Brierfield, AL

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Brierfield Ironworks Historical State Park

240 Furnace Parkway

Brierfield, AL 35035

Brierfield Ironworks Historical State Park

205-665-1856

About the Park:

In a hollow, beside a wet weather stream that would forever after be known as Furnace Branch, a group of men calling themselves the Bibb County Iron Company built a furnace in 1862. Spurred on by the desire to make a fortune from the South's desperate need for iron for war materials, the company was soon producing, in the words of a contemporary iron founder, "the toughest and most suitable iron for making guns above any other iron in the South." The notoriety for making superior iron so impressed Richmond that in 1863, the Confederate government purchased the ironworks and soon added a second furnace and rolling mill. Of course, this reputation for making iron did not go unnoticed by Union authorities either. In the early morning hours of March 31, 1865, the Federal Tenth Missouri Cavalry saddled up in Montevallo and dashed to the Brierfield Ironworks. Within minutes, the works were in flames. After the war, the former Chief of Confederate Ordnance, and future University of Alabama president, Josiah Gorgas, organized a company to repair and operate the works. But these efforts ended in failure, and from 1873 to 1880, the furnaces at Brierfield were silent. Then, in the early 1880s, Thomas Jefferson Peter came to town. A former general manager of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, Peter had big plans and money to back them up. He made Brierfield boom. Everything was new, better or bigger, and Brierfield was called the "Magic City of Bibb County." By the end of the decade, however, the future was not so bright. The huge metal furnaces in the new city of Birmingham could produce ten times as much iron per day as the old brick furnace at Brierfield. Peter struggled on. Finally, in the cold darkness of Christmas Eve morning, 1894, the Brierfield furnace blew out forever.

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AARP Events for Brierfield

AARP Events for Brierfield

• Disrupt Aging Book Club

  Monday, Dec 23, 2024 at 9:30 a.m. CT

  Online Event

• Online Class: Enhance Your Workout With Yoga Fusion

  Monday, Dec 23, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. CT

  Zoom

  Online Event

• Virtual Mindful Movement Workout for Healthy Aging

  Monday, Dec 23, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. CT

  Zoom

  Online Event

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											<div>240 Furnace Parkway</div>
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							<span>Brierfield</span>,
							<span>AL</span>
												<span>35035</span>
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						<p style="text-align: justify;">About the Park:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">In a hollow, beside a wet weather stream that would forever after be known as Furnace Branch, a group of men calling themselves the Bibb County Iron Company built a furnace in 1862. Spurred on by the desire to make a fortune from the South's desperate need for iron for war materials, the company was soon producing, in the words of a contemporary iron founder, "the toughest and most suitable iron for making guns above any other iron in the South."   The notoriety for making superior iron so impressed Richmond that in 1863, the Confederate government purchased the ironworks and soon added a second furnace and rolling mill.   Of course, this reputation for making iron did not go unnoticed by Union authorities either. In the early morning hours of March 31, 1865, the Federal Tenth Missouri Cavalry saddled up in Montevallo and dashed to the Brierfield Ironworks. Within minutes, the works were in flames.   After the war, the former Chief of Confederate Ordnance, and future University of Alabama president, Josiah Gorgas, organized a company to repair and operate the works. But these efforts ended in failure, and from 1873 to 1880, the furnaces at Brierfield were silent.   Then, in the early 1880s, Thomas Jefferson Peter came to town. A former general manager of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, Peter had big plans and money to back them up. He made Brierfield boom. Everything was new, better or bigger, and Brierfield was called the "Magic City of Bibb County."   By the end of the decade, however, the future was not so bright. The huge metal furnaces in the new city of Birmingham could produce ten times as much iron per day as the old brick furnace at Brierfield. Peter struggled on. Finally, in the cold darkness of Christmas Eve morning, 1894, the Brierfield furnace blew out forever.</p>		</div>
		

