Birmingham, Kentucky
Birmingham was a town in Marshall County, Kentucky, that was destroyed by the creation of Kentucky Lake.
History[edit]
Birmingham was located on land owned by Thomas A. Grubbs in 1849, laid out and platted in 1853 and incorporated in 1860.[1][2] Early residents included L. S. Locker, Thomas Love and Thomas C. Grubbs.[1] Birmingham enjoyed prosperity shortly after the end of the Civil War when a stave mill and timber business employed over 200 people.[1] Birmingham was named after Birmingham, England in hope that the city would establish its European namesake's iron industry; the area had its own nascent iron industry, some remains of which can be viewed today in the Land Between the Lakes.[1] Collins' History of Kentucky states that in 1874 Birmingham had a population of 322; by contrast, the county seat of Benton, Kentucky then had a population of only 158.[1] By 1894 Birmingham had five churches, two schools, two hotels, four dry goods and general stores, three grocers, two millinery shops, two wagon and blacksmith shops and a drug store.[1] By 1929 Birmingham still had around 600 residents.[1]
The Tennessee Valley Authority announced the building of Kentucky Dam for the creation of Kentucky Lake in 1938, and at that time Birmingham's residents were informed that they must relocate.[1][3] The TVA commenced land purchases in 1942.[1] The dam was completed in 1944, and the entirety of Birmingham, Kentucky was submerged under the resulting lake, the largest manmade lake in the world at the time.[1][4] Some residents of Birmingham had to relocate a second time due to the creation of Lake Barkley.[1]
When the water in Kentucky Lake is low, the remains of foundations and streets of Birmingham are often visible, especially at Birmingham Point.[1]
Geography[edit]
Birmingham was located in eastern Marshall County, Kentucky along the Tennessee River. It was located about 8 miles (13 km) east-northeast of Benton. Kentucky Route 58 was the primary thoroughfare in and out of town; it connected with areas of southern Lyon County to the east via ferry service, and to the west with the Benton area.[5]
Notable people[edit]
NBA star Joe Fulks was born in Birmingham.[6][7]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l History of Kentucky Lake: Old Birmingham, at kentuckylake.com
- ^ Collins, Lewis (1877). History of Kentucky. p. 543. ISBN 9780722249208.
- ^ "T.V.A. Held Key to Power Use". Kentucky New Era. December 5, 1939. p. 3 – via Google Books.
- ^ Kleber, John E., ed (1992). "Lakes". The Kentucky Encyclopedia. Associate editors: Thomas D. Clark, Lowell H. Harrison, and James C. Klotter. Lexington, Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0-8131-1772-0.
- ^ DeLorme (2010). Kentucky Atlas & Gazetteer (Map). 1:150000. Yarmouth, ME: DeLorme. p. 77. § A7-A8. ISBN 0-89933-340-0.
- ^ Joe Fulks biography Archived July 23, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Joe Fulks information and statistics at Basketball-Reference.com
36°54′47″N 88°11′53″W / 36.91306°N 88.19806°W
Municipalities and communities of Marshall County, Kentucky, United States | ||
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