Keeping history alive
Urban explorers document Birmingham’s mining past in new book
Birmingham was created because of a stroke of geologic luck, the fact that all three materials needed to make iron — coal, limestone and iron ore — were located here within a few miles of each other.
It was the presence of these minerals in such rare proximity that brought mining operators to the area beginning in the 19th century — even before the city of Birmingham was incorporated in 1871.
The mineral wealth allowed a lot of men — with names like McElwain, Debardelaben, Sloss and Woodward — to make their fortunes while laying the groundwork for a major new American city.
However, even though most people Birmingham are probably aware that the city has a mining and industrial legacy, many of them probably lack a full understanding of how the city was created and what the mines were like.
“I would say that most people in the city, especially people born after 1970, have no idea about the iron and coal mines, or the iron and steel industry,” said Jeff E. Newman, a photographer and history buff with a lifelong interest in mining.
For one thing, many of the people who worked in the old mines and other industrial facilities in the area are now deceased.
“So the younger generations have no understanding that this ever existed or of how hard the work was and how so many people in Birmingham and surrounding communities whole lives depended on these industries to provide for their families,” Newman said.
But Newman, a Birmingham native, has done more than just lament this gap in the city’s historical memory.
An avid photographer, he has personally explored abandoned mines in the area, particularly along Red Mountain, since the 1960s.
In recent years, he has partnered with urban explorer Josh Box, who also grew up in the area.
In 2017, Newman and Box started a Facebook page called Underground Birmingham where they share photos and videos of their finds.
They’ve now published a book with scores of these photos.
“Underground Birmingham: Images from Birmingham’s Iron Ore Mines” was published last fall by America Through Time in Charleston, South Carolina.
“This is the history that built Birmingham and this history is what they are missing,” Newman said. “We are trying to help keep the history alive.”
Their goal is to “showcase the history and share the beauty of an industry that built an entire city from the underground up,” Box said.
Through the images in the book, readers see the rooms and passages where miners worked and often left behind relics that bring history to life.
The book also includes a short history of mining in the area.
In addition to mines, Newman and Box explore other abandoned buildings and industrial facilities and never tire of finding new places.
“The thrill, rush, adventure, history, danger and unknown keeps me actively finding new holes in the ground,” Box said.
About the Book
► TITLE: “Underground Birmingham: Images from Birmingham’s Iron Ore Mines”
► PRESS: America Through Time, Charleston, South Carolina
► COST: Paperback, $23.99
► CALL: 843-203-3432
► WEB: through-time.com or undergroundbirmingham.com