Birmingham, Kentucky facts for kids
Birmingham was a small town in Marshall County, Kentucky. It was completely covered by water when Kentucky Lake was created.
History
How Birmingham Started
Birmingham was founded on land owned by Thomas A. Grubbs in 1849. It was officially planned out in 1853 and became a town in 1860. Some of the first people to live there were L. S. Locker, Thomas Love, and Thomas C. Grubbs.
After the American Civil War, Birmingham grew quickly. A business that made wooden barrel parts (called a stave mill) and a timber company hired over 200 people. The town was named after Birmingham, England. People hoped it would become a big center for making iron, just like its English namesake. There were even some early iron-making efforts in the area, and you can still see parts of them today in the Land Between the Lakes.
In 1874, Birmingham had 322 people. This was more than Benton, Kentucky, which was the county seat and only had 158 people then. By 1894, Birmingham had five churches, two schools, two hotels, four general stores, three grocery stores, two hat shops, two wagon and blacksmith shops, and a drug store.
The Town Disappears
Around 1908, the town of Birmingham forced its African American residents to leave. By 1929, about 600 people still lived there.
In 1938, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) announced plans to build Kentucky Dam. This dam would create Kentucky Lake. The people of Birmingham were told they would have to move. The TVA started buying land in 1942.
The dam was finished in 1944. The entire town of Birmingham was then covered by the new lake. At the time, Kentucky Lake was the largest man-made lake in the world. Some people from Birmingham even had to move a second time because of another lake, Lake Barkley, being created nearby.
When the water level in Kentucky Lake is low, you can sometimes see the old foundations of buildings and streets from Birmingham. This is especially true at a spot called Birmingham Point.
Geography
Birmingham was located in the eastern part of Marshall County, Kentucky. It was right along the Tennessee River. The town was about 8 miles (13 km) east-northeast of Benton. Kentucky Route 58 was the main road in and out of town. It connected Birmingham to southern Lyon County, Kentucky to the east (using a ferry) and to the Benton area to the west.
Notable people
NBA basketball star Joe Fulks was born in Birmingham.
