Vulcan: A Birmingham Icon

On By Mike and Kellye HefnerIn American Road Trips, National Monuments

Vulcan, the largest cast iron statue in the world, stands in Vulcan Park on top of Red Mountain in Birmingham, Alabama. A depiction of the Roman god of fire and forge, he is the symbol of the city due to its locally abundant reserves of coal, limestone, and iron ore and its history of using those resources to make iron.

Standing guard over Birmingham.

Vulcan is composed of 29 separate pieces that are bolted together inside the body which stands 56 feet tall and contains 100,000 pounds of iron. 

Vulcan statue, the city symbol, Birmingham, Alabama - original digital file | Library of Congress
Vulcan holds a spear in his right hand. His left hand holds a hammer which rests atop an anvil. Photo Credit: Carol M. Highsmith, Library of Congress

The Birth of Vulcan

In 1903, the Birmingham Commercial Club commissioned Italian-born artist Giuseppi Moretti to sculpt the statue that would become the city’s entry in the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition. Moretti made the molds, and the Birmingham Steel and Iron Company cast them to complete the statue. Vulcan and his representation of Birmingham’s iron industry was such a hit at the fair, also known as the St. Louis World’s Fair, that he won a grand prize. 

A historic image of the exhibit at the St. Louis World’s Fair.

Vulcan’s Life in Birmingham

Following the World’s Fair, Vulcan was disassembled and sent by rail back to Birmingham. Sadly, the statue’s parts were dumped next to the railroad tracks because of unpaid freight fees. Someone finally took pity on the poor guy, and he reappeared in Birmingham at the Alabama State Fairgrounds. Despite his missing spear and his arms reassembled incorrectly, Vulcan became an advertising gimmick. During his stint at the fairgrounds, he advertised Coca-Cola, ice cream, and even Heinz pickles!

Vulcan holds what we believe is a snow cone (or maybe popcorn) in his left hand.

Vulcan Gets a Permanent Home

In 1936, several Birmingham civic groups and various government agencies, including the Works Progress Administration, raised money to build a park to serve as Vulcan’s permanent home. Once the land atop Red Mountain was acquired, a park was created along with a 126-foot-tall sandstone pedestal for the statue. As Vulcan was affixed to the pedestal, it was filled to the chest with concrete for stability. Vulcan Park was dedicated on May 7, 1939, with a crowd of 5,000 people in attendance.

The first piece of the Vulcan statue, a leg and foot, is hoisted to the top of the pedestal.
Kids pose on Vulcan’s 11,000 lb. head while the statue’s pieces await their permanent home.

In 1946, a green neon light was placed in Vulcan’s right hand to promote traffic safety. Though after fatal traffic accidents, the light would glow red for 24 hours.

We believe this aerial view of Vulcan shows the traffic safety light in his right hand.

From 1969 to 1971, the park and pedestal underwent a $1 million renovation with the pedestal being clad in beige marble. Renovations included the addition of an elevator and an enclosed observation deck.

Vulcan after the 1969-1971 renovation showing the marble clad pedestal, elevator, and enclosed observation deck.

Vulcan’s Latest Restoration

In the early 1990s, engineers determined that Vulcan was at risk of collapse. Concrete and cast iron do not expand and contract at the same rate which took a toll on the aging statue, so plans began for another major facelift. This time, however, the repaired and repainted statue would be fitted around a steel framework rather than concrete for stability. Restoration efforts, which were completed in 2004, included restoring Vulcan and his pedestal to their original 1938 appearance and the construction of Vulcan Center. 

Everything old is new again!

Vulcan Park

The park features beautiful landscapes with green spaces, accessible walkways, and a terrace that is perfect for picnics.
A view of downtown Birmingham from Vulcan Park.

The park’s interesting museum, which is located inside Vulcan Center, covers the history of Vulcan as well as the history of Birmingham. For visitors who want to take home a souvenir or two, Vulcan Center also features a gift shop.

