Vulcan, St. Louis World's Fair, 1904 Courtesy: Birmingham Historical Society
The world's largest cast iron statue, this
depiction of Vulcan, the Roman god of the forge, was commissioned
by businessmen of Birmingham's Commercial Club to promote the
area's mining resources and to symbolize Alabama's supremacy in the
production of iron.
In 1903, industry in Birmingham was in full bloom.
The Birmingham District was proven as a major producer of iron and
had begun to produce rail steel. Iron foundries were prevalent.
U.S. Pipe had begun the manufacture of cast-iron pipe. The
opportunity to advertise Birmingham to the nation came to fruition
in the city's exhibit of its Vulcan statue at the 1904 World's Fair
in St. Louis, Missouri.
The sculptor, Italian-born Giuseppe Moretti, with his
workmen created a statue of colossal size -- 56 feet from sandals
to the outstretched hand. It now stands on a 123-foot column.
Vulcan is the largest U.S. statue after the Statue of Liberty. But
in 1904 it originally took its place in the Palace of Mines and
Metallurgy at the World's Fair in St. Louis. At Vulcan's feet were
exhibits of Alabama's raw materials and the products made from
them. He held, in his extended right hand, a spear point, while his
left hand gripped a hammer resting on an anvil.
After seven months at the fair, Vulcan was
disassembled by a St. Louis storage company, and, in February 1905,
transported back to Birmingham free of charge by the L & N
Railroad. As a "temporary" measure, Vulcan was re-erected -- with
both arms installed incorrectly -- at the Alabama State Fair
Grounds in Birmingham's West End. Vulcan was there put to use
hawking products, such as Weldon Ice Cream Company cones and Heinz
pickles. This "temporary" placement lasted over 30 years.
Not until the summer of 1935 did the Birmingham
Kiwanis Club meet and go public with a plan to move Vulcan to Red
Mountain, overlooking the city -- the original site designated for
the statue after the Fair. Finding acceptance, the plan was carried
out employing Italian stonemasons working for the WPA to build a
slender pink sandstone column as the pedestal for Vulcan. Vulcan
was finally installed in 1939 -- this time, correctly -- on Red
Mountain visible to all Birmingham.
As the years went by, Vulcan began to suffer from
water damage and graffiti. The concrete poured into Vulcan up to
his shoulders to help anchor him to his new perch in the late 1930s
is trapping moisture and causing long-term deleterious effects on
the iron plates and their connections. Vulcan is slowly cracking
But perhaps the greatest damage was done by a 1969
modernization effort which thickened the tower on which Vulcan
stands and sheathed it in white polished marble, and at the base of
the tower a flared anodized aluminum roof covered a large structure
-- creating a massive form that visually overwhelms the statue. The
finely tuned relationship which existed in 1939 between the
original slim stone tower and the walks and fountains of rugged
natural character has been lost.
In 1993, a Vulcan Task Force appointed by Mayor
Richard Arrington recommended the full restoration of the statue
and its surrounding park. In 1904 a symbol of the progressive
movement toward industrialization in the South, the sculpture now
stands as an embodiment of the values of vision and hard work of
the citizens of Birmingham. The current challenge for Birmingham
remains preserving this National Register landmark and restoring
Vulcan to his original heroic and noble form. A pedestal
restoration project led by the Birmingham Historical Society is now
Text and photographs document its history and present
importance in local traditions. Project documentation also includes
a Birmingham Historical Society book entitled Vulcan & His Times.
Originally submitted by: Jeff Sessions, Senator.
The Local Legacies project provides a "snapshot" of American Culture as it was expressed in spring of 2000. Consequently, it is not being updated with new or revised information with the exception of "Related Website" links.