the world over a two-decade time frame. The result is not only a fresh view of the much-discussed theme of American exceptionalism but also an innovative approach to comparative politics that treats the United States as but one case among many. An ideal textbook for both American and comparative politics courses.

Download or read book Historic Birmingham Jefferson County written by James Ronald Bennett and published by Historical Publishing Network. This book was released on 2008 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Hiking Through History Alabama written by Joe Cuhaj and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2016-09-01 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Whether you're a curious tourist or a local history buff, this guidebook contains all the tools you'll need to explore the Heart of Dixie's history. From ruins to battlefields, each of the 40 featured hikes comes with helpful maps and directions, as well as a carefully researched impression of the trail, and a comprehensive guide to the area's natural and human history.

Download or read book Weekend Getaways in Alabama written by Joan Broerman and published by Pelican Publishing. This book was released on 1996-08-31 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NAMED A "BEST BOOK" BY TRAVEL & LEISURE Like its predecessor, Weekend Getaways in Louisiana and Mississippi, Mary Fonseca's new, updated version presents the same wide choices for excursions that are designed for a two-to-three day stay. Covering cities large and small from Houma to Ruston, from Natchitoches to Lake Charles and in between, it includes Cajun music festivals, historic state capitals, antebellum plantations, swamp tours, outdoor adventures, and much more. Specific entries for lodgings, restaurants, and attractions list addresses, phone numbers, shopping, guide services, major annual events, and traveling instructions. Selected maps also help guide the way to overnight and three-day vacations in one of the Deep South's most interesting states. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mary Fonseca is a freelance writer who frequently speaks to various clubs, organizations, and travel groups. She has written several cover stories for Louisiana Life, including seven pieces of a series entitled "Say 'Yes' to Louisiana," which won first-place honors from the Press Club of New Orleans. Additionally, her writing and features have appeared in Americana, Nation's Business, Traveler, Vista USA, Mississippi, and other leading publications.

Download or read book See Alabama First written by Tim Hollis and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2013-03-12 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tourism in the Southeast is often associated with Florida--a state that essentially defined the industry in America. Yet Alabama has a fascinating history of tourism all its own. It all began with an enterprising politician. In 1916, John Hollis Bankhead went to great lengths to ensure that one of America's first transcontinental highways went directly through Alabama. Though it was a less efficient route for highway travelers, it marked the birth of Alabama's fledgling tourism industry, which grew exponentially with each passing decade. Since he was a boy, author Tim Hollis has traveled from the Shoals to the coast and amassed an unrivaled knowledge of Alabama tourism. From restored and preserved historic destinations to campy tourist traps and outrageous roadside attractions, this is the complete story of tourism in Alabama.

Download or read book Haunted Birmingham written by Alan Brown and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2009-09-09 with total page 103 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A supernatural tour of Alabama’s biggest city, filled with local legends and Southern folklore . . . Photos included! From the eerie vestiges of the Sloss Furnaces to the unexplained (and un-booked) performances in the Alabama Theatre and the rather otherworldly room service at the Tutwiler Hotel, Birmingham is truly one of the South’s supernatural hotbeds. Renowned author and ghost expert Alan Brown delivers a fascinating, downright spine-chilling collection of haunts from around the city and surrounding neighborhoods such as Bessemer, Columbiana, Jasper, and Montevallo. Residents and tourists alike will cherish this glimpse into the city’s inexplicable occupants, and the lively history behind the legends.

Download or read book 100 Things to Do in Birmingham Before You Die written by Verna Gates and published by Reedy Press LLC. This book was released on 2017-08-15 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It was called the Magic City – a bright, shiny new boomtown following the misery of the Civil War. Birmingham was teething on steel as a brash Wild West town with gambling, shootouts and famous madams. When the steel died down, banking and medical industries settled it into a sophisticated city with a famed culinary scene, a broad entertainment district, and striking natural beauty. The colorful past remains in a juke joint, quirky museums and a mining trail turning into a greenway. The city changed the country with its notorious struggle, preserved in churches, parks and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. The city is experiencing a new boom in the restoration of its historic downtown, craft beer scene, up and coming new chefs, and an explosion of music venues. The Magic is back. 100 Things to Do in Birmingham Before You Die is your guide to discovering that magic!

Download or read book Rail Trails Southeast written by Rails-to-Trails-Conservancy and published by Wilderness Press. This book was released on 2012-01-15 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The official guidebooks for the nationwide rail-trails system, the new Rail-Trails series books have an easy-to-use layout and design, clear maps, and precise trip descriptions. With 55 rural, suburban, and urban trails spanning 630 miles, Rail-Trails Southeast covers Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North and South Carolina, and Tennessee. Visit historic battlefields, see the world's largest cast-iron statue, travel through a gorge, and watch beavers and herons along the Southeast's historic rail-trails. Includes two-color maps for each trip and succinct directions.

Download or read book Kiwanis Club of Birmingham The written by James L. Noles, Jr. and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2017 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When founded in 1917, the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham, Alabama, embarked on a civic-minded journey that would take it through a century of service and tradition. The club's membership rolls would ultimately boast some of the most distinguished leaders in Birmingham's business community. At their weekly lunches, they would be entertained by both local and national speakers and visitors, ranging from Babe Ruth to Tom Brokaw. Equally importantly, the club's tradition of generosity continues to resonate in Birmingham today as the club celebrates its centennial year in 2017. The club's endeavors include commissioning a master urban parks plan for Birmingham in 1924, erecting the city's iconic statue of Vulcan atop Red Mountain, funding the construction of Birmingham's Boys Club, sponsoring professional football games at Birmingham's historic Legion Field in the 1960s, and more recently, funding a $4-million project to enhance Vulcan, build the Kiwanis Centennial Park, and establish a key link in Birmingham's Red Rock Ridge and Valley Trail System.

Download or read book Sean of the South written by Sean Dietrich and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2015-11-30 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first volume of a collection of short stories by Sean Dietrich, a writer, humorist, and novelist, known for his commentary on life in the American South. His humor and short fiction appear in various publications throughout the Southeast.

Download or read book The Gentle Giant of Dynamite Hill written by Helen Shores Lee and published by HarperChristian + ORM. This book was released on 2012-08-28 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: These are the firsthand accounts of sisters Helen and Barbara Shores growing up with their father, Arthur Shores, a prominent Civil Rights attorney, during the 60s in the Jim Crow south Birmingham district—a frequent target of the Ku Klux Klan. Between 1948 and 1963, some 50 unsolved Klan bombings happened in Smithfield where the Shores family lived, earning their neighborhood the nickname “Dynamite Hill.” Due to his work, Shores’ daughter, Barbara, barely survived a kidnapping attempt. Twice, in 1963, Klan members bombed their home, sending Theodora to the hospital with a brain concussion and killing Tasso, the family’s cocker spaniel. The family narrowly escaped a third bombing attempt on their home in the spring of 1965. The Gentle Giant of Dynamite Hill is an incredible story of a family’s unfair suffering, but also of the Shores’ overcoming. This family’s sacrificial commitment, courage, determination, and triumph inspire us today through this story and the selfless service, work, and lives of Helen Shores Lee and Barbara Sylvia Shores.