Timeline of Birmingham, Alabama

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Birmingham, Alabama, USA.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

## 19th century

[edit]

History of Alabama

* By year
* Pre-statehood
* U.S. Civil War
* Since 1900
* Topics: African-Americans \- Cities \- Politics

United States portal

* v
* t
* e

* 1871
* Birmingham founded and incorporated.[1]
* Robert Henley becomes mayor.[2]
* 1874
* Birmingham becomes seat of Jefferson County.[2]
* First Colored Baptist Church founded.
* Cholera epidemic.[2]
* Birmingham Iron Age newspaper in publication.[3]
* 1880 - Population: 3,086.[4]
* 1881 - Alabama Christian Advocate newspaper begins publication.[5]
* 1882
* Sloss Furnace begins operating.
* O'Brien's Opera House opens.[6]
* 1887 - Howard College active in East Lake.
* 1888 - Evening News and Birmingham Age-Herald newspapers in publication.
* 1890
* Population: 26,178.[4]
* Labor Advocate newspaper begins publication.[5]
* 1891 - Birmingham Commercial Club incorporated.
* 1893
* Cathedral of Saint Paul built.
* St. Mark's School opens.[7][8]
* 1895
* Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company headquarters relocated to Birmingham.[9]
* Birmingham Conservatory of Music established.[10]
* 1896 - Spencer Business College established.[10]
* 1900 - Population: 38,415.[11]

## 20th century

[edit]

### 1900s-1950s

[edit]

* 1901 - March 25: Storm.[3]
* 1907
* Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company acquired by United States Steel Corporation.[12]
* Miles Memorial College active in nearby Fairfield.[13]
* 1909
* City expands to include Ensley, North Birmingham, Pratt City, Woodlawn.[2]
* Birmingham Terminal Station[3] and Empire Building[citation needed] constructed.
* 1910 - Population: 132,685.[11]
* 1912 - John Hand Building constructed.
* 1913 - City Federal Building constructed.
* 1916
* October 18: 1916 Irondale earthquake.
* Robert E. Lee Klan No.1 formed.[14]
* 1917 - Civitan Club founded.[14]
* 1918 - Birmingham–Southern College established.
* 1919 - Alabama Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs formed in Birmingham.[15]
* 1920
* Progressive Farmer magazine headquartered in Birmingham.[5]
* Population: 178,806.[14]
* 1922 - WAPI radio begins broadcasting.[16]
* 1923 - Traffic lights installed.[14]
* 1924 - Avondale Sun newspaper begins publication.[3]
* 1925 - WBRC radio begins broadcasting.[16]
* 1927 - Alabama Theatre opens.[3]
* 1928 - Exchange-Security Bank established.[17]
* 1929 - Thomas Jefferson Hotel built.
* 1930
* Southern Worker newspaper begins publication.[18]
* Population: 259,678.[14]
* 1933 - Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers Union active.[19]
* 1936
* Local Steel Workers Organizing Committee formed.[20]
* Vulcan statue erected atop Red Mountain.[4]
* 1940 - Population: 267,583.[11]
* 1942 - Birmingham Historical Society founded.[21]
* 1949 - WAPI-TV and WBRC-TV (television) begin broadcasting.[22]
* 1950
* Birmingham Post-Herald newspaper in publication.[5]
* Population: 326,037.[11]
* 1955 - Birmingham Zoo established.[23]
* 1956
* Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights headquartered in Birmingham.
* Alabama Symphony Orchestra active.
* 1958 - EBSCO Industries in business.[9]
* 1959 - West End Hills Missionary Baptist Church built.

