Chasing Statues - Part One

It was Mother's Day and after lunch at my favorite Chinese restaurant, Yu's Garden in Trussville, we decided to visit some places we hadn't been in a long time and some new places.  Grabbed the camera and headed out!

We started out looking for Miss Electra who was atop the Alabama Power Headquarters.  Didn't find her!  Checked with Alabama Power and they told me where she was.  I'll get her another day and explain her part in this blog!

Our next stop was Vulcan.  No, we didn't visit Mr. Spock.  From the Vulcan Park and Museum website:  "Vulcan, Birmingham Alabama's colossal statue is the world's largest cast iron statue and considered one of the most memorable works of civic art in the United States. Designed by Italian artist Giuseppe Moretti and cast from local iron in 1904, it has overlooked the urban landscape of Alabama's largest city since the 1930's.

This is one view of the statue, but many know him better as "Moon Over Homewood."  Homewood is a suburb of Birmingham.

I remember visiting the statue when I was 6.  Since it's on Red Mountain overlooking Birmingham, there are a number of hills to climb.  Once you reached the parking lot, you took several sets of stairs up the the statue area.  Between the stair sets were fishponds.  I know they were there because I fell in to the ponds when I was little!  They didn't restore the ponds when the statue and park were refurbished because they couldn't find the original plans for the ponds.


You entered the base of the statue and started up the marble stairs.  Today there is an elevator to take you up and down.  David and I took the elevator up and the stairs down.

We stepped out of the elevator and my six year old self was back!  I wouldn't go near the rail when I was six and I held on to the rock base of the column the statue is on. Almost as bad this time!  Then I looked down!  It was a grate with holes in it!  I COULD SEE ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE GROUND!!  I'm thinking....I have to walk on this???  Not so bad after all, so I sent my six year old self on to play elsewhere!

 The view of Birmingham from here is terrific!

After spending some time enjoying the sun and the breeze, we headed down the steps and into the museum.  There we met Mr. Colonel Walker.  Colonel is his real first name.  He told us it was tough being the in the Army and being Private Colonel Walker! 

The first display was one David loved!  It was all things made from cast iron in Birmingham.

If you grew up here in Birmingham before the statue was removed and refurbished, you know he held a "Popsicle" in one hand.  It was lit at night....green if no one died in a traffic accident and red if someone did.  When the statue was refurbished, the original spear was put back in his hand instead of the neon Popsicle!

The lighted Popsicle is now in the museum.  Along with a cast of his foot!  Man, that is one big foot!

And we bid a fond farewell to Vulcan!  On to the next statue chase!

Catch us down the road!!

Jenny :)