April 27, 1887

The city of Leeds was incorporated April 27, 1887. The settlement was named for Yorkshire’s iron center in England. It got its post office in 1884, three years before being incorporated. In recent years, the city has benefited from the development of the Barber Motorsports Park and the Outlet Shops of Grand River mixed-use development.

Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama and Bhamwiki. 

A mural of the old train depot graces the wall of a building in downtown Leeds, Jefferson County, celebrating the city’s railroad history. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, photograph by Lamar Jones, Anniston)

The Lehigh Cement Company and its predecessor Standard Portland Cement have been fixtures in Leeds, Jefferson County, for more than a century. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, photograph by Lamar Jones, Anniston.)

City Hall is seen in Leeds, Jefferson County, located next to the city park on Park Drive. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, photograph by Lamar Jones, Anniston)

Founded in 1994 by dairy magnate George Barber, the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Birmingham displays a large collection of classic and modern motorcycles, in addition to a number of racecars. The motorcycles are periodically “exercised” on a 2.3-mile track adjacent to the museum. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum)

The interior display areas of the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum span five stories and contain hundreds of motorcycles and dozens of racecars. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum)

Motorcyclists compete in a race at the 2.3-mile track next to the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum. The museum occasionally races some of the vintage motorcycles from its collection on the track. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum)

For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.