In the late 19th century, as the steel industry exploded into prominence, the secluded forests of Alabama were transformed into bustling scenes of development and progress. In 1890, after a large coal seam was discovered nearby, coal mining and coke ovens became driving forces in the local economy.
Coke was the fuel that fired blast furnaces of the Birmingham Industrial District, driving the city to prominence as the largest industrial center in the South.These beehive ovens, named for the old-fashioned beehives their internal chambers resembled, would billow smoke 24 hours a day, superheating tons of coal to make coke.
Coke is one of the three ingredients needed to make iron ore in a blast furnace. The other two ingredients are limestone and iron ore. The coke ovens were used to convert the coal mined in the local area into industrial coke, a relatively clean-burning fuel used in the smelting of iron ore. In a process known as “coking,” coal was shoveled into an insolated beehive-shaped and ignited. After laborers sealed the doors with bricks and mud, the coal was left burning under low oxygen conditions for several days and could reach scorching temperatures. The volatile parts of the coal ignite and escape as gases through an exhaust hole in the roof. What remained was the desired coke, which was almost pure carbon, and the by-product slag.
The coke ovens were constructed over 100 years ago on a hillside and likely remained in use until the 1920s.Laborers would stack each rock by hand, which can still be seen today.A look at the brickwork inside of a coke oven. During the Great Depression, it is believed that the homeless would use the ovens for shelter.
After World War II, the introduction of improved mechanization made underground mining less profitable. By the 1950s, the coal markets were in decline and most of Alabama’s mines closed. Many of the operations were constrained by newly enacted environmental protection laws, land reclaiming, safety regulations, and rising labor costs. Once the mine shut down, the coke ovens were left for nature to reclaim.
Neglected for decades and often covered in undergrowth, these ovens once represented the bustling coal and iron industry in Birmingham.Today, this bank of coke ovens are just a few of the hundreds that still remain throughout Alabama.
Welcome to AbandonedSoutheast.com!
My name is Leland Kent and I have had an interest in abandoned places ever since I was a kid. In 2016, my obsession with the forgotten and abandoned inspired me to create this blog. My goal is to showcase the obscure, sometimes historic, forgotten places I have visited across the Southeast. I hope to preserve the past through documentation and photographs since many of these amazing places are often lost to neglect, demolition, or renovation. I released my first book, Abandoned Birmingham, in July 2018 and it is available worldwide through most major booksellers. My photographs have been featured on CBS Inside Edition, CNN Travel, Houston Chronicle, The Weather Channel, MSN, Yahoo News, NPR, the UK Sun, the Daily Mail, NOLA.com, AL.com, and many others.
You can reach me at AbandonedSoutheast@gmail.com
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I just found a photo of my grandfather standing in front of a Coking Coal Mine in Alabama in 1955. He was security for that mine. He and a worker are holding the 1955 United Fund banner with the rest of the workers in the background. Let me know if you want a copy.
minerpud76@gmail.com
I was wondering where these ovens were located. I know there are some in Virginia Mines area outside of Hueytown Al. which is an old coal mine town with some homes still there.
Pctures are beautiful! Great story.
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Thank you!
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Where r these pictures taken it’s breath taking
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Nice. Thanks for posting.
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Appreciate it!
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Great post, love the photos and historical perspective!
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Thank you!
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Good article…question: are the coke ovens pictured located on Red Mnt. above Birmingham?
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These ovens are not located on Red Mountain.
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There’s a lot to see back in those woods!
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I just found a photo of my grandfather standing in front of a Coking Coal Mine in Alabama in 1955. He was security for that mine. He and a worker are holding the 1955 United Fund banner with the rest of the workers in the background. Let me know if you want a copy.
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minerpud76@gmail.com
I was wondering where these ovens were located. I know there are some in Virginia Mines area outside of Hueytown Al. which is an old coal mine town with some homes still there.
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