Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark

Need to schedule a speaker for an upcoming event? Our diverse staff can address a variety of topics at your next civic organization, luncheon, conference, or teachers’ workshop.

Price: FREE!

Available speakers and topics are listed below.

Curator: Karen Utz | karen@slossfurnaces.com

Educational Activities

Speakers Bureau

Online Lessons

Tours

Topics:

Sloss Furnaces: Birmingham’s Iron Plantation
This presentation looks at the overall history of Sloss Furnaces; Birmingham’s first “iron plantation.” Included are the early developmental years at the company, Sloss’s role during the tumultuous war years (WWI and WWII), labor issues and practices (including Sloss’s implementation of the horrific convict leasing system), and the deindustrialization period of the furnaces due to the introduction of new material and the enactment of stricter air pollution standards. The diverse workforce (African-Americans, whites, immigrants) will be discussion, as well as life in Sloss Quarters (48 houses next to the site for African-American workers and their families).

Sloss is currently the only twentieth-century blast furnace in the nation being preserved and interpreted as an industrial museum. Since reopening in 1983 Sloss has become an international model for similar preservation efforts and presents a remarkable perspective on the era when America grew to world industrial dominance. At the same time, Sloss is an important reminder of the dreams and struggles of the people who worked in the industries that made Birmingham the ‘Magic City.’

A variety of visual aids can be incorporated in this particular presentation including the viewing of a brief Sloss video, samples of minerals used at Sloss; red ore, coke, limestone, and ‘clacker’ used at the Sloss company store!

The Role of Convict Labor in Birmingham’s Industrial District

There was no more damning evidence of…. indifference to human suffering and exploitation on the part of many of the South’s industrialists and public officials than the convict leasing system.

The story of Alabama’s convict leasing system, in effect from 1866 to 1928 (last state to outlaw this horrific system), is an infamous chapter in the state’s history. Robert Patton, Alabama governor in 1865, declared that the state’s felons, rather than being housed in the penitentiary, should be “leased.” His rationale was that blacks, rapidly becoming the penitentiary’s majority population, did not regard confinement as punishment, and should “feel the hardship of labor in iron and coal mines.” The Role of Convict Labor focuses on early state and local laws enacted by Alabama politicians to justify their use of convict labor. Attention is paid to the horrendous working conditions, as well as similarities between the institution of slavery and the convict leasing system.

As actual convict leasing contract will be presented.

Sloss Quarters: African-American Community of Sloss Furnaces

Sloss was as good a place as I wanted to live. It was neighborly and friendly...no, they didn’t come no better than Sloss houses. Between 1900 and 1950 Sloss Furnaces maintained company houses throughout Birmingham’s industrial district. Sloss Quarters, the forty-eight houses adjacent to City Furnaces, were designed specifically for black workers. They were typical shotgun style structures, with two rooms set on foundation posts and no indoor plumbing. Despite the drawbacks, the Quarters provided a relatively cohesive community setting for workers and their families, a community where people had the same customs, traditions, and shared the same burdens. There were neighborhood gatherings...watermelon cuttings, barbecues, chittlin suppers, dances, ‘platter-parties,’ and ball games. Oral histories from the “Like it Ain’t Never Passed” monograph are incorporated into the presentation and provide an excellent overview of the recollection of the residences of Sloss Quarters.

Quilt samples will be presented, as well as a variety of dried flowers and herbs used in the Quarters.

Labor Music of Birmingham’s Industrial District

In 1999 Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark produced a work entitled Spirit of Steel: Music of the Mines, Railroads and Mills of the Birmingham District. The focus of the book centers on the labor-related music of the Birmingham district. Migrants pouring into Birmingham’s industrial district, whether from the cotton fields of the Mississippi Delta or the Appalachian hills, ‘carried’ with them their unique styles of music, as well as their unique traditions and culture. Music of the Mines presents the histories, personal recollections from the musicians and their families, and a social context for the music they made. The presentation not only includes an audio account of this unique labor-related music, but an overview of the individuals and cultures that made all of this possible.

A variety of music (fiddle, blues, gandy-dancing) is played from the Spirit of Steel book. Additional books are provided so audience can follow along!

Lil’ Red

Invite “Lil’ Red” to come visit your facility! “Lil’ Red,” a character who interprets the history of Sloss Furnaces from the perspective of a former Sloss Furnaces employee, will visit your facility. Children will conduct an oral history interview with “Lil’ Red” and will learn about Sloss and its role in the shaping of Birmingham.

Participants will choose questions to ask this 20th-century Sloss iron worker. During this process, students will learn what it was like to work at Sloss Furnaces, what it was like to live in Sloss Quarters, and the motivation of workers to risk their lives to work in Birmingham’s iron industry. This presentation also includes a short cartoon, historic photos of Birmingham and antique tools and products. This program is suitable for ages K-8 grades. (1 hour)

History of Sloss and Its Ghost

Sloss Furnaces was an iron-making factory. Participants will learn about the history of Sloss Furnaces and its influence on the development of the Industrial South. Enjoy a 15-minute video, look at historical photos and see and touch coal, coke, limestone, iron ore, and slag. Participants will have a chance to ask questions concerning “the ghost” at Sloss Furnaces, Theophilus Calvin Jowers. Upon request, we will summarize Kathryn Tucker Windham’s ghost story—The Ghost in the Sloss Furnaces. This is a fun history lesson that children of ALL AGES will enjoy. (45 minutes)