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											<div>240 Furnace Parkway</div>
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							<span>Brierfield</span>,
							<span>AL</span>
												<span>35035</span>
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										<a href="https://www.battlefields.org/visit/heritage-sites/brierfield-ironworks-historical-state-park" target="_blank">Brierfield Ironworks Historical State Park</a>
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												<div><i class="fa fa-phone-square"></i> 205-665-1856</div>
				
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				<div class="module-spacer clearfix">
						<p style="text-align: justify;">About the Park:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">In a hollow, beside a wet weather stream that would forever after be known as Furnace Branch, a group of men calling themselves the Bibb County Iron Company built a furnace in 1862. Spurred on by the desire to make a fortune from the South's desperate need for iron for war materials, the company was soon producing, in the words of a contemporary iron founder, "the toughest and most suitable iron for making guns above any other iron in the South."   The notoriety for making superior iron so impressed Richmond that in 1863, the Confederate government purchased the ironworks and soon added a second furnace and rolling mill.   Of course, this reputation for making iron did not go unnoticed by Union authorities either. In the early morning hours of March 31, 1865, the Federal Tenth Missouri Cavalry saddled up in Montevallo and dashed to the Brierfield Ironworks. Within minutes, the works were in flames.   After the war, the former Chief of Confederate Ordnance, and future University of Alabama president, Josiah Gorgas, organized a company to repair and operate the works. But these efforts ended in failure, and from 1873 to 1880, the furnaces at Brierfield were silent.   Then, in the early 1880s, Thomas Jefferson Peter came to town. A former general manager of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, Peter had big plans and money to back them up. He made Brierfield boom. Everything was new, better or bigger, and Brierfield was called the "Magic City of Bibb County."   By the end of the decade, however, the future was not so bright. The huge metal furnaces in the new city of Birmingham could produce ten times as much iron per day as the old brick furnace at Brierfield. Peter struggled on. Finally, in the cold darkness of Christmas Eve morning, 1894, the Brierfield furnace blew out forever.</p>		</div>
		

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											<div>240 Furnace Parkway</div>
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							<span>Brierfield</span>,
							<span>AL</span>
												<span>35035</span>
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					<i class="fa fa-external-link-square"></i> 
										<a href="https://www.battlefields.org/visit/heritage-sites/brierfield-ironworks-historical-state-park" target="_blank">Brierfield Ironworks Historical State Park</a>
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												<div><i class="fa fa-phone-square"></i> 205-665-1856</div>
				
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						<p style="text-align: justify;">About the Park:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">In a hollow, beside a wet weather stream that would forever after be known as Furnace Branch, a group of men calling themselves the Bibb County Iron Company built a furnace in 1862. Spurred on by the desire to make a fortune from the South's desperate need for iron for war materials, the company was soon producing, in the words of a contemporary iron founder, "the toughest and most suitable iron for making guns above any other iron in the South."   The notoriety for making superior iron so impressed Richmond that in 1863, the Confederate government purchased the ironworks and soon added a second furnace and rolling mill.   Of course, this reputation for making iron did not go unnoticed by Union authorities either. In the early morning hours of March 31, 1865, the Federal Tenth Missouri Cavalry saddled up in Montevallo and dashed to the Brierfield Ironworks. Within minutes, the works were in flames.   After the war, the former Chief of Confederate Ordnance, and future University of Alabama president, Josiah Gorgas, organized a company to repair and operate the works. But these efforts ended in failure, and from 1873 to 1880, the furnaces at Brierfield were silent.   Then, in the early 1880s, Thomas Jefferson Peter came to town. A former general manager of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, Peter had big plans and money to back them up. He made Brierfield boom. Everything was new, better or bigger, and Brierfield was called the "Magic City of Bibb County."   By the end of the decade, however, the future was not so bright. The huge metal furnaces in the new city of Birmingham could produce ten times as much iron per day as the old brick furnace at Brierfield. Peter struggled on. Finally, in the cold darkness of Christmas Eve morning, 1894, the Brierfield furnace blew out forever.</p>		</div>
		

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		<header><h1 class="article-headline">Brierfield Ironworks Historical State Park</h1></header>

