Tweet
Alabeemer Summer Soiree' ~ July 2011 BMWMOAL Club meeting.
The July BMWMOAL Club Gathering is scheduled for the weekend of 29-31 July 2011 at Brierfield Ironworks Park near Montevallo, AL. This is about as close as one can get to the middle of our State, and there are some nice accommodations to make dealing with the Alabama summer heat more bearable.
The Brierfield Furnace, also known as the Bibb Naval Furnace and Brierfield Ironworks, is a historic district in Brierfield, Alabama. The district covers 486 acres and includes one building and nine sites. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 20, 1974. Today the district is encompassed by the Brierfield Ironworks Historical State Park.
The Brierfield Furnace site was developed in 1861 by Caswell Campbell Huckabee, a Greensboro planter, and Jonathan Newton Smith, a Bibb County planter, on land purchased from Jesse Mahan near the Little Cahaba River, a tributary of the Cahaba. The endeavor was initially known as the Bibb County Iron Company, with Huckabee providing most of the capital and slave labor for construction. Richard Fell was employed to build a 36-foot high stone blast furnace and, in 1862, a rolling mill. The company produced cast iron initially, but soon changed over to the more lucative production of wrought iron. The iron was used to produce farm implements.
Recognizing the high quality of iron produced at Brierfield, Confederate officials forced the men to sell the ironworks to the government for $600,000 in 1863, renaming it the Bibb Naval Furnace. A new 40-foot high brick furnace was built and a railroad line was constructed to connect the furnace to the mainline of the Alabama and Tennessee Railroad. The output of the ironworks was then shipped to the Confederate arsenal at Selma. By 1864 the furnace was producing 25 tons of iron per day, much of which went into producing over 100 Brooke cannons, one of the South's most important weapons, at Selma. This all ended on March 31, 1865, when the Bibb Naval Furnace was destroyed by the 10th Missouri Volunteer Cavalry during Union General James H. Wilson's Raid through Alabama.
The park now features:
◦ Historic ruins of the Civil War era "Bibb Confederate Naval Furnaces"
◦ Several Air-Conditioned Pioneer style homes and buildings
◦ RV and Tent Camping
◦ J. Henry Jones Country Store
◦ Hiking and Nature Trails
◦ Swimming Pool ... Brierfield State Park’s 30 ft x 60 ft swimming pool is available for use by guests, with lifeguards on duty daily for your safety. Pool passes are given with cabin rentals and improved camping sites.
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=185274391527377
The Brierfield Furnace, also known as the Bibb Naval Furnace and Brierfield Ironworks, is a historic district in Brierfield, Alabama. The district covers 486 acres and includes one building and nine sites. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 20, 1974. Today the district is encompassed by the Brierfield Ironworks Historical State Park.
The Brierfield Furnace site was developed in 1861 by Caswell Campbell Huckabee, a Greensboro planter, and Jonathan Newton Smith, a Bibb County planter, on land purchased from Jesse Mahan near the Little Cahaba River, a tributary of the Cahaba. The endeavor was initially known as the Bibb County Iron Company, with Huckabee providing most of the capital and slave labor for construction. Richard Fell was employed to build a 36-foot high stone blast furnace and, in 1862, a rolling mill. The company produced cast iron initially, but soon changed over to the more lucative production of wrought iron. The iron was used to produce farm implements.
Recognizing the high quality of iron produced at Brierfield, Confederate officials forced the men to sell the ironworks to the government for $600,000 in 1863, renaming it the Bibb Naval Furnace. A new 40-foot high brick furnace was built and a railroad line was constructed to connect the furnace to the mainline of the Alabama and Tennessee Railroad. The output of the ironworks was then shipped to the Confederate arsenal at Selma. By 1864 the furnace was producing 25 tons of iron per day, much of which went into producing over 100 Brooke cannons, one of the South's most important weapons, at Selma. This all ended on March 31, 1865, when the Bibb Naval Furnace was destroyed by the 10th Missouri Volunteer Cavalry during Union General James H. Wilson's Raid through Alabama.
The park now features:
◦ Historic ruins of the Civil War era "Bibb Confederate Naval Furnaces"
◦ Several Air-Conditioned Pioneer style homes and buildings
◦ RV and Tent Camping
◦ J. Henry Jones Country Store
◦ Hiking and Nature Trails
◦ Swimming Pool ... Brierfield State Park’s 30 ft x 60 ft swimming pool is available for use by guests, with lifeguards on duty daily for your safety. Pool passes are given with cabin rentals and improved camping sites.
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=185274391527377
Comment