Avondale, Birmingham, Alabama
Encyclopedia
Avondale was a company town
built around the Avondale Mills east of Birmingham, Alabama
in Jefferson County
. The town was incorporated on March 18, 1887. The city was annexed into Birmingham and is now divided into three separate neighborhoods, North Avondale, East Avondale and South Avondale.
The first residents of the area were clustered around "Kings Spring" on the slopes of Red Mountain, now the site of Avondale Park. There was once a small skirmish near the spring when Union soldiers were watering their horses and Confederates fired on them, chasing them away. The wife of Jefferson County
sheriff Abner Killough was struck in the breast by a stray shot while sitting on her porch. Her wound is believed to have been the only blood spilled in the county during the war.
The Park was the largest in Birmingham until Ruffner Mountain Park
was dedicated. It was known for the spring-fed grotto pool, an extensive rose garden
, athletic fields, a secluded pavilion called "The Villa", and a large amphitheater that hosted a spectacular pageant
in celebration of Birmingham's 50th anniversary in 1931. The park was also one-time home of the Birmingham Zoo
, which at the time consisted mainly of non-exotic species with the exception of "Miss Fancy", an erstwhile circus
elephant
purchased by the Birmingham Advertising Club as a promotional novelty and then donated to the city.
The spring emerged from a cave, now sealed off and proceeded to flow through the center of Spring Street (now 41st Street), the primary commercial center of Avondale.
Company town
A company town is a town or city in which much or all real estate, buildings , utilities, hospitals, small businesses such as grocery stores and gas stations, and other necessities or luxuries of life within its borders are owned by a single company...
built around the Avondale Mills east of Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
in Jefferson County
Jefferson County, Alabama
Jefferson County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Alabama, with its county seat being located in Birmingham.As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Jefferson County was 658,466...
. The town was incorporated on March 18, 1887. The city was annexed into Birmingham and is now divided into three separate neighborhoods, North Avondale, East Avondale and South Avondale.
The first residents of the area were clustered around "Kings Spring" on the slopes of Red Mountain, now the site of Avondale Park. There was once a small skirmish near the spring when Union soldiers were watering their horses and Confederates fired on them, chasing them away. The wife of Jefferson County
Jefferson County, Alabama
Jefferson County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Alabama, with its county seat being located in Birmingham.As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Jefferson County was 658,466...
sheriff Abner Killough was struck in the breast by a stray shot while sitting on her porch. Her wound is believed to have been the only blood spilled in the county during the war.
The Park was the largest in Birmingham until Ruffner Mountain Park
Ruffner Mountain Park
Ruffner Mountain Nature Center is a nature preserve located in the eastern portions of Jefferson County, Alabama near Birmingham's suburb, Irondale. The preserve includes a visitor center containing native Alabama animals including raptors, snakes, turtles and owls. The Ruffner Mountain area was...
was dedicated. It was known for the spring-fed grotto pool, an extensive rose garden
Rose garden
A Rose garden or Rosarium is a garden or park, often open to the public, used to present and grow various types of garden roses. Designs vary tremendously and roses may be displayed alongside other plants or grouped by individual variety, colour or class in rose beds.-Origins of the rose...
, athletic fields, a secluded pavilion called "The Villa", and a large amphitheater that hosted a spectacular pageant
Procession
A procession is an organized body of people advancing in a formal or ceremonial manner.-Procession elements:...
in celebration of Birmingham's 50th anniversary in 1931. The park was also one-time home of the Birmingham Zoo
Birmingham Zoo
The Birmingham Zoo is a zoological park that opened in 1955 in Birmingham, Alabama . The zoo is home to almost 800 animals representing over 200 species, including many endangered species from six continents....
, which at the time consisted mainly of non-exotic species with the exception of "Miss Fancy", an erstwhile circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
purchased by the Birmingham Advertising Club as a promotional novelty and then donated to the city.
The spring emerged from a cave, now sealed off and proceeded to flow through the center of Spring Street (now 41st Street), the primary commercial center of Avondale.
External links
- http://bplonline.cdmhost.com/cdm4/results.php?CISOPARM=all%3Asubjec%3AAvondale&CISOOP1=all&CISORESTMP=%2Fcdm4%2Fresults.php&CISOVIEWTMP=%2Fcdm4%2Fitem_viewer.php&CISOMODE=grid&CISOGRID=thumbnail%2CA%2C1%3Btitle%2CA%2C1%3Bsubjec%2CA%2C1%3Bdescri%2C200%2C0%3Bnone%2CA%2C0%3B20%3Bdate%2Cformat%2Cnone%2Cnone%2Cnone&CISOBIB=title%2CA%2C1%2CN%3Bsubjec%2CA%2C0%2CN%3Bdescri%2C200%2C0%2CN%3Bnone%2CA%2C0%2CN%3Bnone%2CA%2C0%2CN%3B20%3Btitle%2Cnone%2Cnone%2Cnone%2Cnone&CISOTHUMB=20+%284x5%29%3Btitle%2Cnone%2Cnone%2Cnone%2Cnone&CISOTITLE=20%3Btitle%2Cnone%2Cnone%2Cnone%2Cnone&CISOHIERA=20%3Bsubjec%2Ctitle%2Cnone%2Cnone%2CnoneAvondale material] at the Birmingham Public Library's Digital Archives