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											<div>240 Furnace Parkway</div>
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							<span>Brierfield</span>,
							<span>AL</span>
												<span>35035</span>
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										<a href="https://www.battlefields.org/visit/heritage-sites/brierfield-ironworks-historical-state-park" target="_blank">Brierfield Ironworks Historical State Park</a>
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												<div><i class="fa fa-phone-square"></i> 205-665-1856</div>
				
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						<p style="text-align: justify;">About the Park:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">In a hollow, beside a wet weather stream that would forever after be known as Furnace Branch, a group of men calling themselves the Bibb County Iron Company built a furnace in 1862. Spurred on by the desire to make a fortune from the South's desperate need for iron for war materials, the company was soon producing, in the words of a contemporary iron founder, "the toughest and most suitable iron for making guns above any other iron in the South."   The notoriety for making superior iron so impressed Richmond that in 1863, the Confederate government purchased the ironworks and soon added a second furnace and rolling mill.   Of course, this reputation for making iron did not go unnoticed by Union authorities either. In the early morning hours of March 31, 1865, the Federal Tenth Missouri Cavalry saddled up in Montevallo and dashed to the Brierfield Ironworks. Within minutes, the works were in flames.   After the war, the former Chief of Confederate Ordnance, and future University of Alabama president, Josiah Gorgas, organized a company to repair and operate the works. But these efforts ended in failure, and from 1873 to 1880, the furnaces at Brierfield were silent.   Then, in the early 1880s, Thomas Jefferson Peter came to town. A former general manager of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, Peter had big plans and money to back them up. He made Brierfield boom. Everything was new, better or bigger, and Brierfield was called the "Magic City of Bibb County."   By the end of the decade, however, the future was not so bright. The huge metal furnaces in the new city of Birmingham could produce ten times as much iron per day as the old brick furnace at Brierfield. Peter struggled on. Finally, in the cold darkness of Christmas Eve morning, 1894, the Brierfield furnace blew out forever.</p>		</div>
		

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		<header><h1 class="article-headline">Brierfield Ironworks Historical State Park</h1></header>

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											<div>240 Furnace Parkway</div>
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							<span>Brierfield</span>,
							<span>AL</span>
												<span>35035</span>
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					<i class="fa fa-external-link-square"></i> 
										<a href="https://www.battlefields.org/visit/heritage-sites/brierfield-ironworks-historical-state-park" target="_blank">Brierfield Ironworks Historical State Park</a>
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												<div><i class="fa fa-phone-square"></i> 205-665-1856</div>
				
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						<p style="text-align: justify;">About the Park:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">In a hollow, beside a wet weather stream that would forever after be known as Furnace Branch, a group of men calling themselves the Bibb County Iron Company built a furnace in 1862. Spurred on by the desire to make a fortune from the South's desperate need for iron for war materials, the company was soon producing, in the words of a contemporary iron founder, "the toughest and most suitable iron for making guns above any other iron in the South."   The notoriety for making superior iron so impressed Richmond that in 1863, the Confederate government purchased the ironworks and soon added a second furnace and rolling mill.   Of course, this reputation for making iron did not go unnoticed by Union authorities either. In the early morning hours of March 31, 1865, the Federal Tenth Missouri Cavalry saddled up in Montevallo and dashed to the Brierfield Ironworks. Within minutes, the works were in flames.   After the war, the former Chief of Confederate Ordnance, and future University of Alabama president, Josiah Gorgas, organized a company to repair and operate the works. But these efforts ended in failure, and from 1873 to 1880, the furnaces at Brierfield were silent.   Then, in the early 1880s, Thomas Jefferson Peter came to town. A former general manager of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, Peter had big plans and money to back them up. He made Brierfield boom. Everything was new, better or bigger, and Brierfield was called the "Magic City of Bibb County."   By the end of the decade, however, the future was not so bright. The huge metal furnaces in the new city of Birmingham could produce ten times as much iron per day as the old brick furnace at Brierfield. Peter struggled on. Finally, in the cold darkness of Christmas Eve morning, 1894, the Brierfield furnace blew out forever.</p>		</div>
		

