We recently took a limo tour throughout Birmingham and it was great. Sloss Furnace was one of the stops and I thought it was a pretty cool attraction. So, I’ll share a bit of it with you guys.
Sloss Furnaces is located in Birmingham, state of Alabama, and considered a National Historic Landmark. It functioned as a pig iron manufacturing blast furnace from the year 1882 up to the year 1971. After closing the facility, it turns out to be one of the main industrial sites as well as the solitary blast furnace in the United States to be upheld and restored for public purposes. In the year 1981, Sloss Furnaces were chosen a National Historic Landmark by USDI. At present, the site is used as an informational museum of business and hosts a nationwide recognizes metal arts program. The place is also a festival and concert venue. Erection is also ongoing on a new 10 million dollar visitor’s center. A Halloween haunted attraction knew as Sloss Fright Furnace is held yearly at the place.
The History
James Withers Sloss, one of the forefathers of Birmingham, helping to uphold railroad expansion in Jones Valley, Alabama and partaking in the Pratt Coke and Coal Company. In 1880, James established his own firm, which is the Sloss Furnace, and started the construction of the first blast furnace in Birmingham on (202,000 m²) of land contributed by the Elyton Land Company. Harry Hargreaves was the engineer in charge. The initial blast was started in the year 1881 month of April and this facility manufactures 24,000 tons of top-grade iron during the first operation. The company won a bronze medal in 1883 at the Southern Exposition held in Louisville Kentucky.
In 1886, Sloss decided to sell the firm and in 1889 the company was given a new name, Sloss-Sheffield Steel, and Iron Company. In the year 1902 new blowers are setup, 1906 new boilers were installed and the year 1914, Sloss Furnaces was totally rebuilt. There are lots of changes happen in Sloss Furnaces like it was developed by the United States Pipe and Foundry Company in the year 1952, and sold almost 20 years later in the year 1969 to Jim Walter Company.
Jim Walter Company closed the facility due to the air pollution issues and decided to contribute the property to the State Fair Authority of Alabama. The authority dogged that renovation was not possible and made projects to rout the furnaces. Local preservationists created the Sloss Furnace Association to the foyer for the protection of this property, which is of major significance to the history of Birmingham. In Year 2009 of February, the facility became the original place of the SLSF 4018 steam locomotive that was moved to state’s Fair Park.
Current Use
Sloss Furnaces at present is utilized to hold a barbecue cook-off, metal arts lessons, concerts, and shows. Sloss Furnaces also host a Ghost Tour. For so many years, the facility has been utilized as a haunted house allure during the Halloween season.
In June of 2012, a groundbreaking ceremony was conducted at the place, signaling the start of construction on the new 16,000-hectare education center. The new complex, sponsored in cooperation with the Birmingham City and Sloss Foundation, is assumed to host informative exhibits pertinent to the site’s historic administrative offices and additional multipurpose for public events.