Westfield is an unincorporated community and former coal mining town in Jefferson County, Alabama.[1] It was a coal mining camp for Tennessee Coal & Iron Co. that was purchased by U.S. Steel and developed as a planned steel worker community that was predominantly African American. It was home to Westfield High School. In 1969 it was described as a model of company owned community with various amenities noted.[2]
Westfield, Alabama | |
|---|---|
  Westfield  Westfield | |
| Coordinates: 33°29′04″N 86°56′25″W / 33.48444°N 86.94028°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alabama |
| County | Jefferson |
| Elevation | 564 ft (172 m) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Area code(s) | 205, 659 |
| GNIS feature ID | 128808[1] |
Star professional baseball player Willie Mays was born in Westfield in 1931.[3] Lawyer and former judge U. W. Clemon grew up in Westfield.[4]
Rev. Clarence S. Reeves wrote a history of the high school. It closed with desegregation. Alumni remained active in subsequent years.[5] In 2013 the film Westfield: Struggles to Success about Westfield High School debuted.[4]
Early in businessman A. G. Gaston's career he worked in the mines around Westfield. After his return from military service in Europe during World War I, he "was as a labourer with the Tennessee Coal & Iron Co. in Westfield, Alabama where his interest in entrepreneurship began to surface."[6]
History
editBuilt for the Tennessee Coal & Iron Co. (TCI), Westfield was subsequently purchased by U.S. Steel. The community was planned to be developed as a predominantly African-American steel worker community. It was home to Westfield High School. In 1969, it was described as a model of company-owned community with various amenities noted.[7]
In 2013 the film Westfield: Struggles to Success about Westfield High School debuted.[8]
Notable people
edit- U. W. Clemon (born 1943),[9] Alabama attorney and a former United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.
- A. G. Gaston, (1892–1996), American businessman who established a number of businesses in Birmingham, Alabama. Worked in the TCI mines in Westfield.[10]
- Willie Mays (1931-2024), former Major League Baseball player and member of the baseball Hall Of Fame for the New York / San Francisco Giants[9]
See also
edit- Fairfield, Alabama, a nearby U.S. Steel company town
References
edit- ^ a b "Westfield". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ Bond, Horace Mann (January 22, 1969). Negro Education in Alabama: A Study in Cotton and Steel.
- ^ Brown, Dottie (January 10, 2001). Alabama. Lerner Publications. ISBN 978-0-8225-4067-0.
- ^ a b "New film remembers long-gone West Jefferson community of Westfield, home of Mays, Clemon". al.com. August 2, 2013.
- ^ https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/f220b92b-163d-4dc9-96b6-505ff48141b6/downloads/WHO%2520WILL%2520REMEMBER%2520WESTFIELD%2520WHEN%2520WE_RE%2520GONE.pdf%3Fver%3D1601166147323
- ^ The Weekly Gleaner, February 6–12, 2003
- ^ Bond, Horace Mann (June 30, 1969). "Negro Education in Alabama: A Study in Cotton and Steel". Octagon Books – via Google Books.
- ^ Chambers, Jesse (September 30, 2014). "Docu-film about old West Jefferson community of Westfield to be shown at Buffalo, N.Y., film fest". al.com. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
- ^ a b Chambers, Jesse (August 2, 2013). "New film remembers long-gone West Jefferson community of Westfield, home of Mays, Clemon". al.com. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
- ^ Jenkins, Carol (February 2004). "Remembering Arthur G. Gaston: A Titan's First Step". blackenterprise.com. Retrieved June 19, 2023.