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											<div>240 Furnace Parkway</div>
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							<span>Brierfield</span>,
							<span>AL</span>
												<span>35035</span>
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										<a href="https://www.battlefields.org/visit/heritage-sites/brierfield-ironworks-historical-state-park" target="_blank">Brierfield Ironworks Historical State Park</a>
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												<div><i class="fa fa-phone-square"></i> 205-665-1856</div>
				
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						<p style="text-align: justify;">About the Park:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">In a hollow, beside a wet weather stream that would forever after be known as Furnace Branch, a group of men calling themselves the Bibb County Iron Company built a furnace in 1862. Spurred on by the desire to make a fortune from the South's desperate need for iron for war materials, the company was soon producing, in the words of a contemporary iron founder, "the toughest and most suitable iron for making guns above any other iron in the South."   The notoriety for making superior iron so impressed Richmond that in 1863, the Confederate government purchased the ironworks and soon added a second furnace and rolling mill.   Of course, this reputation for making iron did not go unnoticed by Union authorities either. In the early morning hours of March 31, 1865, the Federal Tenth Missouri Cavalry saddled up in Montevallo and dashed to the Brierfield Ironworks. Within minutes, the works were in flames.   After the war, the former Chief of Confederate Ordnance, and future University of Alabama president, Josiah Gorgas, organized a company to repair and operate the works. But these efforts ended in failure, and from 1873 to 1880, the furnaces at Brierfield were silent.   Then, in the early 1880s, Thomas Jefferson Peter came to town. A former general manager of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, Peter had big plans and money to back them up. He made Brierfield boom. Everything was new, better or bigger, and Brierfield was called the "Magic City of Bibb County."   By the end of the decade, however, the future was not so bright. The huge metal furnaces in the new city of Birmingham could produce ten times as much iron per day as the old brick furnace at Brierfield. Peter struggled on. Finally, in the cold darkness of Christmas Eve morning, 1894, the Brierfield furnace blew out forever.</p>		</div>
		

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Warning (2): include() [<a href='http://php.net/function.include'>function.include</a>]: Failed opening '/var/www/vhosts/vcc_staging/app/Resource/aarp2_master.bodyTargeting.html' for inclusion (include_path='/var/www/vhosts/vcc_staging/lib:.:/usr/share/pear:/usr/share/php') [APP/View/Layouts/aarp_2023.ctp, line 243]
Code Context
            <?php if (!$nowrapper):  // MLW - Spanish wrappers TBD
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		<header><h1 class="article-headline">Brierfield Ironworks Historical State Park</h1></header>

		<div class="row">
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				<p>
					<div>
											<div>240 Furnace Parkway</div>
											<div>
							<span>Brierfield</span>,
							<span>AL</span>
												<span>35035</span>
											</div>
					</div>
				</p>
								<div>
					<i class="fa fa-external-link-square"></i> 
										<a href="https://www.battlefields.org/visit/heritage-sites/brierfield-ironworks-historical-state-park" target="_blank">Brierfield Ironworks Historical State Park</a>
								</div>
												<div><i class="fa fa-phone-square"></i> 205-665-1856</div>
				
