Woodward Iron Company
Encyclopedia
The Woodward Iron Company was founded on December 31, 1881, by two brothers, William & Joseph Woodward. William was the company president and Joseph was the company secretary. The company operated mines
, quarries
and furnaces
that were connected by a private industrial railroad
in Bessemer
, Jefferson County, Alabama
. The company administrative office was located near Woodward Ore Mine #1 south of Paul's Hill in Bessemer, Alabama.
By the 1920's Woodward Iron was one of the nation's largest suppliers of pig iron
. The workforce eventually grew to more than 2000 men. In 1968, Mead Corporation acquired Woodward Iron Company just as the nation's steel industry was about to begin a long decline. By the mid 1970's the entire site closed down. Today much of the 1200 acres (4.9 km²) site has been cleared and is either abandoned property or has been re-developed for lighter industrial use. Little remains of the once sprawling plant except for an isolated chimney or two.
's railroad, and had an interchange track with it. Then the Woodward line, using a switchback
configuration, worked along the face of Red Mountain to each of three mine sites. To the west of this location, is the Sloss #2 mine site, and to the east is the TCI/USX Wenonah
#7 mine site and head of the High Line.
and west of TCI
#7. Woodward #3 was south of Lipscomb, and was the last operational site on Red Mountain Number three closed about 1953. The tipple was located at the Woodward #3 Mine on Red Mountain. There was a tailings
dump on the south side of the mountain, at the end of track at Woodward #1 site.
The company also operated the Pyne Mine
, one of the most productive ore mines in the Birmingham District. It was located east of Red Mountain near the Lacey's Chapel community in Bessemer, Alabama. A Slope mines
shaft on the northwest face of Red Mountain, it angled steeply, about 30 degrees, downward to the southeast. There were very few deep shaft mines
for iron ore in the Birmingham District
. In 1918, Woodward began construction of the vertical shaft Pyne Mine, which reached iron ore about 1200 feet (365.8 m) below ground. This mine was operated for a period of years, closed, and reopened for demand in World War II
. It closed about 1972.
and Dolomite
on the site of the plantation of Fleming Jordan, an early pioneer of Jefferson County. The Jordan plantation was located in present day Hueytown, Alabama. Furnace #1 went into operation on August 17, 1883, on the site of Mrs. Jordan's old rose garden. The ore was transported to the furnace by rail through Lipscomb and Brighton to the Woodward Furnace. By 1909, there were three blast furnaces at this site, producing a daily output of 250,000 tons. As the steel industry declined in the early seventies, the last blast furnace closed in 1973. Koppers Company purchased the remaining coke oven production plant and continued that operation for several additional years before it also closed.
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
, quarries
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
and furnaces
Blast furnace
A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally iron.In a blast furnace, fuel and ore and flux are continuously supplied through the top of the furnace, while air is blown into the bottom of the chamber, so that the chemical reactions...
that were connected by a private industrial railroad
Industrial railway
An industrial railway is a type of railway that is not available for public transportation and is used exclusively to serve a particular industrial, logistics or military site...
in Bessemer
Bessemer, Alabama
Bessemer is a city outside of Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States eight miles west of Hoover. The population was 29,672 at the 2000 Census, but by the 2009 U.S...
, Jefferson County, Alabama
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 company administrative office was located near Woodward Ore Mine #1 south of Paul's Hill in Bessemer, Alabama.
By the 1920's Woodward Iron was one of the nation's largest suppliers of pig iron
Pig iron
Pig iron is the intermediate product of smelting iron ore with a high-carbon fuel such as coke, usually with limestone as a flux. Charcoal and anthracite have also been used as fuel...
. The workforce eventually grew to more than 2000 men. In 1968, Mead Corporation acquired Woodward Iron Company just as the nation's steel industry was about to begin a long decline. By the mid 1970's the entire site closed down. Today much of the 1200 acres (4.9 km²) site has been cleared and is either abandoned property or has been re-developed for lighter industrial use. Little remains of the once sprawling plant except for an isolated chimney or two.
Railroad
The industrial track operated by Woodward was on on the "north" face of Red Mountain. The Woodward line came up the mountain, crossed under the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad CompanyTennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company
The Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company , also known as TCI and the Tennessee Company, was a major American steel manufacturer with interests in coal and iron ore mining and railroad operations. Originally based entirely within Tennessee, it relocated most of its business to Alabama in the...
