This Alabama Bright Light mines history instead of coal
Jeff Newman stands on the observation platform looking at the No. 10 Mine site at Red Mountain Park. (Karim Shamsi-Basha / Alabama NewsCenter)
All of us at times search for our purpose in life.
What if your father and grandfather were coal miners in Kentucky? What if your playgrounds while growing up included Birmingham’s Valley View Mine on Green Springs Avenue? And what if you loved being underground? What would be your purpose in life?
To be the historian at Red Mountain Park in Birmingham.
Jeff Newman fills that role at the park, which introduces its visitors to a rich history of iron and mining, along with 15 miles of hiking and biking trails featuring two city overlooks, three tree houses, the six-acre, off-leash Remy’s Dog Park, a zipline course, a climbing tower and more.
“My father and grandfather were coal miners in Hazard, Kentucky, and my mother moved me from there because she didn’t want me in holes in the ground. It must be genetic,” Newman said.
Jeff Newman is an Alabama Bright Light illuminating Red Mountain Park’s underground history from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
To understand why Red Mountain Park makes perfect sense for Newman, it helps to know some history:
Alabama achieved statehood in 1819, and the natives along Red Mountain in those early days noticed red dust everywhere. It wasn’t until a couple of decades before the Civil War when people recognized what was under the dirt: iron – perfect for cannons and muskets. In 1863, the first mine, named Eureka 1, was opened on Red Mountain. This is what Birmingham, founded eight years later, would become known for: a leading iron- and steel-producing city.
With a father and grandfather who mined coal, Newman was always interested in mining. When he was 12, he began exploring the Valley View Mine across from where he grew up on Green Springs Avenue. He became fascinated with Birmingham’s rich mining history.
“During high school, I started going to the library and doing research about all the different companies and the people who ran them and worked for them,” Newman said. “I started hiking Red Mountain, but I was limited to the area between Vulcan and Green Springs Highway – the old mineral railroad and red gap branch, which is now part of the Vulcan Hiking Trail. I spent about 10 years hiking the mountain.”
Red Mountain Park opened in 2010 and is filled with historic markers that tell the story of the park and its splendid history. When the park opened, Newman had retired from BellSouth.
“I heard the news that they were going to build Red Mountain Park. I thought, ‘Here it is. This is why I’ve been doing this all this time. I can finally use all of this information,’” Newman said. “I went down and started volunteering with the Friends of Red Mountain Park and eventually got put on their board of directors. Now I do maintenance, but mostly the history of the park.”
Nothing brings Newman more joy than telling people the stories of the mountain’s mining past.
“I can’t think of a better place to spend my time. They pay me to do it, but, gosh, I’d do it for nothing, I love it. I really enjoy the history of it,” he said.
Newman speaks of the four companies that mined the mountain: Woodward, U.S. Steel, Tennessee Coal and Iron, and Republic Steel. He gives tours of the park and teaches about the legacy of those companies and the mines they worked.
The park is also a wonderful place to spot wildlife. Newman mentioned deer, raccoons, armadillos, hawks, bard owls, bobcats, coyotes, squirrels, snakes and a variety of birds.
Katie Bradford, director of Community Relations and Public Relations at Red Mountain Park, joins Newman in his enthusiasm for the park and what it offers the people of Birmingham and Alabama.
“Right now we are tracking over 11,000 visitors a month. Red Mountain Park is constantly growing, so each time you come back there is something new, whether it’s a trail or a field trip or an offering like yoga, which we’re starting (this) month,” Bradford said.
For more information about Red Mountain Park, visit redmountainpark.org.
Alabama Bright Lights captures the stories, through words, pictures and video, of some of our state’s brightest lights who are working to make Alabama an even better place to live, work and play. Award-winning journalist Karim Shamsi-Basha tells their inspiring stories. Email him comments, as well as suggestions on people to profile, at karimshamsibasha@gmail.com.
