Can someone identify this Birmingham landmark?

[unhappycamper]

These pictures were taken in a Birmingham cemetery in April 1954:




I've been trying to locate my father's grave for the last 15 years & just came across these pictures. I wrote the editor of the Birmingham Times two weeks ago, but I guess he's too busy to reply.

Would appreciate any info you can give me.

Thanks.

[koopie57]

1. could it be the Vulcan?

[Gary173]

2. Vulcan

Try this page for directions and location

http://www.vulcanpark.org/

[unhappycamper]

4. thanks gary

Welcome to DU :hi:

Looks like this is another dead end. Bummer.

[unhappycamper]

3. No clue - I live in Boston

I know these were taken in Birmingham in 1954. My aunt (now 84) told me she thinks these pictures were taken at the cemetery.

[dbonds]

10. I would not rule out the area where the statue is.

It is on top of a hill, but there are houses, and I think churches nearby. I also remember b'ham a mega cementary that is used by a lot of different churches that is out the east side of town.

[Gary173]

5. The statue of Vulcan

was erected to represent the steel industry in Birmingham over 100 years ago. Your photo is Vulcan. I remember seeing it several times.

[BrklynLiberal]

6. Vulcan?

[Gary173]

8. Vulcan

Roman God of the Forge

[dbonds]

7. Went to school at UAB living on South Side in an apartment right under the

vulcan.

As an aside, I heard the bush cronies got the name The Vulcans, from condi being from b'ham.

This statue was on the top of the hill overlooking b'ham. Not sure if it is still there, but it was hard to miss when I was there. You could see it from anywhere. In his hand was a light that would be red if anyone died in a road accident that day, green otherwise.

[Warpy]

9. If you know the date of death, perhaps the local newspaper

might be able to narrow it down for you, at least to cemetary. They may charge a fee for the search, but I don't think it'll break the bank.

The only other thing I can think of is a process of elimination, calling all the cemetaries still operating to see if he's on their list (they keep lists of all their "citizens") You'd then only have the older cemetaries to search if that were the case, that and the possible churchyards.

Good luck.

[unhappycamper]

11. Thank you. I'll give that a shot. n/t

[BamaLefty]

12. Good Luck on Your Search

The Vulcan was recently (as in a few years back) taken down for renovations. I don't believe the process has been finished.


I thought you might need to know that.

[Deb]

13. Might this help (?)

Here is a link to the Birmingham Public Library list of cemeteries, many with phone numbers.

http://www.bplonline.org/resources/subjects/localhistory/cemeteries.asp

A link to "Ask the Librarian". You can use specific forms and find Obituaries.

http://www.bplonline.org/ask/

Good luck with your search, I know how hard difficult it can be.

[Cell Whitman]

14. Vulcan was on McCain's pork list

it received a couple million for the face-lift and McCain had it on his list. Memories...The pictures from 1954 you have show him holding what we called a popsicle. Each night it would be colored red when someone died in a traffic accident and green when someone didn't. The new and improved Vulcan doesn't have that deluxe feature.

If you are thinking the cemetery is very near its base - I am not aware of any cemetery very close. I know someone who has crawled over that hill and they said they didn't know of any. Elmwood is the biggest cemetery in the area and within viewing from Vulcan. Bear Bryant is buried there, that makes it holy ground to many. They used to brag about their "million dollar perpetual care fund" years ago. It was spose to convince you that the property would be taken care of in perpetuity. Doubt it would get them past three months now, but it is still well kept and most populated around town.

Good luck with your hunt. I bet if you called the B'ham Times, the library or the Birmingham News/Post Herald, which is the largest paper - someone will help you.

btw: Vulcan faces downtown. For the folks on his stern side, in Homewood, I wonder if they took some of those millions and slapped a pair of britches on him. He's been mooning them for decades. Years ago when they started a new 'talk' radio show and picked the topic of whether or not Birmingham should allow topless dancing, one caller said he didn't understand why the city couldn't have some women running around half naked since Vulcan was doing the same in broad daylight. haha Said he'd rather look at women himself. In rightwing B'ham they got a flood of calls agreeing.

See Vulcan's stern side here: http://www.bham.net/vulcan/

http://mccain.senate.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=Newscenter.ViewPressRelease&Content_id=88

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) today gave the following statement regarding his amendment to the Interior Appropriations Bill:

"My amendment is simple, yet vividly highlights an appropriations process gone mad. It would prohibit the use of funds for any purpose relating to the Vulcan Monument in Alabama.

