The Bessemer Hall of History is a
museum located in, and devoted to the history of, the city of
Bessemer, Alabama
Bessemer is a southwestern suburb of Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. The population was 26,019 at the 2020 census. It is within the Birmingham- Hoover, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area, of which Jefferson County is the ...
.
The museum is housed in the former
Alabama Great Southern Railroad (later
Southern Railway)
depot in downtown Bessemer. The depot, built by the AGS in 1916, served passengers until the
Amtrak era began in the early 1970s. The building sat unused for several years, but was reopened by the city of Bessemer in 1985, and officially rededicated during the city's
centennial observance in 1987. The museum houses a wide array of artifacts from the city's history as a
mining,
steel
Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...
making, and industrial center. The building also houses artifacts relating to the brief imprisonment of
Martin Luther King Jr. in the city.
The building was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 1973 as Southern Railway Terminal Station.
References
External links
BhamRails.com: Bessemer Hall of History
Railway stations in the United States opened in 1916
National Register of Historic Places in Jefferson County, Alabama
Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Alabama
Bessemer, Alabama
Museums in Jefferson County, Alabama
History museums in Alabama
Mining museums in Alabama
Former Southern Railway (U.S.) stations
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