Pelham, AL RoadyGoat
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 strong.
Everything Pelham is known for
Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Pelham.
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 strong.
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 weighing around a hundred thousand pounds. He was cast in 1904 from local Birmingham iron to be the district's showpiece at the St. Louis World's Fair, proof to the world that this valley could make iron with anybody. He won the grand prize in the mineral department. Think about it: a region whose whole reason for being is turning ore into metal, and its giant guardian is literally made of that metal, depicting the ancient god of metalworking himself. He's stood watch over the valley ever since, the biggest iron man on Earth.
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, stirring, and reheating. Then Henry Bessemer realized you could blast cold air straight up through the liquid metal. The oxygen in that air violently burns off the excess carbon and impurities in a roaring shower of sparks. Counterintuitively, cold air makes it hotter, because the burning carbon releases huge heat on its own, no extra fuel needed. The result: a batch that once took a day was done in ten to twenty minutes. The price of steel collapsed, and the modern world of rails, bridges, and skyscrapers became possible.
On September 15, 1963, Klan members bombed this church during Sunday school, killing four young girls and shocking the nation.
Pig iron blast furnaces that operated for nearly ninety years, now preserved as the only furnaces of their kind open to the public in the world.
26 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
Most towns are named for a founder, a saint, or a hometown back east. Bessemer, Alabama, is named for a piece of technology. In 1887, industrialist Henry F. DeBardeleben bought thousands of acres in Jefferson County and…
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…
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…
Ever wonder why Birmingham is called the 'Magic City?' It's all about iron, and this giant statue of Vulcan proves it! Back in 1904, Birmingham wanted to show off at the World's Fair in St. Louis. They commissioned this…
McAdory High School (4800 McAdory School Road, McCalla, AL) launched Bo Jackson, the player many still call the greatest pure athlete of all time. As a senior running back, the 1985 graduate rushed for 1,175 yards and…
Pull over and listen up, because this unassuming park was once a vital cog in the Confederate war machine. Built in the 1830s, the Tannehill Ironworks quickly became a major iron producer. When the Civil War erupted in…
Step back in time at the oldest professional baseball stadium in the United States, where legends like Babe Ruth and Willie Mays once played. This is Rickwood Field, built in 1910 by industrialist Rick Woodward for his…
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…
Step back in time to the roaring twenties – right here where you're driving, the Alabama Theatre was the place to be! Imagine dazzling movie premieres and the sweet sounds of a Wurlitzer organ filling the air. Built in…
On September 15, 1963, Klan members bombed this church during Sunday school, killing four young girls and shocking the nation.
Imagine Birmingham without a central hub for food and goods – that's what Morris Avenue solved! In the late 1800s, this area became the city's primary food distribution center. Warehouses sprung up along Morris Avenue,…
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…
Founded in 1871 from the merger of three communities, Birmingham quickly rose as an industrial and transportation hub. Its growth was fueled by mining, steel production, and railroads, attracting a labor force that…
Pull over for a second; this is Birmingham's oldest hotel, the Redmont, and if these walls could talk, they'd tell tales of celebrities, dignitaries, and maybe even a ghost or two! Construction began on the Redmont in…
A 56-foot iron god stands watch over Birmingham, and he's the city in a nutshell. Vulcan, the Roman god of the forge, is the largest cast-iron statue in the world, perched atop Red Mountain on the very ore ridge that…
The city of Birmingham, Alabama, didn't just spring up overnight. The story begins long before its official founding in 1871, with the land itself. The surrounding landscape, a mix of oak, hickory, and pine forests…
Imagine the roar of fire and the clang of metal: this place powered Birmingham's rise! Sloss Furnaces churned out pig iron for nearly a century. From 1882 to 1971, workers toiled here, enduring grueling conditions to…
Pig iron blast furnaces that operated for nearly ninety years, now preserved as the only furnaces of their kind open to the public in the world.
Pull over for a moment. Right here, in Oak Hill Cemetery, lies a huge piece of Birmingham's history. This is the city's oldest cemetery, dating back to before Birmingham even existed. In 1869, before the city was…
This quiet spot was once a crucial supplier for the Confederacy, Brierfield Furnace. Confederate warships and cannons relied on the iron forged right here. Established in the 1840s, Brierfield became a major industrial…