### 1960s-1990s

[edit]

* 1960
* Briarwood Presbyterian Church (later megachurch) established.[24]
* Eastwood Mall in business.[3]
* Population: 340,887.[11]
* 1961 - First Baptist Church, Kingston built.
* 1962 - Two North Twentieth built.[citation needed]
* 1963
* April 3: Birmingham campaign for civil rights begins.[25]
* April 16: Martin Luther King Jr. writes his "Letter from Birmingham Jail", first published in June 1963 issues of Liberation,[26] The Christian Century,[27] and The New Leader.
* May: Birmingham riot of 1963.
* September 15: 16th Street Baptist Church bombing.[12][28]
* Birmingham Botanical Gardens open.
* 1965
* Airport Drive-In cinema opens.[29]
* Southern Museum of Flight established.[21]
* 1966 - Southern Living magazine headquartered in Birmingham.
* 1969 - Birmingham Terminal Station demolished.[30]
* 1970
* Daniel Building constructed.
* Population: 300,910.[11]
* 1971 - First Alabama Bancshares headquartered in city.[citation needed]
* 1972 - South Central Bell Building and First National-Southern Natural Building built.
* 1975 - Birmingham Vulcans football team formed.
* 1979 - Richard Arrington, Jr. becomes mayor.
* 1980 - Population: 284,413.[11]
* 1982
* Community Food Bank of Central Alabama[31][32] and Bama 6 cinema[29] open.
* Sister city agreement established with Hitachi, Japan.[33]
* 1986

South Trust Tower, built in 1986

*     * South Trust Tower built.
* Alabama Humanities Foundation headquartered in Birmingham.
* 1988 - AmSouth-Harbert Plaza (hi-rise) built.
* 1990
* Birmingham Islamic Society formed.[34][35]
* Population: 265,968.[11]
* 1992 - Birmingham Civil Rights Institute established.[21]
* 1993
* Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame opens.
* Spencer Bachus becomes U.S. representative for Alabama's 6th congressional district.[36]
* 1995 - Sister city agreement established with Székesfehérvár, Hungary.[33]
* 1996
* City website online (approximate date).[37][chronology citation needed]
* Sister city agreement established with Anshan, China.[33]
* 1997 - Sister city agreement established with Gweru, Zimbabwe.[33]
* 1998
* April 6–9, 1998 tornado outbreak.
* Establishment of sister city agreement with Pomigliano d'Arco, Naples, Italy, and friendship city agreements with Chaoyang District, Beijing, China, and Maebashi, Japan.[33]
* 1999 - Friendship city agreement established with Krasnodon, Ukraine.[33]
* 2000 - Population: 242,840.

## 21st century

[edit]

* 2001 - Church of the Highlands (megachurch) founded.[24]
* 2003 - Sister city agreement established with Vinnytsia, Ukraine.[33]

Cumberland School of Law in 2006

* 2005
* Birmingham Post-Herald newspaper ceases publication.[5]
* Locust Fork News-Journal begins publication.[38]
* Sister city agreements established with Al-Karak, Jordan; Guédiawaye, Senegal; Plzeň, Czech Republic; and Rosh HaAyin, Israel.[33]
* 2009 - Sister city agreement established with Winneba, Ghana.[33]
* 2010
* Alabama Symphony Youth Orchestra formed.[39]
* William A. Bell becomes mayor.
* Population: 212,237.[40]
* 2011 - Terri Sewell becomes U.S. representative for Alabama's 7th congressional district.[41]
* 2015
* Minimum wage approved in city.[42]
* Sister city agreement established with Liverpool, England.[33]
* 2017 - Randall Woodfin becomes mayor.
* 2020 - Population: 200,733.
* 2021 - Birmingham Stallions football team is formed [43]
* 2022 - 2022 World Games were hosted.[44]
* 2024 - September 2024 Birmingham shooting: Four people are killed and seventeen others are injured during a mass shooting.[45]

## Images

[edit]

* Overview of Birmingham, 1907

* Ensley, Birmingham, 1937

* Overview of Birmingham, 1972

* Southside, Birmingham, 2010

* Bird's-eye view of Samford University campus

## See also

[edit]

