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Central Iron and Coal Company Photographs

 Collection
Identifier: 2007-009

Scope and Contents

Central Iron and Coal photographic collection consists of four photographic albums with seventy silver gelatin photographs. Images depict different aspects of coal and iron production from mining to building a furnace and transporting the material by train, as well as workers' houses, offices, and stores. Some of the photographs have locations identified as Bibbville and Vance, Alabama.

Dates

  • 1901 - 1903

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Due to the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access to certain materials may require additional advance notice.

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers are responsible for using the materials in conformance with United States copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying the materials. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any copyright claimants in collection materials. Copyright for official University records is held by The University of Alabama. The library claims only physical ownership of many manuscript collections. Anyone wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of literary property rights or copyrights. Please contact Special Collections (archives@ua.edu) with questions regarding specific manuscript collections. For more information about copyright policy, please visit: https://www.ua.edu/copyright/. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.

Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals without the consent of those individuals may have legal implications, for which the University of Alabama assumes no responsibility.

Biographical / Historical

Central Iron and Coal Company's (CIC) headquarter was in New Jersey. CIC owned properties across the country. The Alabama holdings included a blast furnace, nodulizing plant, coal and iron ore lands, and coke ovens at and near Holt, Alabama. The company also possessed large ore properties at Friedman, Bibbville, and Giles; and a red ore mine at Valley View in Birmingham.

In 1900, a man named Frank Holt, an agent from CIC, came to the Tuscaloosa area from Pittsburgh, Tennessee looking for land east of the town. He bought nearly 1200 acres of woods to build a complex of industrial plants that would make sanitary pipes and fittings. At the time, there were only nine such plants in the United States. Three of these plants were already in Alabama (Bessemer, Gadsden, and Anniston). Construction of the blast furnace and coke ovens began soon after Frank Holt purchased the land.

The ovens at Holt, Alabama, went into operation in June of 1903; the blast furnace began operations on August 1, 1903. After many years CIC closed its doors in 1984.

Extent

0.25 Linear Feet (1 container)

Language of Materials

English

Overview

Central Iron and Coal photographic collection consist of images depicting different aspects of coal and iron production, from mining to building a furnace and transporting the material by train, as well as workers' houses, offices, and stores. Some of the photographs have locations identified as Bibbville and Vance, Alabama.

Processing Information

Processed by Jennifer Culley and Marina Klarić, 2007.
Title
Guide to Central Iron and Coal Company Photographs
Status
Completed
Author
Finding aid created by Marina Klarić, 2007.
Date
2007
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the The University of Alabama Libraries Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Box 870266
Tuscaloosa AL 35487-0266
205.348.0513