"The amendment's purpose is to aim a spotlight on the explosion of pork barrel spending in recent years. In fact, since 1993, there has been a threefold increase in earmarks passed by Congress and, if news reports are accurate, Congress' pork barrel spending in this year's appropriations process is advancing at the speed of light. .

"Last year, Congress appropriated $1.5 million so that Birmingham, Alabama could renovate a 56 foot tall statue of Vulcan, the Roman god of Fire. I repeat, Congress provided the good citizens of Birmingham, Alabama, $1.5 million hard-earned tax dollars of Americans across the country so that they could refurbish the statute of a Roman god.

"Now, in the bill before the Senate today --- which, incidentally, contains over $430 million in spending items that have not been properly reviewed to determine their worthiness for federal funding -- there is more money -- to the tune of $2 million --- to continue Vulcan's face lift!

"At first blush, having the federal government give money to a Roman god may appear to violate the Constitutional separation of church and state. Others, with some reason, may believe that this is a rather strange use of limited tax dollars. After all, while the on-budget federal surplus is rapidly dwindling, why should federal dollars pay for a face lift of a statue of a Roman god in Alabama..... .

"Maybe, this is the time to nip this in the bud. Not one more federal dollar to promote tributes to pagans.

"Mr. President, I ask my colleagues to extinguish this Roman god of Fire and strike a victory for taxpayers -- and Metis, the goddess of prudence – by throttling down our insatiable appetite for pork barrel spending -- starting today."
___


http://cellwhitman.blogspot.com/

[quaoar]

15. The renovation of Vulcan is complete

And he is back up on his pedestal. The lighted popsicle has been replaced by the original spear he was carrying.

As far as cemetries go, your best bet is probably Elmwood. It's very large and it was a popular place to be buried in its time. Bear Bryant is buried there.

[LizW]

16. Wow. One of my earliest memories

involves the Vulcan statue. I must have been about three years old, which would have made it about 1960. It was a summer night and we were visiting my great aunt in Birmingham. All I remember about it was climbing up the stairs inside that stone pedestal to the little viewing catwalk. There were five or six of us kids (siblings and cousins) and we ran around and around that platform, driving my mother crazy.

I had almost lost the memory until I came to Birmingham for college and went to the Vulcan statue again. By then, the old stone pedestal was enclosed in a modern structure with a glassed in viewing area and an elevator. But when I opened the door of the pedestal and saw those old stairs, that early memory came rushing back.

Unhappycamper, I don't know anything about an old cemetery up on Red Mountain near the Vulcan, but it could be there. A few years ago, he was taken down and a big renovation was done. (He's made of cast iron, and it was feared he was going to start falling apart). I haven't been up there since this was done, but I understand that the old stone pedestal is visible again the way it was in the 50's and 60's.

Red Mountain is really a ridgeline that runs along and separates downtown Birmingham from the southern suburbs. The steel, railroad, and insurance barons had their mansions up along this ridge with a view of the city. Many of these fantastic homes are still there. It is, and always has been, extremely expensive property.

In the 60's a major expressway was cut through the ridge of Red Mountain to allow better access to downtown from the south.



This "cut" is pretty close to the Vulcan statue, and I guess it in conceivable that the cemetery had to be moved to make way for this.

I think your best bet is to contact the Birmingham Historical Society. I'll bet they could tell you if there is or was a cemetery up there and what it was called.

I believe the oldest cemetery in Birmingham is Oak Hill. It is not up on the mountain, it's on the north end of downtown. They do have a list of some of the people buried there:

http://www.trackingyourroots.com/data/oakhill.htm

As another poster said, Elmwood is probably the biggest cemetery and would have been the one most used in the 50's and 60's, I think.

There is another large cemetery on the east side of town near the airport, but I don't know what it is called. It's pretty far away from the Vulcan statue, though.

Oh, I just remembered -- there is a small, very old cemetery on the south side of Red Mountain that would be in view of the Vulcan. It is in an area called Hollywood, which I believe is in the city limits of Homewood. It has been encroached on by highways and office buildings, but it is still accessible. I don't know its name, but if you talk to the Birmingham Historical Society or the City of Homewood, I'll bet they could tell you.

Good luck!