's railroad, and had an interchange track with it. Then the Woodward line, using a switchback
Zig Zag (railway)
A railway zig zag, also called a switchback, is a way of climbing hills in difficult country with a minimal need for tunnels and heavy earthworks. For a short distance , the direction of travel is reversed, before the original direction is resumed.A location on railways constructed e.g...
configuration, worked along the face of Red Mountain to each of three mine sites. To the west of this location, is the Sloss #2 mine site, and to the east is the TCI/USX Wenonah
Wenonah, Alabama
The Wenonah community was the name of one of a series of Red Mountain ore mining camps for employees of the Tennessee Coal and Iron Company...
#7 mine site and head of the High Line.
Mines
The three Woodward ore mines were Woodward #1, #2 and $3. Woodward #1 was located south of Paul’s Hill in Bessemer. In addition to administrative offices this site also included Doctor’s Offices and the Commissary. Woodward #2 was south of LipscombLipscomb, Alabama
Lipscomb is a city in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Birmingham–Hoover Metropolitan Area. At the 2000 census the population was 2,458....
and west of TCI
Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company
The Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company , also known as TCI and the Tennessee Company, was a major American steel manufacturer with interests in coal and iron ore mining and railroad operations. Originally based entirely within Tennessee, it relocated most of its business to Alabama in the...
#7. Woodward #3 was south of Lipscomb, and was the last operational site on Red Mountain Number three closed about 1953. The tipple was located at the Woodward #3 Mine on Red Mountain. There was a tailings
Tailings
Tailings, also called mine dumps, slimes, tails, leach residue, or slickens, are the materials left over after the process of separating the valuable fraction from the uneconomic fraction of an ore...
dump on the south side of the mountain, at the end of track at Woodward #1 site.
The company also operated the Pyne Mine
Pyne Mine
The Pyne Mine was a vertical shaft iron ore mine operated by the Woodward Iron Company and located near the Lacey's Chapel community outside Bessemer, Alabama in Shades Valley...
, one of the most productive ore mines in the Birmingham District. It was located east of Red Mountain near the Lacey's Chapel community in Bessemer, Alabama. A Slope mines
Slope mining
Slope mining is a method of accessing valuable geological material, such as coal. A sloping access shaft travels downwards towards the coal seam. Slope mines differ from shaft and drift mines, which access resources by tunneling straight down or horizontally, respectively.In slope mining, an angled...
shaft on the northwest face of Red Mountain, it angled steeply, about 30 degrees, downward to the southeast. There were very few deep shaft mines
Shaft mining
Shaft mining or shaft sinking refers to the method of excavating a vertical or near-vertical tunnel from the top down, where there is initially no access to the bottom....
for iron ore in the Birmingham District
Birmingham District
The Birmingham District is a geological area in the vicinity of Birmingham, Alabama where the raw materials for making steel, limestone, iron ore, and coal are found together in abundance...
. In 1918, Woodward began construction of the vertical shaft Pyne Mine, which reached iron ore about 1200 feet (365.8 m) below ground. This mine was operated for a period of years, closed, and reopened for demand in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It closed about 1972.
Furnace
The Woodward blast furnaces were located in what was then called Woodward, Alabama, (an unincorporated area). It was between present day BrightonBrighton, Alabama
Brighton is a city near Birmingham, Alabama, United States and located just east of Hueytown. At the 2000 census the population was 3,640. It is one of four cities in Jefferson County named after cities in Great Britain...
and Dolomite
Dolomite, Alabama
Dolomite is an unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. Today much of the community's residential neighborhoods lie within the corporate limits of The City of Birmingham and much of its business district lie within the corporate limits of The City of Hueytown...
on the site of the plantation of Fleming Jordan, an early pioneer of Jefferson County. The Jordan plantation was located in present day Hueytown, Alabama. Furnace #1 went into operation on August 17, 1883, on the site of Mrs. Jordan's old rose garden. The ore was transported to the furnace by rail through Lipscomb and Brighton to the Woodward Furnace. By 1909, there were three blast furnaces at this site, producing a daily output of 250,000 tons. As the steel industry declined in the early seventies, the last blast furnace closed in 1973. Koppers Company purchased the remaining coke oven production plant and continued that operation for several additional years before it also closed.