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				<div class="module-spacer clearfix">
						<p style="text-align: justify;">About the Park:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">In a hollow, beside a wet weather stream that would forever after be known as Furnace Branch, a group of men calling themselves the Bibb County Iron Company built a furnace in 1862. Spurred on by the desire to make a fortune from the South's desperate need for iron for war materials, the company was soon producing, in the words of a contemporary iron founder, "the toughest and most suitable iron for making guns above any other iron in the South."   The notoriety for making superior iron so impressed Richmond that in 1863, the Confederate government purchased the ironworks and soon added a second furnace and rolling mill.   Of course, this reputation for making iron did not go unnoticed by Union authorities either. In the early morning hours of March 31, 1865, the Federal Tenth Missouri Cavalry saddled up in Montevallo and dashed to the Brierfield Ironworks. Within minutes, the works were in flames.   After the war, the former Chief of Confederate Ordnance, and future University of Alabama president, Josiah Gorgas, organized a company to repair and operate the works. But these efforts ended in failure, and from 1873 to 1880, the furnaces at Brierfield were silent.   Then, in the early 1880s, Thomas Jefferson Peter came to town. A former general manager of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, Peter had big plans and money to back them up. He made Brierfield boom. Everything was new, better or bigger, and Brierfield was called the "Magic City of Bibb County."   By the end of the decade, however, the future was not so bright. The huge metal furnaces in the new city of Birmingham could produce ten times as much iron per day as the old brick furnace at Brierfield. Peter struggled on. Finally, in the cold darkness of Christmas Eve morning, 1894, the Brierfield furnace blew out forever.</p>		</div>
		

	<div class="reportthis" style="margin-bottom: 20px;">
                <form method="post" action="/brierfield-al/report/place/brierfield-ironworks-historical-state-park-brierfield-al.html">
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		<h2 class="hidden-lg">AARP Events for Brierfield</h2>
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					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/aarp-mi-disrupt-aging-book-club-12232024-pdntlrhxqrl.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-DISRUPT-AGING-BOOK-CLUB">Disrupt Aging Book Club</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Monday, Dec 23, 2024 at 9:30&nbsp;a.m. CT</p>
					<p class="venue"></p>
					<p class="loc">Online Event</p>
					
				</li><li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/aarp-nm-fitness-virtual-yoga-fusion-class-12232024-ncn3ps5vdjn.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-ONLINE-CLASS-ENHANCE-YOUR-WORKOUT-WITH-YOGA-FUSION">Online Class: Enhance Your Workout With Yoga Fusion</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Monday, Dec 23, 2024 at 10:00&nbsp;a.m. CT</p>
					<p class="venue">Zoom</p>
					<p class="loc">Online Event</p>
					
				</li><li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/aarp-wy-mindful-movement-for-healthy-aging-12232024-8vnt2zzs6bl.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-VIRTUAL-MINDFUL-MOVEMENT-WORKOUT-FOR-HEALTHY-AGING">Virtual Mindful Movement Workout for Healthy Aging</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Monday, Dec 23, 2024 at 11:00&nbsp;a.m. CT</p>
					<p class="venue">Zoom</p>
					<p class="loc">Online Event</p>
					
				</li>			</ul>

			<p><a class="link-red" href="/brierfield-al/aarp-events/" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-SEEALL-EVENTS">View All AARP Events<i class="ml-1 fas fa-chevron-right"></i></a></p>
	
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                            <script type="text/javascript">
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<div class="card-tout card-dark membership-tout" style="margin:0 0 30px 0;">
	<img class="img-responsive image" 
		title="image of two AARP membership cards"
		alt="image of two AARP membership cards" 
		src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/tout-two-cards.png">
	<div class="title">Only $12 your first year with Automatic Renewal</div>
	<ul class="list">
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		<div class="body">Already a member? <a href="https://appsec.aarp.org/mem/renew?campaignid= UARFT3&intcmp=LNK-CSN-AARPLOCAL-JRTOUT-RR-A-BRIERFIELD-AL">Renew</a> or 
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<div class="module-spacer text-center">
<div class="fb-page" alt="Image of AARP Alabama Facebook Page" title="Image of AARP Alabama Facebook Page" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/Alabama.AARP" data-tabs="timeline" width="320" height="" data-small-header="false" data-adapt-container-width="true" data-hide-cover="false" data-show-facepile="true" lazy="true">
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<div class="ar-basic-box module-spacer">
<header>
<h2>Contact AARP<br />Alabama</h2>
</header>
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<ul class="list-unstyled">
<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-envelope" alt="Email icon" title="Email icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="mailto:ALAARP@aarp.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ALAARP@aarp.org</a></li>
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<li><i class="list-icon fa fa-map-marker" alt="Map Marker icon" title="Map Marker icon" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="https://states.aarp.org/aarp-in-your-state/?intcmp=SNG-LNK-AARPLOCAL-CONTACT-20140101-BRIERFIELD-AL" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Contact Us</a></li>


