Brookside, Alabama Facts for Kids

Brookside is a town in north-central Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. It's a small community that used to be a busy mining town. In 2020, about 1,253 people lived there.

History of Brookside
Geography of Brookside
Population and People
- 2020 Census Information
- 2010 Census Information
See also

History of Brookside

Early Mining Days

The story of Brookside began in 1886 when a coal mine opened here. A year later, the Sloss Iron and Steel Company bought the mine. They needed coal to power their huge blast furnaces in nearby Birmingham.

Miners would turn the coal into a special fuel called coke. They did this in rows of "beehive ovens" built into the hillside. In 1897, new machines were added to clean the coal. This made the coke-making process much better. Brookside became a leader in mining technology around 1900.

A Hub for Miners

Brookside was the main office for four mines owned by Sloss in the area. Some coal from another mine was even brought to Brookside to be cleaned and turned into coke.

The town of Brookside was officially formed in 1898. Its name comes from the Five-Mile Creek that flows through the town.

Immigrants and Strikes

In the early 1900s, many companies needed skilled workers. Sloss looked for workers from other countries. Many families from Czechoslovakia came to Brookside to work in the mines. Because of this, the town's culture became very Eastern European.

A Russian Orthodox church was built, which helped bring the community closer. This was one of the first Russian Orthodox churches in the southern United States. Unlike other mines where owners sometimes caused problems between different groups of workers, the miners in Brookside were very united. They held a successful strike in 1906 to fight for their rights.

Changes in Mining

Between 1910 and 1920, the number of miners working in Brookside changed a lot. Sometimes there were only 54 miners, and other times over 600! In 1913, miners started using hand picks instead of machines to cut coal.

A new building for the St. Nicholas Church was finished in 1916. However, a big coal strike in Alabama in 1920, along with a drop in coal prices, caused the mine to close. When the strike ended in 1921, the Brookside mine never reopened.

Brookside on the Big Screen

In 1924, Brookside was a filming location for a movie called Coming Through. It was based on a novel about mining. Famous silent film actors like Thomas Meighan, Lila Lee, and Wallace Beery stayed with local families while they were filming.

Later, in 1952, the Sloss company joined with another company. The mine property remained with them.

Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church Today

Brookside is still a small town with a special Eastern European feel. The onion dome church, first built in 1894, was updated in 1965. It still holds services for about 70 people.

Every November, the town hosts the "Annual Russian/Slavic Food Festival." Visitors come to see the church, watch traditional Eastern European dances, and try delicious food made by the Sisterhood of Saint Olga.

Geography of Brookside

Brookside is located at 33°37′55″N 86°54′47″W / 33.63194°N 86.91306°W / 33.63194; -86.91306. It sits next to Five Mile Creek, which flows into the Locust Fork of the Black Warrior River. This area is part of the Cumberland Plateau.

The town covers about 6.0 square miles (15.5 square kilometers) of land. Only a tiny part, about 0.17%, is water.

Population and People

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1890	380	—
1900	658	73.2%
1910	623	−5.3%
1920	666	6.9%
1930	466	−30.0%
1940	714	53.2%
1950	733	2.7%
1960	999	36.3%
1970	990	−0.9%
1980	1,409	42.3%
1990	1,365	−3.1%
2000	1,393	2.1%
2010	1,363	−2.2%
2020	1,253	−8.1%
U.S. Decennial Census 2013 Estimate

2020 Census Information

In 2020, there were 1,253 people living in Brookside. There were 475 households and 329 families. Most residents were White (about 71%) or Black/African American (about 21%). There were also smaller groups of Native American, Asian, and people of mixed races. About 2.6% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

2010 Census Information

In 2010, Brookside had 1,363 people. The town had 521 households. The population was mostly White (79.5%) and Black or African American (18.5%).

Brookside, Alabama facts for kids

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