Birmingham City Map Poster

About Birmingham

Birmingham was founded on June 1, 1871, by the Elyton Land Company, whose investors included cotton planters and railroad entrepreneurs. It sold lots near the planned crossing of the Alabama & Chattanooga and South & North Alabama railroads. The first business at that crossroads was a saloon for travelers headed to Birmingham; it opened in 1875 when Birmingham had 500 residents. The town grew rapidly into a major industrial center during the last two decades of the 19th century under leaders including James Withers Patton Jr., who built an iron works in nearby Bessemer (now part of Pittsburgh), as well as William Rufus King (1852–1922) who made his fortune selling lumber from his sawmill on what is now Red Mountain Expressway between downtown and Lakeview Park. Asa G. Yancey's farmhouse served as headquarters for General Wilson's Creek campaign during War Between States until 1865 when Union troops occupied area after capturing Selma .