Vulcan and Sloss

Several times, in the last two days in Birmingham, I have seen this massive monument standing over the city. Each time at a different angle, I find myself puzzled knowing i need to visit it!  Today is that day!  It is the world's largest cast iron statue made of 100,000 pounds of iron and standing proudly at 56 feet.  I am in awe standing underneath it as it is so massive and unlike anything I have ever seen.  His name is Vulcan!

Vulcan is a Roman god of fire and forge.  It is the perfect symbol of this city as Birmingham became a major industrial city with its booming steel industry in the 1900's. The city wanted the world to know their success, so this was built for the 1904 World's Fair held in Alabama.

My second stop perfectly ties in with my fun stop meeting Vulcan.  A firsthand experience of exploring one of the industrial sites which put Birmingham on the map.

On the outskirts of Birmingham, I find an old abandoned industrial site.  For some, it might be an eye sore but for most it is an opportunity to see an industrial site firsthand. Sloss Furnaces is one of the first preserved industry sites in the US.  It is actually on the National Register List.  It offers free admission so everyone can experience it.

From afar, it is a massive old complex. Inside it is like being in the land of the giants.  Entering the complex, I am in awe of the massive sizes of everything.  In the last photo, you can get an idea of the size of everything comparing it to the green door.

I weave myself in and out of narrow walkways.  I duck a few times avoiding hitting my head on huge metal objects.  I enter doors, peak around corners and stop many times looking up at these massive structures.  

A first of a kind for me - a self-guided tour through a pig iron (crude iron from furnaces) industry site built in 1882 and continued to supply iron till 1971.  A few of the locals told me to go and I wasn't too interested at the beginning.  After spending nearly an hour on myself exploration, I speak like the locals - You need to go if you are in Birmingham.