* History of Birmingham, Alabama
* List of mayors of Birmingham, Alabama
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Birmingham, Alabama
* List of neighborhoods in Birmingham, Alabama
* Timelines of other cities in Alabama: Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, Tuscaloosa

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Leon E. Seltzer, ed. (1952), Columbia Lippincott Gazetteer of the World, New York: Columbia University Press, p. 221, OL 6112221M
2. ^ a b c d Owen 1921.
3. ^ a b c d e f "Browse Collections". Digital Collections. Birmingham Public Library. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
4. ^ a b c Federal Writers' Project 1941, "Birmingham".
5. ^ a b c d e "US Newspaper Directory". Chronicling America. Washington DC: Library of Congress. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
6. ^ Teeple 1887.
7. ^ Barbara Brandon Schnorrenberg (2002), ""The Best School for Blacks in the State" St. Mark's Academic and Industrial School, Birmingham, Alabama 1892-1940", Anglican and Episcopal History, 71 (4): 519–549, JSTOR 42615917
8. ^ "St. Mark's School, Birmingham, Alabama", Colored American Magazine, vol. 13, New York: Moore Publishing, 1907, hdl:2027/uc1.b3793667
9. ^ a b "Encyclopedia of Alabama". Alabama Humanities Foundation. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
10. ^ a b Patterson's American Educational Directory. Vol. 19\. Chicago. 1922. hdl:2027/mdp.39015062798783.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
11. ^ a b c d e f g h Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990, US Census Bureau, 1998
12. ^ a b Lynda Brown; et al. (1998). "Chronology". Alabama History: An Annotated Bibliography. Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-28223-2.
13. ^ Negro Education: A Study of the Private and Higher Schools for Colored People in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1917. p. 51.
14. ^ a b c d e Brownell 1972.
15. ^ "Archives & Manuscripts - Guide to the Collections". Birmingham Public Library. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
16. ^ a b Jack Alicoate, ed. (1939), "Alabama", Radio Annual, New York: Radio Daily, OCLC 2459636
17. ^ "Institution Directory". Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Archived from the original on May 10, 2000. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
18. ^ Ingalls 1981.
19. ^ Draper 1996.
20. ^ Norrell 1986.
21. ^ a b c American Association for State and Local History 2002.
22. ^ Charles A. Alicoate, ed. (1960), "Television Stations: Alabama", Radio Annual and Television Year Book, New York: Radio Daily Corp., OCLC 10512206
23. ^ Vernon N. Kisling, Jr., ed. (2001). "Zoological Gardens of the United States (chronological list)". Zoo and Aquarium History. USA: CRC Press. ISBN 978-1-4200-3924-5.
24. ^ a b Scott Thumma (ed.). "Database of Megachurches in the U.S." Connecticut: Hartford Seminary. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
25. ^ "Events", Civil Rights Digital Library, Athens, GA: Digital Library of Georgia (Timeline)
26. ^ King, Martin Luther Jr. (1963). "Letter from Birmingham Jail". Liberation: An Independent Monthly. Vol. 8, no. 4\. pp. 10–16, 23. ISSN 0024-189X.
27. ^ Reprinted in "Reporting Civil Rights, Part One", (pp. 777–794), American Journalism 1941–1963. The Library of America
28. ^ "On This Day", New York Times, retrieved November 1, 2014
29. ^ a b "Movie Theaters in Birmingham, AL". CinemaTreasures.org. Los Angeles: Cinema Treasures LLC. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
30. ^ "Birmingham, Alabama: A city using theatres to reinvent itself", BBC News, April 12, 2019
31. ^ "About". Birmingham: Community Food Bank of Central Alabama. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
32. ^ "Alabama Food Banks". Food Bank Locator. Chicago: Feeding America. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
33. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Birmingham Sister City Anniversary Dates". Birmingham Sister Cities. Archived from the original on March 2, 2017.
34. ^ "History". Hoover, Alabama: Birmingham Islamic Society. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
35. ^ Pluralism Project. "Birmingham, Alabama". Directory of Religious Centers. Harvard University. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
36. ^ "Alabama". Official Congressional Directory. 1993. hdl:2027/uc1.l0072691827 - via Hathi Trust.
37. ^ "City of Birmingham, Alabama". Archived from the original on October 30, 1996 - via Internet Archive, Wayback Machine.
38. ^ "Alabama". CJR's Guide to Online News Startups. New York: Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
39. ^ "Organization Directory". Birmingham365.org. Create Birmingham. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
40. ^ "Birmingham (city), Alabama". State & County QuickFacts. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 11, 2012. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
41. ^ "Alabama". Official Congressional Directory. Government Printing Office. 2011. ISBN 978-0-16-088653-9.
42. ^ "When a State Balks at a City's Minimum Wage", New York Times, February 21, 2016
43. ^ "USFL is set to return in 2022, bringing back the Birmingham Stallions", The Tuscaloosa News, November 22, 2021
44. ^ "World Games Birmingham 2022: 13,000 foreign visitors from 40 countries are here", al.com, July 7, 2022
45. ^ "Four dead and 18 hurt in Alabama mass shooting". British Broadcasting Corporation News. September 22, 2024. Retrieved September 22, 2024.