Since 1949 Vulcan Park has shared its space atop Red Mountain with two television stations and their towers, however, the park remains a beautiful oasis in their midst. For additional information, click here: Vulcan Park.

The grass terraces shown above were originally cascades, but the water features were eliminated during the renovation that was completed in 1971.

Did You Know That Birmingham Also Has a National Park?

Visitors to Birmingham should not miss the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute as an integral part of the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument. The monument is relatively new and still under development, however, visitors to the park can visit several historic sites. The Civil Rights Institute is a Smithsonian Institution affiliate and features exhibits covering the history of the American Civil Rights Movement. Visitors will need to purchase timed tickets online.

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
Included in the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, 16th Street Baptist Church is where four young girls were killed in a racially motivated bombing in 1963.

This is just one of nine national park sites in Alabama. We are anxious to visit the rest of them and, of course, we will share them with you. Thank you so much for joining us in Birmingham!

Looking for more American road trip ideas? Check these out:

Fort Union National Monument

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

Franconia Notch State Park

  Safe travels, y’all. We will see you on the road.

Mike and Kellye

As always, we strive to be as accurate with our information as possible. If we made a mistake, it was unintentional. (Hey, we’re only human!) Our suggestions are for places that we’ve heard good things about but haven’t visited personally, and our opinions are our own.

©2023        

 

 

63 thoughts on “Vulcan: A Birmingham Icon”

  4. Amazing how much trouble they went to keep Vulcan stable and in place. Not sure why the WOKE tag has been invoked. The god of fire is just a mythical figure, like so many before it. Thanks for sharing Kellye. Allan

    Reply

  6. Fascinating post, especially including the old photos. The one of the kids on his head gave me a better sense of scale than I would have otherwise had 😀 A funny story about Birmingham. Some years ago the city council in the English Birmingham issued a leaflet to all residents explaining some new development plans. They asked their marketing team to make it look good, with a photo of the city on the front. Some not so clever person Googled for an image they could use and without properly looking at it, proceeded to print the leaflets with a photo of Birmingham, Alabama, on the cover!

    Reply

  10. Thank you for this interesting post about the Vulcan statue – with its connections to the St. Louis World’s Fair. I also did not know about the Civil Rights National Monument in Birmingham. I look forward to reading about the other National Parks in Alabama.

    Reply

  11. What a topsy turvy early existence of the statue. To have the parts thrown away near the rail tracks after all the money that must have been invested into the making of it… I loved seeing the old photos in your wonderful article. Glad to hear that the statue has been restored.

    Reply

  16. What a great icon to represent the city! I’m really glad that someone decided to gather up the pieces from off the railroad track and give him a new life looking out over the city. I love the old pictures that tell the story of Vulcun and his return to the city. I have driven though Birmingham and I keep wanting to go and actually see it. Great post 🙂

    Reply

  21. And I thought my cast iron pans were heavy!!!! I can’t imagine dumping so much weight from the train but I bet the freight was an enormous cost. I love this story and thank you for sharing it you two!

    Reply

  24. Guess that’s another industry long gone now, just wonder how long it will take some oddballs to decree that the statue is an oppressive symbol of whatever and should be removed which is in fashion here at the mo.

    Reply

  27. Oh my goodness. I just realized I haven’t been following your blog! I am now. I loved reading about Vulcan. HR and I must take a trip to Birmingham.

    Reply

  30. Thank you so much for this interesting history of the Vulcan statue. When I was a child we used to visit an aunt and uncle who were living in Birmingham. I remember seeing the statue as we drove around but we never went to see it up close.

    Reply

  32. Wow ! Fascinating to read about Vulcan’s long and eventful journey. I am glad he finally got a home , a facelift and a major rebranding. Enjoyed this. Thanks

    Reply
  34. dirk

    used to live there as a kid(Tarrant) every time we drove by we would see what color the light was,and was sad someone had lost there life if it was red,thanks for the memories…..

    Reply

Leave a Reply