Scotty Kirkland
Retrospect: Turning little rocks into big business
The early years of the Birmingham Slag Co., which was later acquired and became Vulcan Materials Co.
Retrospect: Roanoke’s Ella Smith Doll Company
Ella Smith was determined to produce an indestructible child's toy.
Retrospect: Renowned veterinary surgeon Peter Joseph Patt
Mobile vet treated horses, created cure-alls for man and beast and transitioned his downtown stables to auto parking as times changed.
Retrospect: Birmingham’s first banker
Charles Linn established the National Bank of Birmingham, becoming Birmingham's first banker.
Retrospect: First Harvest
A farmer, a banker and the power of the peanut changed Coffee County forever, as memorialized in this bronze panel at Alabama Bicentennial Park.
Retrospect: Alabama’s Loom Towns
Avondale Mills was founded in Birmingham in 1897 but at its height employed 7,000 workers throughout the state.
The Yuille Family & the Mobile Steam Bakery
Started by Gavin Yuille, and maintained by two subsequent generations, Yuille’s Mobile Steam Bakery survived for nearly a century.
Retrospect: Construction of the Alabama Midland Railroad
In the 1880s, the Alabama Midland Railroad took shape. It stretched from Montgomery to Bainbridge, Georgia, cutting through the Wiregrass.
Retrospect: Alabama’s Daniel Pratt and his early cotton gins
Prattville namesake Daniel Pratt made his name in cotton gins
Retrospect: Selling Alabama stone
The Moretti-Harrah Marble Company's championing of Sylacauga marble. Pictured is the interior of the U.S. Supreme Court building.