## Bibliography

[edit]

### Published in 19th century

[edit]

* Saffold Berney (1878), "Birmingham", Handbook of Alabama, Mobile: Mobile Register print.
* "City Directory of Birmingham". Birmingham Directory. Atlanta, Ga.: Interstate Directory Co.: v 1884.
* John W. DuBose, ed., The Mineral Wealth of Alabama and Birmingham (Birmingham, 1886)
* 1887 Pocket Business Directory and Guide to Birmingham, Ala. 1887. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012 - via Birmingham Public Library.
* Jefferson County and Birmingham, Alabama: Historical and Biographical. Teeple & Smith. 1887. ISBN 978-0-89308-041-9. `{{cite book}}`: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
* Henry M. Caldwell, History of the Elyton Land Company and Birmingham, Ala. 1892.

### Published in 20th century

[edit]

* Code of City of Birmingham, Alabama. 1917.
* "Birmingham". Automobile Blue Book. USA. 1919.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
* Cruikshank, A History of Birmingham and Its Environs (2 vols., Chicago, 1920)
* Thomas McAdory Owen (1921), "Birmingham", History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography, Chicago: S.J. Clarke, OCLC 1872130
* Harrison A. Trexler, "Birmingham's Struggle with Commission Government," National Municipal Review, XIV (November 1925)
* George R. Leighton, "Birmingham, Alabama: The City of Perpetual Promise," Harper's Magazine, CLXXV (August 1937)
* Federal Writers' Project (1941), Alabama; a Guide to the Deep South, American Guide Series, New York: Hastings House, hdl:2027/uc1.b4469723 - via Hathi Trust
* Florence H. W. Moss, Building Birmingham and Jefferson County (Birmingham, Ala.: Birmingham Printing Company, 1947)
* John C. Henley, Jr., This Is Birmingham: The Story of the Founding and Growth of an American City. 1960.
* Paul B. Worthman, "Black Workers and Labor Unions in Birmingham, Alabama, 1897-1904," Labor History, 10 (Summer 1969)
* Paul B. Worthman, "Working Class Mobility in Birmingham, Alabama, 1880-1914," in Anonymous Americans: Explorations in Nineteenth-Century Social History, ed. Tamara K. Hareven (Englewood Cliffs, 1971)
* Blaine A. Brownell (1972), "Birmingham, Alabama: New South City in the 1920s", Journal of Southern History, 38 (1): 21–48, doi:10.2307/2206652, JSTOR 2206652
* McMillan, Malcolm C. Yesterday's Birmingham. Miami: E.A. Seeman Publishing, 1975.
* Ory Mazar Nergal, ed. (1980), "Birmingham, AL", Encyclopedia of American Cities, New York: E.P. Dutton, OL 4120668M
* Robert P. Ingalls (1981), "Antiradical Violence in Birmingham During the 1930s", Journal of Southern History, 47 (4): 521–544, doi:10.2307/2207401, JSTOR 2207401
* Valley and the Hills: An Illustrated History of Birmingham and Jefferson County. 1981
* Robert J. Norrell (1986), "Caste in Steel: Jim Crow Careers in Birmingham, Alabama", Journal of American History, 73 (3): 669–694, doi:10.2307/1902982, JSTOR 1902982
* Old Birmingham, OCLC 38508791 1991-
* George Thomas Kurian (1994), "Birmingham, Alabama", World Encyclopedia of Cities, vol. 1: North America (United States A-M), Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, ISBN 978-0-87436-649-5 - via Open Library
* Henry M. McKiven (1995). Iron and Steel: Class, Race, and Community in Birmingham, Alabama, 1875-1920. Univ of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-0-8078-4524-0.
* Alan Draper (1996), "New Southern Labor History Revisited: The Success of the Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers Union in Birmingham, 1934-1938", Journal of Southern History, 62 (1): 87–108, doi:10.2307/2211207, JSTOR 2211207
* "The South: Alabama: Birmingham", USA, Let's Go, New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999, OL 24937240M
* Lynne B. Feldman, A Sense of Place: Birmingham's Black Middle Class Community, 1890-1930 (Tuscaloosa, 1999)

