Vulcan Park Events
Education
© 2004 Robert Lagerstrom
Exhibits at Vulcan Center
Recipe for a City
Explores the reason for Birmingham's foundation and what characterized its industry by looking at three aspects of its early days: the ingredients necessary for the industry, the workers who made the industry possible, and life beyond the workplace. A company store model complete with food products and a map of the town, as well as audio sounds of the era, add to the ambiance of a bustling industrial city.
Building Birmingham
Illustrates Birmingham's transition from "an old cornfield" in 1871 to a city distinguished by its rapid growth of industry in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, beginning with steel production and leading into the development of Birmingham's metropolitan area and infrastructure.
© 2004 Robert Lagerstrom
The Vulcan Story
A chronology of Vulcan's creation hinges on a full-size cast of Vulcan's foot set in the context of the World's Fair, allowing visitors to appreciate the giant scale close up. Objects to illustrate the process of designing and casting Vulcan (models, plaster cast parts, brick and sand molds) as well as objects to illustrate Vulcan's deterioration and repair (rusted bolts, concrete and rebar) are also present. The story of Vulcan's return from the fair and subsequent decline sets the stage for the coming depression story.
Decline and Depression
The Great Depression staggered Birmingham, bringing the previously booming industry almost to a halt. The local economy did not recover until World War II created a demand for iron and steel and Roosevelt's New Deal programs were instituted in the struggling region. Audio about the labor strike adds to the somber tone of this section.
Toward a New City
This area delves into Birmingham's more recent history and the major changes that took place during the second half of the twentieth century. Beginning with the underlying social conditions that led African-Americans in Birmingham to pursue the struggle for equal rights, the treatment focuses on the crucial collective effect of these events that moved Birmingham towards social harmony and equality. In addition to social change, this area also examines regional economic and civic developments.
Birmingham Today
As visitors overlook the city as it is today they are reminded that Birmingham is a vital, modern metropolitan area with a high quality of life and a diverse, growing economy.