Ensley (Birmingham) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ensley
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19th Street through downtown Ensley
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| Country | United States |
| State | Alabama |
| City | Birmingham |
| Elevation | 528 ft (161 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Codes |
35218
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| Area codes | 205, 659 |
Ensley is a large neighborhood in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. It was once a busy industrial city on its own. Ensley officially became a city on February 12, 1899. However, it later became part of Birmingham on January 1, 1910. This happened because of a law called "Greater Birmingham" legislation.
Contents
Ensley's Early History
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Ensley was started in 1886 by a businessman named Enoch Ensley from Memphis. He wanted to build a new industrial city. It was located just outside Birmingham, which was growing fast. Ensley was also very close to the Pratt coal seam, a place where coal could be mined.
Enoch Ensley put a lot of his own money into this project. Soon, a big company called the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company (TCI) became interested. TCI bought a large part of the Ensley Land Company.
Building the New City
In the first year, an engineer named Edwin Waring, Jr. helped plan the city. He designed the streets and important systems like sewers. These sewers were special because they separated storm water from wastewater.
Ensley and TCI also built four large furnaces. These "blast furnaces" were used to make iron. They started working by April 1889. At the time, this was the biggest group of such furnaces in the world!
Challenges and Growth
Despite this strong start, Ensley faced some problems. Enoch Ensley died in 1891. Then, in 1893, there was a big economic crisis. This meant many people lost their jobs and businesses struggled. The land company even had to sell all its property for a very low price.
But in 1898, the Ensley Land Company was restarted. Industrial work began again. Hundreds of small homes were built for workers. TCI also started using a new way to make steel called the "open-hearth process." This was a big step for the Birmingham area.
By 1906, two more blast furnaces were finished. In one year, they made a record 400,000 tons of steel! Many new factories and plants opened. Schools, churches, public buildings, and stores were quickly built to keep up with the growth.
A Lively Community
Ensley's success helped create a line of industrial development southwest of Birmingham. During its busiest time, from the late 1890s to the Great Depression (a time of severe economic hardship), Ensley was famous. It had many lively clubs and dance halls. One famous spot was Tuxedo Junction. This was where the Wylam and Pratt City streetcar lines crossed.
In 1939, a hit song called "Tuxedo Junction" made the spot known across the country. It was written by a local musician named Erskine Hawkins. Glenn Miller later arranged the song.
Changes Over Time
In 1907, U. S. Steel bought TCI. They started planning a new, bigger steel plant. This new plant was built northeast of Ensley, in a planned community called Corey (now Fairfield).
Even though the new plant was close enough for Ensley workers, this move slowed down Ensley's own growth. In the 1970s, many of the big industrial jobs left Ensley. Because of this, Ensley lost many people and much of its economic strength.
Education in Ensley
The schools in Ensley are part of the Birmingham City Schools system. Over the last 50 years, seven out of eight public school buildings in Ensley have closed. This includes Council Elementary School and Bush Middle School.
Ensley High School opened in 1901. It closed in 2006, and its students joined the new P.D. Jackson-Olin High School. Ensley High School also caught fire in 2018, causing a lot of damage. Holy Family Cristo Rey High School is a private Catholic school located in Ensley.
Notable People from Ensley
Many famous people have come from Ensley, including:
- Charlie Finley, a baseball team owner
- Charlie Perkins, a baseball player
- Izzy Jannazzo, a boxer
- Erk Russell, an American football coach
- Cornelius Bennett, an American football Hall of Fame linebacker
- Paul Williams, an original member of The Temptations music group
- Eddie Kendricks, an original member of The Temptations music group
- Sonia Sanchez, a famous poet
- Peahead Walker, an American football coach
- Bob Veale, a baseball player
- Andrew Foster, a deaf missionary
