More of Birmingham

On Friday, we headed to Vulcan Park on the hill overlooking Birmingham. Vulcan Park is an educational museum built around the statue of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and forge. The statue of Vulcan is the largest cast iron statue in the world and was built in 1904 for the World's Fair to represent the birth of Birmingham's iron and steel industry. Iron mining created the city of Birmingham and many of the original factories and mines still stand today. In fact, the majority of vehicles and weapons used in WWII were made in the iron factories of Birmingham, AL. The museum is located on a hill that was once a huge mine and overlooks the entire city. Each exhibit tells the story of Birmingham's history, first as a mining town, then as the gateway to the Civil Rights Movement, and finally, as home to one of the largest and finest medical complexes in the United States. For two history fanatics, this was a great stop on our trip! The museum is fascinating and the city, beautiful. Add one more thing to the list of things I am learning to love about the South: the wealth of national history, of struggle and triumph represented in each small town and burgeoning city here.