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1907 Map of Birmingham

Name: 1907 Topographic Map of Birmingham
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1934
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1934

About this map

Industrial expansion and rugged topography meet at the foot of Red Mountain in this early twentieth-century survey of the Alabama coalfields. The map documents a landscape defined by the winding paths of the Mulberry Fork Warrior River and the Locust Fork, where mining operations like Watts Mines and Coalburg are connected to the wider world by the Louisville and Nashville RR and the Southern RR. These rail lines weave through narrow gaps in the ridges, such as Reid Gap and Morrow Gap, tracing the path of the region's mineral wealth.

Away from the industrial centers, the map reveals the social fabric of rural Jefferson, Blount, and Cullman counties. Scattered crossroads like Yarboro Crossroads and Partridge Crossroads serve as anchor points for local life, alongside numerous country congregations including Little Bethel Church and Grahams Chapel. Early water-powered industry is still visible through landmarks such as Guthrie Mill and Hanby Mill, while the natural topography is marked by named peaks like Blackburn Mtn and Berry Mtn.