“The Birmingham area has so many different kinds of people; Vulcan Park represents a place where everyone can come together to celebrate their city.” — Melanie Goodsell
On the first Sunday in June, every year for ten years, the people of Birmingham have been coming together to celebrate the “Birthday” of our biggest resident — a fifty-six foot cast iron statue known locally as “Vulcan”. Everyone meets at Vulcan Park, high atop Red Mountain, for a community party hosted by the Vulcan Park and Museum. As a representative of the park, Melanie Goodsell explained to me Vulcan’s deep-rooted history and significance to Birmingham; she even had time tell me about our upcoming community birthday party for the statue. Vulcan is significant to our city because he was built using the metallic elements which made Birmingham into an industrially significant marvel. In 1904 (the year of Vulcan’s construction) Birmingham was just a young mining town with a promising future ahead. Now in 2014, we celebrate Vulcan’s 110 year anniversary as well as the brawn and brains needed to build our complex city.
Vulcan was more than just metal in 1904; he was Birmingham’s exhibit built for the world fair in St. Louis, Missouri. Using cast iron to build Vulcan was pertinent because Birmingham needed to prove its significance to the world; so he cast using, “elements the city was built upon” explains Melanie, literally, Birmingham is on top of iron oars. In fact, he was so important that residents of Birmingham commissioned international artist Giuseppe Moretti to create the structure. Moretti was well known for his marble sculptures and his only iron work was Vulcan. He had the pieces cast in Birmingham then shipped to St. Louis, where Vulcan was fully assembled for the very first time! Sadly, after Vulcan was broken down and shipped back to Alabama he was reassembled incorrectly and used as a novelty for advertising, he even laid in pieces alongside the tracks in Railroad Park for some time.
While the country was experiencing The Great Depression, we in Birmingham received a blessing — in the form of Vulcan. Through to the Works Progress Administration Birmingham was granted funds to rebuild Vulcan (correctly) and set him on a rightful pedestal of sandstone, in 1936. He was a beacon of hope for Birmingham! We knew if we could build the world’s largest cast iron statue then we could survive economic downfall (and we will again)!
Vulcan remained on his regal pedestal until the initialization of Vulcan Park and Museum in 1994. It was ten years ago — this June — that Birmingham was able to bring Vulcan to the top of Red Mountain where he can now be seen and remembered by everyone in the city. Vulcan is a symbol all of us, Melanie sentimentally reminisces, “The Birmingham area has so many different kinds of people; Vulcan park represents a place where everybody can come together to celebrate their city!”
The Vulcan Park and Museum is really excited to be celebrating its ten year anniversary with residents of all ages at Vulcan Park on the first Sunday in June, 2014. This is a significant year because it’s Vulcan’s big 110th Birthday and the tenth anniversary of Vulcan Park! Everyone is invited to party with Vulcan from noon to 4:00 p.m.; as a special treat we will sing “Happy Birthday” at 2:00 p.m. and have cake. Admission for party-goers over the age of four will the $5 and there will be food available for purchase. Bring sunscreen, cash, and party-goers of all ages to Vulcan Park, we look forward to seeing everybody there!
