Shelby Iron Works

Annual Trade Day at Shelby

Trade day 08, originally uploaded by JB @ Shelby Iron.

Our Old Shelby Trade Day will be coming up Saturday, May 10. Come join us at Shelby Iron Works.

The Magnet

The Magnet, originally uploaded by JB @ Shelby Iron.

Above is the masthead and some content from the February 19, 1892 issue of "the Magnet". This was a newspaper devoted, in their words, to the "Magnetic City" of Shelby.
The paper's business office was located four miles north of Shelby in Columbiana, Alabama. Manager of the paper was C.C. Dubose, and it was edited by H. C. Hornady, Jr.
The Town and County News section included items such as a call for an amateur dramatic club to be organized. The article states, "Shelby has first-class material for an amateur dramatic club. Would it not be a good idea to organize one?"
Also from this section of the paper, " J.H. Johnson has placed a new counter in the rear of his store and added some more shelving. The improvement is great."
A meeting of the literary club is noted,
and then there is this:
     "The loafers' club met Saturday, having found somebody away from home, thereby affording them a place to hold their meeting. It was a decided success. Thorough questions propounded by the president to oathbound members failed to show that any member had been guilty of working. This was so encouraging that they decided to borrow a dollar for somebody and have something. A man was found who wanted to give away a dollar, so the meeting panned out a howling success, every member full of enthusiasm. The next meeting will be held when an opportunity offers itself."
     Among advertisers in this issue of "the Magnet" were C. P. McLane & Co. Grocers, and Ayeryt & Averyt, located on the corner of 4th St. and 6th Avenue who advertises "you can get anything you want from a paper of needles to a hogshead of meat, at the lowest prices."
In the late 1800's, Shelby Iron Works and the "company town" of Shelby were collectively a hub of activity fueled by charcoal, iron, and the anticipation of many bright days ahead.

Welsh Iron-Master Giles Edwards at Shelby Iron

Giles Edwards, originally uploaded by JB @ Shelby Iron.

In March of 1862, noted Welsh iron-master Giles Edwards came to Shelby Iron.
Born in Glamorganshire, South Wales, September 26, 1824, Edwards had, by about 1842, made his way to Carbondale, Pennsylvania, near the head of the Lackawanna River. There, he superintended pattern making at the first iron mill in that town.
Edwards later worked with mills at Scranton, and superintended the Thomas works at Tamaqua, Pa.
From Pennsylvania, Edwards moved south to Tennessee, where he supervised the rebuilding of the Bluff furnace at Chattanooga.
Following this reconstruction, Judge John Lapsley of Selma, a new shareholder at Shelby, requested Edwards to superintend the reconstruction and expansion of the Shelby works.

"Tenting Tonight on the Old Campground"

Confederate camp, originally uploaded by JB @ Shelby Iron.

Maunfacturing at Shelby Iron Works was instrumental to Confederate States efforts during the Civil War. The company may well have been the largest Alabama supplier of Confederate iron during the war. Although the vast majority of the company output went to the Naval Deartment, iron for sidearms and rifles was also supplied by Shelby. This photo, taken by Rev. Eric Brasher, at our festival in October, shows members of the 33rd Alabama Volunteer Infantry in camp. The 33rd is a re-enactment group who generously agreed to demonstrate Civil War living history during the two day event. The photo reminded me of the song "Tenting Tonight on the Old Campground" that was sung by both Union and Confederate forces.

Shelby's L&N Depot in 1946

Depot side shot 1946, originally uploaded by JB @ Shelby Iron.

Above is a shot from the tracks of the depot in Shelby as it appeared in 1946. Although Shelby Iron ceased manufacturing operations in 1923, the company remained in business well into the mid 20th century. The depot remained a thriving and important location for Shelby residents. In 1946, the post office  still occupied the original 1870 building located less than100 yards from the depot, Mail coming in on the train would be loaded onto carts and pulled to the nearby building. Shelby residents would gather daily to "meet the train" for mail, freight, and, of course, to see who was entering or departing town on one of the passenger trains.

Ridin' the Rails in Shelby

Motor Car at Shelby Iron, originally uploaded by JB @ Shelby Iron.

Gary Garner pilots the motor car over the rails during the Shelby Iron Works Festival. Once known as the "Alabama Mineral Line", a rail connection between Calera and Blue Mountain, then back west to Birmingham, was a busy freight and passenger corridor. The section of track shown here has been re-established by the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum (Calera & Shelby Rail Road), as a part of the eventual return of the trains to Shelby.

Music in the Park

Shelby Iron Music, originally uploaded by JB @ Shelby Iron.

Mike Nicholas & company once again came through for Shelby Iron by providing two days of great muaic during festival. Mike is shown here at the microphone on our bandstand, along with Cecilia Perkins at the keyboard.

Revolutionary Shelby Iron

Shelby Iron Revolutionary, originally uploaded by JB @ Shelby Iron.

Also participating in this year's festival were reenactors from the American Village near Montevello. We appreciate the Revolutionary War era representation in Shelby.

Shelby Iron Quilters

SI Quilting, originally uploaded by JB @ Shelby Iron.

A window to the past is what it's all about at Shelby Iron. Visitors to the festival could see quilters demonstrating the old time art of hand quilting. More festival photos will be added over the next few days.

Woodcarving at Shelby

Shelby Iron Woodcarving, originally uploaded by JB @ Shelby Iron.

Near perfect weather, good crowds, and lots of fun marked this year's Shelby Iron Works Festival. In this photo a woodcarver demonstrates his craft. See other festival photos below or click on "Shelby Iron Works Festival" under "Catagories" in the column on the right side of this page.