Birmingham, Kentucky
Birmingham was a town in Marshall County, Kentucky, that was destroyed by the creation of Kentucky Lake.
History
[edit]19th century
[edit]Birmingham was located on land owned by Thomas A. Grubbs in 1849, laid out and platted in 1853 and incorporated in 1860.[1][2] Early residents included L. S. Locker, Thomas Love and Thomas C. Grubbs.[1] Birmingham enjoyed prosperity shortly after the end of the Civil War when a stave mill and timber business employed over 200 people.[1] Birmingham was named after Birmingham, England in hope that the city would establish its European namesake's iron industry; the area had its own nascent iron industry, some remains of which can be viewed today in the Land Between the Lakes.[1] Collins' History of Kentucky states that in 1874 Birmingham had a population of 322; by contrast, the county seat of Benton, Kentucky then had a population of only 158.[1] By 1894 Birmingham had five churches, two schools, two hotels, four dry goods and general stores, three grocers, two millinery shops, two wagon and blacksmith shops and a drug store.[1]
20th century
[edit]Birmingham forcibly drove out its African American population by 1908, becoming a sundown town.[3] By 1929 Birmingham still had around 600 residents.[1] The Tennessee Valley Authority announced the building of Kentucky Dam for the creation of Kentucky Lake in 1938, and at that time Birmingham's residents were informed that they must relocate.[1][4] The TVA commenced land purchases in 1942.[1] The dam was completed in 1944, and the entirety of Birmingham was submerged under the resulting lake, the largest manmade lake in the world at the time.[1][5] Some residents of Birmingham had to relocate a second time due to the creation of Lake Barkley.[1]
When the water in Kentucky Lake is low, the remains of foundations and streets of Birmingham are often visible, especially at Birmingham Point.[1]
Geography
[edit]Birmingham was located in eastern Marshall County, Kentucky along the Tennessee River. It was located about 8 miles (13 km) east-northeast of Benton. Kentucky Route 58 was the primary thoroughfare in and out of town; it connected with areas of southern Lyon County to the east via ferry service, and to the west with the Benton area.[6]
Notable people
[edit]NBA star Joe Fulks was born in Birmingham.[7][8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l History of Kentucky Lake: Old Birmingham, at kentuckylake.com
- ^ Collins, Lewis (1877). History of Kentucky. Library Reprints, Incorporated. p. 543. ISBN 9780722249208.
- ^ "Three Families Last to Leave Benton Arrived Here Last Night; Few Colored Folks Left in Marshall County—How Calvert City Acted Years Ago". The Paducah Evening Sun. Paducah, Kentucky. March 27, 1908. p. 6 – via Chronicling America.
The women folk of the last three negro families remaining in Benton arrived in Paducah last night to join the men and heads of the families who have been here several days seeking homes. The refugees say that Sallie Pryor and her family, the woman on whose doors the notice for all negroes to leave Benton, comprise the only colored family now in Benton and that she says she intends to stay no matter what the consequences. The exodus of the negroes from Benton and Birmingham takes about all the negroes out of Marshall county, as there have been no refugees in certain sections of the county for many years, having been driven out on other occasions.
- ^ "T.V.A. Held Key to Power Use". Kentucky New Era. December 5, 1939. p. 3 – via Google Books.
- ^ Kleber, John E., ed (1992). "Lakes". The Kentucky Encyclopedia. Associate editors: Thomas D. Clark, Lowell H. Harrison, and James C. Klotter. Lexington, Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0-8131-1772-0.
- ^ DeLorme (2010). Kentucky Atlas & Gazetteer (Map). 1:150000. Yarmouth, ME: DeLorme. p. 77. § A7-A8. ISBN 0-89933-340-0.
- ^ Joe Fulks biography Archived July 23, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Joe Fulks information and statistics at Basketball-Reference.com
36°54′47″N 88°11′53″W / 36.91306°N 88.19806°W
Municipalities and communities of Marshall County, Kentucky, United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| CDP | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Ghost town | ||
