Saturday, Judy & I visited the fall festival at Shelby Iron Park near Colubiana, Alabama. Shelby is an area with a rich history, especially during the Civil War era. It is located about five miles south of Columbiana on Shelby county highway 47. An earlier blog about the confederate cemetery nearby ties in well. That blog is here.
Horace Ware built a rolling mill here in 1860. It became Alabama's major supplier of Confederate iron. The mill and furnace were destroyed in 1865 by union troops under the command of Brig. Gen. James H. Wilson. After winning the Battle of Nashville, union forces had little opposition to conduct operations. Wilson's raid captured five fortified cities and destroyed furnaces at Shelby, Tannehill, Oxmoor, Irondale, and Brierfield. A short summary is here.
The Shelby furnace was rebuilt along with rail service in 1869. The tracks to the east are now mostly removed or under the water of Lay Lake from the construction of Alabama Power's first dam on the Coosa River. It was originally the Lock 12 Dam. It was renamed Lay dam in 1929. The rail tracks to the west(Calera) are owned by Dixie Railroad. There are plans to eventually rebuild the Waxahatchee bridge to allow for passenger service back to Shelby. Funding has not been obtained though.
Anyway, I thought you might enjoy the pictures and a little history.
No comments:
Post a Comment