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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Alabama.AARP" target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Open Facebook"><img alt="Facebook icon" title="Facebook icon" src="https://cdn-aarp.americantowns.com/img/responsive/icons/48/facebook-dreamstale25.png"></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;
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											<div>240 Furnace Parkway</div>
											<div>
							<span>Brierfield</span>,
							<span>AL</span>
												<span>35035</span>
											</div>
					</div>
				</p>
								<div>
					<i class="fa fa-external-link-square"></i> 
										<a href="https://www.battlefields.org/visit/heritage-sites/brierfield-ironworks-historical-state-park" target="_blank">Brierfield Ironworks Historical State Park</a>
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												<div><i class="fa fa-phone-square"></i> 205-665-1856</div>
				
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				<div class="module-spacer clearfix">
						<p style="text-align: justify;">About the Park:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">In a hollow, beside a wet weather stream that would forever after be known as Furnace Branch, a group of men calling themselves the Bibb County Iron Company built a furnace in 1862. Spurred on by the desire to make a fortune from the South's desperate need for iron for war materials, the company was soon producing, in the words of a contemporary iron founder, "the toughest and most suitable iron for making guns above any other iron in the South."   The notoriety for making superior iron so impressed Richmond that in 1863, the Confederate government purchased the ironworks and soon added a second furnace and rolling mill.   Of course, this reputation for making iron did not go unnoticed by Union authorities either. In the early morning hours of March 31, 1865, the Federal Tenth Missouri Cavalry saddled up in Montevallo and dashed to the Brierfield Ironworks. Within minutes, the works were in flames.   After the war, the former Chief of Confederate Ordnance, and future University of Alabama president, Josiah Gorgas, organized a company to repair and operate the works. But these efforts ended in failure, and from 1873 to 1880, the furnaces at Brierfield were silent.   Then, in the early 1880s, Thomas Jefferson Peter came to town. A former general manager of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, Peter had big plans and money to back them up. He made Brierfield boom. Everything was new, better or bigger, and Brierfield was called the "Magic City of Bibb County."   By the end of the decade, however, the future was not so bright. The huge metal furnaces in the new city of Birmingham could produce ten times as much iron per day as the old brick furnace at Brierfield. Peter struggled on. Finally, in the cold darkness of Christmas Eve morning, 1894, the Brierfield furnace blew out forever.</p>		</div>
		

	<div class="reportthis" style="margin-bottom: 20px;">
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    </div>
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		</div>
		<h2 class="visible-lg">AARP Events for Brierfield</h2>
		<h2 class="hidden-lg">AARP Events for Brierfield</h2>
	</header>
	<div class="wrap">
		<div class="ar-listing snippet">
			<ul class="list">
				<li class="item" data-pageindex="1">

					
					<h2 class="title"><a href="/aarp-event/aarp-mi-disrupt-aging-book-club-12232024-pdntlrhxqrl.html" data-formelementid="LOCAL-BTN-CLK-EVENTS-DISRUPT-AGING-BOOK-CLUB">Disrupt Aging Book Club</a></h2>
					<p class="time">Monday, Dec 23, 2024 at 9:30&nbsp;a.m. CT</p>
					<p class="venue"></p>
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		<header><h1 class="article-headline">Brierfield Ironworks Historical State Park</h1></header>

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											<div>240 Furnace Parkway</div>
											<div>
							<span>Brierfield</span>,
							<span>AL</span>
												<span>35035</span>
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					<i class="fa fa-external-link-square"></i> 
										<a href="https://www.battlefields.org/visit/heritage-sites/brierfield-ironworks-historical-state-park" target="_blank">Brierfield Ironworks Historical State Park</a>
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												<div><i class="fa fa-phone-square"></i> 205-665-1856</div>
				
