Butler Mountain
Butler Mountain is an isolated wooded mountain peak in the Turkey Creek watershed in unincorporated Jefferson County northwest of Clay. At 1,445 feet, its top is usually recognized as the highest point in Jefferson County. It is one of a group of knobs at the southwestern end of Blount Mountain. Foster Mountain, Miles Mountain, Brushy Mountain, Hall Mountain and Praytor Mountain, in the vicinity, each exceed 1,000 feet in elevation.
In 2020 Vulcan Materials proposed to operate a limestone quarry on a parcel which includes the mountain, likely as a source for road grading material for the planned Northern Beltline. The parcel's owners petitioned for annexation into Clay on the condition that mining be permitted by the city's zoning. A non-profit Neighborhood Preservation Coalition formed in opposition to the proposal, and were joined by the Alabama Chapter of the Sierra Club.
References
- Pillion, Dennis (October 26, 2020) "Tallest peak in Jefferson County targeted for mining, neighbors fight back." The Birmingham News
- Pillion, Dennis (June 1, 2021) "Sierra Club joins fight to block mining on tallest peak near Birmingham." The Birmingham News