Cold day with the Iron Man

Today was not a good day for farming. It was cold and windy. I still have to do my job; like everyone else. I fed my chickens, checked on my cabbages, and fixed wholes in the greenhouse. Once I finished my usual morning chores on the farm I decided to take a drive around town. I was driving up highway 31 south towards Homewood when it hit me... I have never been to Vulcan Park and Museum.

It wasn't until I was driving up that big hill that I realized high Vulcan's spear reached. He's 56 feet tall! And that isn't including his pedestal; which is another 120 feet. Making him a grand total of 176 feet. (You never know when you will have to do some math.) Because measurements interest me I began to think of him in inches. How many inches tall is the statue and pedestal. I converted 176 feet into inches with a conversion formula; 1 ft/12 in=176 ft/? in. So ?= 176 x 12... Making it 1221 inches tall.

Then I walked around the grounds and read a lot about the city. I saw interpretive signage about the role Jones Valley played in Birmingham's history. I was going to go up the tower, but it was so windy that I was worried I would blow away. I did go inside the tower. There a docent told me about the beautiful marble work and showed me some butterfly wings on the wall. That made for a fun picture.

My favorite part of the museum was the temporary exhibit entitled "La Storia." It was a beautifully written story about italian immigrants in the Birmingham. You may think what do italian immigrants have to do with Vulcan, but Vulcan was built by Giuseppe Morretti, an italian immigrant. The exhibit tells about struggles they faced, where they lived, what they ate, their religion, and MUCH more. What struck me the most about this exhibit were the artifacts. There were trunks, shoes, religious iconography, and so many beautiful photos. Italian immigrants played a huge role in Birmingham's history, but I never knew that. Most of our grocers were owned by italian immigrants. They placed an importance on food and brought this with them. Something that a lot of us see in Birmingham today. The Director of Education was able to give me quick tour and explain a few things to me. I got some video of it to share with you all.

All in all it was a good day to take a trip around Birmingham. If you have not been up to Vulcan Park and Museum to visit the park or tour the museum I suggest you try it. I never knew there was so much history and knowledge sitting on top of Red Mountain.