Lost Birmingham

i wish more had been written about historic birmingham and less about the surrounding areas (like the first hotel in blount country? who cares!) the chapter on avondale factories was a little lengthy for me... it would be interesting to know more about jemison and the mountain terrace and ya know, how those houses and cliff and altamont came to be. history of norwood and mountain brook and all that. i would especially be fascinated by a history of Highland. the parks, the homes, the apartments. there are a few photos on the bham public library digital archive but nothing that really tells a deep history. but i suppose those things aren't "lost". just ...a different story.the lakeview murders, the heaviest corner on earth, and of course the train station were my favorite chapters. really sad that the station is long gone.. oh, i could get depressed if i think about it long enough. the architecture downtown is so amazing. we're lucky some of the buildings are still here.

This book is a great resource for anyone interested in historical locations and riveting stories about the people and places of Birmingham, AL. Having grown up in Alabama, I was familiar with some of the places so richly described by Ms. Crider, but many were completely unknown to me. I really enjoyed the contrast of the many old photographs of the buildings and locations and then up-to-date photos of what remains of some of them now. I was very pleased to note how many are now under the protection of individuals or historical societies and will, hopefully, be preserved for future generations. The interesting anecdotes from older people who remember the locations in their heyday made the book more complete. My husband and I plan to take a driving tour of the city in the near future to try to see as many of these locations as I can. In future printings, I hope the author will consider adding GPS coordinates for each location. I have already purchased two of these books (one e-book and one paperback) and plan to buy several more as gifts. Highly recommended!

Nice read, but much of this can be found in other books. Such as Birmingham, Then and Now (One by Todd Keith and another by J. D. Weeks). Even The Birmingham News has done feature stories on some, including Quinlan Castle and Hillman Hospital. And the fact that not one scrap of info on the Tutwiler was mentioned is a shame. The destruction of that building and the Terminal were both sad blots on the downtown history.For those that have collected Birmingham books over the years, skip this unless it is in the Bargain Bin, or go back and read some of the author's Strange Alabama posts.If you don't have any other books, then get this and the J D Weeks book and you should have the start of a nice collection.

I was born in Birmingham,went t school and then moved away. It was great to read about a lot of the history of things that I remembered when I was there and in school.I was very sad when they tore down the train station, as a child I always thought of it as a majical place and loved to go thru the tunnel under it.Was very informative on places that I had forgotten or had not known about. I am still in touch with Cush thru a friends sight that is for Avondale, it was great to know she contributed to the history also.It is sad tyo me that things that I saw and grew up with is torn down and replaced because these are things lost. This book helps to keep themstill with us today and as long as we have books. Thank you for the walk back in time.

I bought this for my Grandson's Birthday. I wanted him to know and understand some of the history of Birmingham. Places that I knew and grew up with in the 40's and 50's that are gone now. If we don't understand the past than how can we know the future. Birmingham was truly a Magic City 50 years ago with great expectations. I hope we have more books coming showing more of the early history, the people, the neighborhoods, the diversity of the town's.

I love stories about the history of my hometown and this book did not disappoint. I would have loved for there to have been more content but it was a good, quick read! So sad that so many of our Birmingham landmarks have been destroyed and in disrepair.

I have purchased 4 books from Amazon. I am so ecstatic about the read, I end up up giving the books away as gifts!!! Absolutely fascinating with impressive photos and details to locations. I want to take a tour to many locations!!

Good review of Birmingham, Alabama historical sites. I really enjoyed reading about the sites and their history.Photos were not all good.

Good look back at Birmingham Alabama.USA