Helen Bess Mine: Difference between revisions

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The '''Helen Bess Mine''' is a former red iron ore mine which supplied [[Wallace McElwain]]'s [[Irondale Furnace]] beginning in [[1864]]. It is, after the [[Eureka No. 1 Mine]], the earliest commercial ore mine on [[Red Mountain]].
The '''Helen Bess Mine''' is a former red iron ore mine which supplied [[Wallace McElwain]]'s [[Irondale Furnace]] beginning in [[1864]]. It is, after the [[Eureka No. 1 Mine]], the earliest commercial ore mine on [[Red Mountain]].


The mine site was situated on the crest of Red Mountain and in the flanks of a ravine in the southern slope.
The mine site was situated on the crest of Red Mountain, with surface mining on the north slope and drift mining and at least one underground slope in the flanks of a ravine in the south side.


Originally the soft red ore of the "Big seam", which formed an outcrop, was simply quarried from the surface and moved by tramway to the furnace site. By [[1909]] a sloping mine shaft 500 feet long had been dug into the "Irondale seam" with seven headings on each side at 60-foot intervals. Another bed, the "Ida seam", was also accessible, but produced harder, lower quality ore. The ores from the Big and Irondale seams ranged from 32 to 35% iron content, 30 to 32% silica, and 6 to 8.5% lime.
Originally the soft red ore of the "Big seam", which formed an outcrop, was quarried from the surface and moved by tramway to the furnace site. By [[1909]] a sloping mine shaft 500 feet long had been dug into the "Irondale seam" with seven headings on each side at 60-foot intervals. Another bed, the "Ida seam", was also accessible, but produced harder, lower quality ore. The ores from the Big and Irondale seams ranged from 32 to 35% iron content, 30 to 32% silica, and 6 to 8.5% lime.


After ____, the mine was operated by the [[Birmingham Ore and Mining Company]], and a spur from the [[Louisville and Nashville Railroad]] was laid into the base of the ravine. The mine was closed in [[1920]].
In the 1880s, a spur from [[Louisville and Nashville Railroad|L & N]]'s [[Birmingham Mineral Railroad]] was laid into the base of the ravine. Miners would come to the site by taking a [[streetcars|streetcar]] to [[42nd Street South|42nd Street]] at [[Cliff Road]] and walking the rest of the way up the mountainside.


The mine entrance became part of the property of the [[Rick Woodward residence]] on [[Altamont Road]], constructed in [[1924]].
At that time, the mine was operated by the [[Birmingham Ore and Mining Company]].  The mine was closed in [[1920]].
 
The slope mine entrance became part of the property of the [[Rick Woodward residence]] on [[Altamont Road]], constructed in [[1924]]. The [[Timberlane Apartments]] were built over the remainder of the mining area on the southern slope by [[McConnell-White-Terry Realty]] in [[1967]]. The company chose to preserve the remains of the mining operations in their redevelopment.
 
==References==
* {{White-1981}}
 
 
[[Category:Ore mines]]
[[Category:Altamont Road]]
[[Category:Timberlane Drive]]
[[Category:1864 establishments]]
[[Category:1920 disestablishments]]

Revision as of 14:59, 1 March 2011

The Helen Bess Mine is a former red iron ore mine which supplied Wallace McElwain's Irondale Furnace beginning in 1864. It is, after the Eureka No. 1 Mine, the earliest commercial ore mine on Red Mountain.

The mine site was situated on the crest of Red Mountain, with surface mining on the north slope and drift mining and at least one underground slope in the flanks of a ravine in the south side.

Originally the soft red ore of the "Big seam", which formed an outcrop, was quarried from the surface and moved by tramway to the furnace site. By 1909 a sloping mine shaft 500 feet long had been dug into the "Irondale seam" with seven headings on each side at 60-foot intervals. Another bed, the "Ida seam", was also accessible, but produced harder, lower quality ore. The ores from the Big and Irondale seams ranged from 32 to 35% iron content, 30 to 32% silica, and 6 to 8.5% lime.

In the 1880s, a spur from L & N's Birmingham Mineral Railroad was laid into the base of the ravine. Miners would come to the site by taking a streetcar to 42nd Street at Cliff Road and walking the rest of the way up the mountainside.

At that time, the mine was operated by the Birmingham Ore and Mining Company. The mine was closed in 1920.

The slope mine entrance became part of the property of the Rick Woodward residence on Altamont Road, constructed in 1924. The Timberlane Apartments were built over the remainder of the mining area on the southern slope by McConnell-White-Terry Realty in 1967. The company chose to preserve the remains of the mining operations in their redevelopment.

References

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