Products

Though the landscape has certainly changed, many of Birmingham's early landmarks--testaments to the steelworkers who built the city after the Civil War, as well as those who have since prospered here--remain. In Birmingham Landmarks, Alabama native Victoria Myers explores the Magic City's most prominent industrial and cultural features. Step back in time to discover Rickwood Field, one of America's 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 World's Fair and has become one of the state's most recognizable monuments.

In 1907, William and Florence Sloane began construction on a five-room summer cottage on the banks of the Lafayette River in Norfolk. Over the course of 30 years, they would expand their home from its origins as a summer retreat into a 42-room Arts and Crafts mansion nestled on 12 acres of gardens and grounds. As their home grew, so did their desire to bring an arts scene to southeastern Virginia. In 1937, the Sloanes turned their attention to repurposing their home as a museum. By opening the site to the public, the Sloane family created a new space for the arts and education in Norfolk. Today, visitors continue to enjoy their vision through an expansive art collection and acres of gardens and grounds.

Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark is currently the only 20th-century blast furnace in the nation being preserved and interpreted as an industrial museum. Since reopening in 1983, Sloss Furnaces has become an international model for similar preservation efforts and presents a remarkable perspective of the era when America grew to world industrial dominance. At the same time, Sloss is an important reminder of the dreams and struggles of the people who worked in the industries that made Birmingham the "Magic City." Today Sloss is not only dedicated to preservation and education but serves as a center for community and civic events. Site tours and public presentations provide insight into Sloss's industrial heritage as well as a rare glimpse of an early Birmingham that has all but disappeared.