Remembering the town of Birmingham
Written by Justin D. Lamb
Downtown Birmingham in the 1930s.
(Courtesy of the Marshall County Genealogical Society)
Looking at a map of Marshall County today, one would have a difficult time finding the old town of Birmingham. That is because this once bustling river community was inundated the Kentucky Lake in the 1940 after years of devastating floods. Though it has been gone for some time now, roots run deep and the memories are still just as vivid today of those who call this gone, but not forgotten town home.
Birmingham was situated along the Tennessee River about 12 miles east of Benton. According to Lemon’s Handbook of Marshall County published in 1894, the town was founded in 1849 on a tract of land belonging to Thomas A. Grubbs, and in 1858, Love’s addition was added to the town. Shortly before the Civil War, the town of Birmingham was incorporated by an act of the State General Assembly on February 27, 1860 and a post office was soon designated. The name Birmingham was chosen by the founders who believed the town would become another Birmingham, England because of the iron industry that was thriving in the area.
With the transportation along the Tennessee River, the town continued to prosper following the Civil War, and in 1867, 467 people were reported to have lived there. A stave mill and timber business employed more than 200 people and the logging industry supplied white oak for barrel staves, red oak for railroad ties, hickory for axe handles and sweet gum for flour barrels. James Love ran a lucrative tobacco business and opened a tobacco stemmery which re-dried tobacco to meet a customer’s specifications. A warehouse built along the river made shipping the tobacco very convenient.
By the 1890s, the town had a Methodist Church, Episcopal Church, Missionary Baptist, an African American Baptist Church, and an African American Methodist Church. There were two schools, one white and one African American, two hotels, four dry-good and general stores, three grocery stores, one drug store, two millinery stores, two wagon stores, two blacksmith shops, and a grist mill. The town also had two doctors and two dentists. By 1903, the Bank of Birmingham was organized. In the 1920s and 30s, mussels were harvested and the shells were sent to Metropolis, Illinois to be turned into buttons.
Birmingham was governed by a four man Town of Trustees, a City Judge, and a City Marshal. According to “Kentucky Lake History: Old Birmingham”, the town of Birmingham was a busy place, larger at the time than Benton, the county seat.
The town had a large section of African American residents until the turn of the 20th Century when one of Marshall County’s most tragic events occurred. On March 10, 1908, an imitation group of Night Riders organized by Dr. Emilus Champion of Lyon County entered Birmingham with the sole purpose of forcefully driving out all African Americans in the town. The band of Night Riders wreaked a night of havoc on the African Americans living in the river city as many blacks were severely beaten and six were shot. Mr. John Scruggs and his two year old grandson were killed as a result. The black community was warned to leave or face future raids. After the riders exited Birmingham, many African Americans took the riders advice and left the county as soon as possible, many leaving behind all of their possessions, never to return again. Fortunately, those responsible for the raid were later arrested and prosecuted for their crimes.
Birmingham’s most noted resident was professional basketball player, “Jumpin’” Joe Fulks who was born in the town in 1921. Fulks played college basketball at Murray State University for two years before leaving to join the Marines during World War II. Following action at Iwo Jima and Guam, Fulks was discharged and returned to the states where he went back to playing basketball. He soon joined the professional leagues when he was signed with the Philadelphia Warriors in 1946. According to the National Basketball Association website, Fulks is credited with introducing the modern-day jumpshot and he is considered the father of the modern game. “Jumping, spinning, and scoring from everywhere, the lanky western Kentucky lad helped pave the way for professional basketball to become the sport it is today.” On February 10, 1949, Fulks recorded one of the greatest individual performances when he scored 63 points with the Philadelphia Warriors, a record which stood for ten years. It was often said that Fulks was to basketball what Babe Ruth was to baseball. Fulks was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978.
Following the devastating flood of 1937, the river which had been a huge part of Birmingham’s growth and prosperity also became the town’s undoing when plans were made to construct Kentucky Lake in order to bring electricity to the valley and control flood waters. The Tennessee Valley Authority purchased 35,133 acres and the residents were told to relocate.
Today, when the waters are low, remains of foundations and the streets of Birmingham can still be seen under the water off Birmingham Point. The river town of Birmingham has been gone for decades now, but those who called this place home still say it was “the best place in the world to have lived.”