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						<p style="text-align: justify;">About the Park:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">In a hollow, beside a wet weather stream that would forever after be known as Furnace Branch, a group of men calling themselves the Bibb County Iron Company built a furnace in 1862. Spurred on by the desire to make a fortune from the South's desperate need for iron for war materials, the company was soon producing, in the words of a contemporary iron founder, "the toughest and most suitable iron for making guns above any other iron in the South."   The notoriety for making superior iron so impressed Richmond that in 1863, the Confederate government purchased the ironworks and soon added a second furnace and rolling mill.   Of course, this reputation for making iron did not go unnoticed by Union authorities either. In the early morning hours of March 31, 1865, the Federal Tenth Missouri Cavalry saddled up in Montevallo and dashed to the Brierfield Ironworks. Within minutes, the works were in flames.   After the war, the former Chief of Confederate Ordnance, and future University of Alabama president, Josiah Gorgas, organized a company to repair and operate the works. But these efforts ended in failure, and from 1873 to 1880, the furnaces at Brierfield were silent.   Then, in the early 1880s, Thomas Jefferson Peter came to town. A former general manager of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, Peter had big plans and money to back them up. He made Brierfield boom. Everything was new, better or bigger, and Brierfield was called the "Magic City of Bibb County."   By the end of the decade, however, the future was not so bright. The huge metal furnaces in the new city of Birmingham could produce ten times as much iron per day as the old brick furnace at Brierfield. Peter struggled on. Finally, in the cold darkness of Christmas Eve morning, 1894, the Brierfield furnace blew out forever.</p>		</div>
		

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							<span>Brierfield</span>,
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												<span>35035</span>
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										<a href="https://www.battlefields.org/visit/heritage-sites/brierfield-ironworks-historical-state-park" target="_blank">Brierfield Ironworks Historical State Park</a>
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												<div><i class="fa fa-phone-square"></i> 205-665-1856</div>
				
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						<p style="text-align: justify;">About the Park:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">In a hollow, beside a wet weather stream that would forever after be known as Furnace Branch, a group of men calling themselves the Bibb County Iron Company built a furnace in 1862. Spurred on by the desire to make a fortune from the South's desperate need for iron for war materials, the company was soon producing, in the words of a contemporary iron founder, "the toughest and most suitable iron for making guns above any other iron in the South."   The notoriety for making superior iron so impressed Richmond that in 1863, the Confederate government purchased the ironworks and soon added a second furnace and rolling mill.   Of course, this reputation for making iron did not go unnoticed by Union authorities either. In the early morning hours of March 31, 1865, the Federal Tenth Missouri Cavalry saddled up in Montevallo and dashed to the Brierfield Ironworks. Within minutes, the works were in flames.   After the war, the former Chief of Confederate Ordnance, and future University of Alabama president, Josiah Gorgas, organized a company to repair and operate the works. But these efforts ended in failure, and from 1873 to 1880, the furnaces at Brierfield were silent.   Then, in the early 1880s, Thomas Jefferson Peter came to town. A former general manager of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, Peter had big plans and money to back them up. He made Brierfield boom. Everything was new, better or bigger, and Brierfield was called the "Magic City of Bibb County."   By the end of the decade, however, the future was not so bright. The huge metal furnaces in the new city of Birmingham could produce ten times as much iron per day as the old brick furnace at Brierfield. Peter struggled on. Finally, in the cold darkness of Christmas Eve morning, 1894, the Brierfield furnace blew out forever.</p>		</div>
		

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											<div>240 Furnace Parkway</div>
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							<span>Brierfield</span>,
							<span>AL</span>
												<span>35035</span>
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					<i class="fa fa-external-link-square"></i> 
										<a href="https://www.battlefields.org/visit/heritage-sites/brierfield-ironworks-historical-state-park" target="_blank">Brierfield Ironworks Historical State Park</a>
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												<div><i class="fa fa-phone-square"></i> 205-665-1856</div>
				
