Recently, I was asked by a friend to contribute photos for a project he's involved with, and since I live in Trussville, he asked if I could submit photos of Trussville and also of nearby Springville. Trussville and Springville are two of Birmingham's most historic suburbs and are located in the northeastern part of the Birmingham metro area.
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TRUSSVILLE
Trussville, which was ranked 56th on Money Magazine’s 2005 “Best Places To Live” list, was first settled by Warren Truss around 1820 who built a mill on the Cahaba River, the longest free-flowing and most biologically diverse river in Alabama which begins a few miles northeast of Trussville in St. Clair County and flows through the heart of town. An iron furnace operated in Trussville from 1889-1919. It was dismantled in 1933, and the land was sold to the federal government to make way for a 615-acre planned community (one of nearly 200 developed by the Resettlement Administration during the Great Depression). Originally known as Slagheap Village (a reference to the slag piles leftover from the now-dismantled furnace) and later called Cahaba Village (now known as the Cahaba Homestead Village Historic District), this housing project was constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) between 1936-1938. The centerpiece of this development was a linear green space known as "The Mall" (inspired by The Mall in Washington, DC). A high school anchored one end of The Mall with two-story duplexes along each side and mostly one-story homes built along the streets to the north, west, and south. Incorporated as a town in 1947 and as a city in 1957, Trussville remained a sleepy, remote suburb until construction of I-59 spawned moderate growth during the 1960's and 1970's. A new high school was completed in 1984, and it soon gained the reputation as one of the best schools in the Jefferson County school system. This attracted many new residents to Trussville, but it also attracted the attention of the City of Birmingham which wanted to annex Hewitt-Trussville High School (the new school was constructed just outside of the city limits of Trussville). This prompted Trussville to embark on an extensive annexation campaign which tripled its land area and doubled its population during the next two years. Since that time, Trussville has remained one of the fastest growing suburbs of Birmingham. In 2005, Trussville began its own school system, and in October of this year, a new $70-million high school opened (the most expensive school ever built in the state).
Downtown Trussville
Centered at the intersection of Main Street (US Hwy. 11) and Chalkville Mountain Road, Downtown Trussville features a mix of mid-century buildings and less appealing suburban sprawl. A more appealing, pedestrian-friendly commercial district is planned along Main Street about mile to the northeast as part of Trussville springs, a new urbanist development by the infamous town planning firm of Duany Plater-Zyberk (to be discussed later in this thread). As you can see, I enlisted my wife and kids and a neighbor and her kids to participate in the photo shoot.
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Civitan Park
This park is located northeast of Downtown Trussville where Main Street crosses the Cahaba River. It features a stone gazebo (circa 1938) that marks the entrance to historic Cahaba Village, a truss bridge constructed in 1909, and an 18-hole disc golf course (added in 2006).
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The stone gazebo is a great spot for a family photo:
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Looking back towards Downtown Trussville:
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Cahaba Village and The Mall
From the stone gazebo, Parkway Drive leads into historic Cahaba Village. Most of these Depression-era homes have been renovated and many have been enlarged. Cahaba Village is very pedestrian friendly, and one of the greatest attributes of this neighborhood is the canopy of trees along every street. But it wasn't always that way. Check out these photos from the Library of Congress which show that there were few trees on the site during the time of construction:
Photographer: Unknown
Source: http://memory.loc.gov
Photographer: Unknown
Source: http://memory.loc.gov
Photographer: Unknown
Source: http://memory.loc.gov
Photographer: Unknown
Source: http://memory.loc.gov
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Trussville Public Library:
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As I mentioned in the introductory paragraph about Trussville, a linear greenspace known as "The Mall" lies at the heart of Cahaba Village. Anchoring the eastern end is the original high school building which now serves as the Hewitt-Trussville Middle School (until January when the Middle School will move to the campus recently vacated by the high school). To the right of the school is a smaller building that originally served as a commissary and now houses the Trussville Chamber of Commerce. To the left of the school is Jack Wood Stadium where football games and track meets are held. Along the north, west, and south sides of The Mall are two-story homes that were originally built as duplexes (most, if not all, of them have since been converted into single-family homes).
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This tree at the western end of The Mall serves as the city's Christmas Tree every year:
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Click HERE to continue to Part 2
Suburban Birmingham | Part 1 | Trussville
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