The 'Birthplace Of Birmingham' Is A Historic, Abandoned Alabama Landmark With Towering Structures

Many people visit Birmingham, Alabama, to learn about and pay homage to its significant role in the Civil Rights Movement. In addition to a road trip through American history on the Civil Rights Trail, you can take in a national landmark in Birmingham connected to the city's industrial roots. One of the sites you definitely should stop at is Sloss Furnaces, which has dubbed itself the "Birthplace of Birmingham." The site is made up of towering structures, standing 60 feet high, that were once an industrial hub of the city, dating back to the 1880s. Sloss Furnaces was where pig iron — also known as crude iron — was produced until 1971. Then, 10 years later in 1981, this abandoned, 15-acre industrial site became a national historic landmark.

You can visit Birmingham's Sloss Furnaces for free on your own, or you can take a guided tour for a small price. If you opt for the guided version, you will have to book a tour online. At the time of writing, ticket prices are $10 for adults and $5 for kids ages 6 through 12. Children who are 5 years old or younger may attend a tour free of charge. Guided tours of Sloss Furnaces are available Tuesday through Saturday most weeks, and you have your choice of either a 10:30 a.m. tour or a 2 p.m. tour.

The Sloss Furnace Company was established in 1880, with the construction of the first furnace in 1881. The company was founded by James Withers Sloss. In addition to Sloss Furnaces, he helped launch the Pratt Coal and Coke Company and played an important role in extending a railroad line through Birmingham and other parts of Alabama. Despite his pivotal part in building Birmingham into the city it is today, Sloss' history wasn't all positive; he was also a slave owner in the mid-1800s. Even decades after the Civil War and Sloss' death, the company's workforce was segregated between Black and white employees, which lasted until the 1960s. After slavery was abolished, Sloss turned to using Black incarcerated people for free labor at the iron furnaces. 

While Birmingham isn't really known as one of the best spooky cities for vacationers, Sloss Furnaces is rumored to be haunted. This is because many workers there either died or were injured while on the job due to how dangerous it was. Perhaps no one contributed more to this dangerous environment than nightshift foreman James Wormwood, whose irresponsible and dangerous supervision led to the deaths of 47 workers. Wormwood eventually succumbed to his own death in 1906 when he fell from the site's highest furnace into a batch of melted iron. If you're interested in visiting the most haunted destinations in the world, then you may hear the ghost of James Wormwood and the men who died under his watch.