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<p style="text-align: justify;">In a hollow, beside a wet weather stream that would forever after be known as Furnace Branch, a group of men calling themselves the Bibb County Iron Company built a furnace in 1862. Spurred on by the desire to make a fortune from the South's desperate need for iron for war materials, the company was soon producing, in the words of a contemporary iron founder, "the toughest and most suitable iron for making guns above any other iron in the South."   The notoriety for making superior iron so impressed Richmond that in 1863, the Confederate government purchased the ironworks and soon added a second furnace and rolling mill.   Of course, this reputation for making iron did not go unnoticed by Union authorities either. In the early morning hours of March 31, 1865, the Federal Tenth Missouri Cavalry saddled up in Montevallo and dashed to the Brierfield Ironworks. Within minutes, the works were in flames.   After the war, the former Chief of Confederate Ordnance, and future University of Alabama president, Josiah Gorgas, organized a company to repair and operate the works. But these efforts ended in failure, and from 1873 to 1880, the furnaces at Brierfield were silent.   Then, in the early 1880s, Thomas Jefferson Peter came to town. A former general manager of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, Peter had big plans and money to back them up. He made Brierfield boom. Everything was new, better or bigger, and Brierfield was called the "Magic City of Bibb County."   By the end of the decade, however, the future was not so bright. The huge metal furnaces in the new city of Birmingham could produce ten times as much iron per day as the old brick furnace at Brierfield. Peter struggled on. Finally, in the cold darkness of Christmas Eve morning, 1894, the Brierfield furnace blew out forever.</p>		</div>
		

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											<div>240 Furnace Parkway</div>
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							<span>Brierfield</span>,
							<span>AL</span>
												<span>35035</span>
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										<a href="https://www.battlefields.org/visit/heritage-sites/brierfield-ironworks-historical-state-park" target="_blank">Brierfield Ironworks Historical State Park</a>
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												<div><i class="fa fa-phone-square"></i> 205-665-1856</div>
				
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						<p style="text-align: justify;">About the Park:</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">In a hollow, beside a wet weather stream that would forever after be known as Furnace Branch, a group of men calling themselves the Bibb County Iron Company built a furnace in 1862. Spurred on by the desire to make a fortune from the South's desperate need for iron for war materials, the company was soon producing, in the words of a contemporary iron founder, "the toughest and most suitable iron for making guns above any other iron in the South."   The notoriety for making superior iron so impressed Richmond that in 1863, the Confederate government purchased the ironworks and soon added a second furnace and rolling mill.   Of course, this reputation for making iron did not go unnoticed by Union authorities either. In the early morning hours of March 31, 1865, the Federal Tenth Missouri Cavalry saddled up in Montevallo and dashed to the Brierfield Ironworks. Within minutes, the works were in flames.   After the war, the former Chief of Confederate Ordnance, and future University of Alabama president, Josiah Gorgas, organized a company to repair and operate the works. But these efforts ended in failure, and from 1873 to 1880, the furnaces at Brierfield were silent.   Then, in the early 1880s, Thomas Jefferson Peter came to town. A former general manager of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, Peter had big plans and money to back them up. He made Brierfield boom. Everything was new, better or bigger, and Brierfield was called the "Magic City of Bibb County."   By the end of the decade, however, the future was not so bright. The huge metal furnaces in the new city of Birmingham could produce ten times as much iron per day as the old brick furnace at Brierfield. Peter struggled on. Finally, in the cold darkness of Christmas Eve morning, 1894, the Brierfield furnace blew out forever.</p>		</div>
		

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include - APP/View/Layouts/aarp_2023.ctp, line 244
include - APP/View/Layouts/aarp_2023.ctp, line 244
View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971
View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933
View::renderLayout() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 546
View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 481
Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 963
AppController::renderPage() - APP/Controller/AppController.php, line 136
PlacesController::display() - APP/Controller/PlacesController.php, line 501
ReflectionMethod::invokeArgs() - [internal], line ??
Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 491
Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 193
Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167
[main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 118