Red Mountain Park » Oral History

Reunited.

Content Editor — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 20:52:47 +0000

This weekend, I headed out to the park with Adrian Kirksey and Louise Taylor, family members meeting for the very first time. Adrian, a native of Kentucky, began researching his family tree several months ago and learned that he had family who worked in the mines on Red Mountain. He then found Louise and Red Mountain Park and we all ended up atop the mountain on Saturday talking about his great uncle who died in the Songo mine, and his great grandfather with the incredible work ethic. Adrian gave us all chills when he talked about how moving it was to stand in the exact same place where many of the men in his family stood years ago. Wow.

Relatives Louise Taylor(L) and Adrian Kirksey(R) meet for the very first time and talk about their family's remarkable history on red mountain.

Underneath Red Mountain Park….

Content Editor — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 19:02:12 +0000

Always in the back of my mind is the fact that underneath this park we’re building lies the remains of a workplace that was unlike anything around here today. Hundreds of feet below us, there were several jobs being executed with extreme caution and care each and every day. What exactly were those jobs and how were they done? Below is a short clip of one of our oral history interviews with Isaac(Ike) Maston, who begins to tell us of the different tasks men were doing undergound around the clock:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp9hK7gFnds

“If we don’t get it now, it’ll be lost forever.”

Content Editor — Tue, 11 May 2010 13:52:48 +0000

These are the words ore miner Willie Cammack used to tell us how he felt about preserving Birmingham’s red mountain history. Willie was an Ishkooda miner who visited the No.14 slope where he worked on February 19, 2010. Our Park Ranger captured some of what he had to say about Red Mountain Park’s past, present, and future. Enjoy:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zuv8IvUg7g

What would we do without them?

Content Editor — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 19:49:43 +0000

This week’s blog is dedicated to our dedicated volunteers, the Friends of Red Mountain Park! We had a great opportunity to thank them on Friday night, so that’s exactly what we did. And they thanked one another with some great awards. It all went down at our oral history exhibit at the Lite Box Gallery–if you still haven’t checked it out, you must go soon. Last day is Saturday! (W, TH, F 12-5, Saturday 10-2)

A Must-See.

Content Editor — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 17:17:30 +0000

Check out our new press release to see what we’ve been working on for April-

What: For the first time ever the Red Mountain Park Greenway Commission will open an Archives Exhibit showcasing artifacts, photographs and oral history stories from miners whose stories have been captured to inform the public of the rich history that made Birmingham the Magic City. The Red Mountain Park mines closed in 1969, yet the unique stories and memories still remain as Birmingham grew into a town still built on iron ore and steel.

In addition to the exhibit, there will also be a brown bag discussion forum on April 14 from 11:30 to 1pm at Lite Box Gallery. Bring your lunch and hear historians Jim Bennett, Pam King and Eric McFerrin share the story of Red Mountain Park history.

Where: Lite Box Gallery – 2825 Second Avenue South at Pepper Place

Exhibit Opens: April 10 – 24, Wed-Fri noon to 5 pm and Sat. 10 am – 2 pm

Cost: The exhibit and the forum are both free to attend.

Background: Red Mountain Park is a 1,200 acre urban mountain top park located on top of Red Mountain in Birmingham. The Park will eventually include walking and biking trails, recreational and picnic areas all within a park and green space environment. When the park is complete it will be one of the largest urban parks in the country, larger than New York’s Central Park. For more information go to www.redmountainpark.org.

Yesterday’s Tour…

Content Editor — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 21:50:32 +0000

Was a great way to finish out a year of hikes! The weather was crisp and sunny, and everyone had a great time like always. The tour was mentioned in the Birmingham News on Sunday, along with some information about our ongoing Oral History Project, and we hope you read the article. I feel sure that many of us know people who know people who worked on red mountain–we want their story. We want to know all that we can about who worked there, what they did and how they did it. When it comes to learning the park’s history, there are about a million pieces to the puzzle and we want to gather as many pieces as possible while there’s still time. While RMP will be a destination similar to some of the most prestigious parks in the country, it will have the added element of a remarkable history that can be celebrated for years to come….

View Rough Cuts from first batch of Oral History Interviews

admin — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 03:37:53 +0000

The team of Rosie O’Bierne and Pam King from UAB as well as Park Ranger Eric McFerrin and Park Staffer Katie Sullivan have been hard at work these last few months working through their list of interviewees. Take a look at some rough cuts which Eric has assembled to get an idea of the kind of material we are gathering. Read more about the Oral History project here >