### Published in 21st century

[edit]

* "Alabama: Birmingham", Louisiana & the Deep South, Lonely Planet, 2001, ISBN 978-1-86450-216-9 - via Open Library
* American Association for State and Local History (2002). "Alabama: Birmingham". Directory of Historical Organizations in the United States and Canada (15th ed.). Rowman Altamira. ISBN 0-7591-0002-0.
* Richard Pillsbury, ed. (2006). "Birmingham". Geography. New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture. Vol. 2\. University of North Carolina Press. p. 156\. OCLC 910189354.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to History of Birmingham, Alabama.

* Jim Lewis. "Birmingham". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Alabama Humanities Foundation.
* Items related to Birmingham, various dates (via Digital Public Library of America)
* "(City: Birmingham)". Alabama Repositories Directory. Alabama Department of Archives & History. "A listing of public entities and private organizations holding historical records, artifacts, and other cultural heritage materials"

* v
* t
* e

Landmarks in Birmingham, United States

* 16th Street Baptist Church
* A.G. Gaston Motel
* Alabama Adventure Theme Park
* Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame
* Alabama Sports Hall of Fame
* Alabama Theatre
* Aldridge Botanical Gardens
* Alys Stephens Center
* Arlington Antebellum Home & Gardens
* Avondale Park
* Barber Motorsports Park and Vintage Motorsports Museum
* Bessemer Hall of History
* Bethel Baptist Church
* Bill Harris Arena
* Birmingham Botanical Gardens
* Birmingham Civil Rights District
* Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
* Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument
* Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport
* Birmingham Zoo
* Birmingham Museum of Art
* Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex
* Legacy Arena
* Protective Stadium
* Boutwell Auditorium
* Cahaba River
* Carver Theatre
* Eastwood Village
* International Motorsports Hall of Fame
* Kelly Ingram Park
* Lane Park
* Legion Field
* McWane Science Center
* Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
* Oak Mountain State Park
* Railroad Park
* Red Mountain
* Red Mountain Park
* Regions Field
* Rickwood Field
* Riverchase Galleria
* Rotary Trail
* Ruffner Mountain
* Samford University
* Sloss Furnaces
* Southern Museum of Flight
* Talladega Superspeedway
* The Summit
* UAB
* Vulcan statue and Vulcan Park

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