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Westfield, Alabama

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Former populated place in Alabama, U.S.

Unincorporated community in Alabama, United States
Westfield, Alabama
Unincorporated community
Westfield is located in AlabamaWestfieldWestfieldShow map of AlabamaWestfield is located in the United StatesWestfieldWestfieldShow map of the United States
Coordinates: 33°29′04″N 86°56′25″W / 33.48444°N 86.94028°W / 33.48444; -86.94028
CountryUnited States
StateAlabama
CountyJefferson
Elevation564 ft (172 m)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Area code(s)205, 659
GNIS feature ID128808

Westfield is an unincorporated community and former coal mining town in Jefferson County, Alabama. 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.

Star professional baseball player Willie Mays was born in Westfield in 1931. Lawyer and former judge U. W. Clemon grew up in Westfield.

Rev. Clarence S. Reeves wrote a history of the high school. It closed with desegregation. Alumni remained active in subsequent years. In 2013 the film Westfield: Struggles to Success about Westfield High School debuted.

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."

History

Built 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.

In 2013 the film Westfield: Struggles to Success about Westfield High School debuted.

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ^ "Westfield". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. Bond, Horace Mann (January 22, 1969). Negro Education in Alabama: A Study in Cotton and Steel.
  3. Brown, Dottie (January 10, 2001). Alabama. Lerner Publications. ISBN 978-0-8225-4067-0.
  4. ^ "New film remembers long-gone West Jefferson community of Westfield, home of Mays, Clemon". al.com. August 2, 2013.
  5. https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/f220b92b-163d-4dc9-96b6-505ff48141b6/downloads/WHO%2520WILL%2520REMEMBER%2520WESTFIELD%2520WHEN%2520WE_RE%2520GONE.pdf%3Fver%3D1601166147323
  6. The Weekly Gleaner, February 6–12, 2003
  7. Bond, Horace Mann (June 30, 1969). "Negro Education in Alabama: A Study in Cotton and Steel". Octagon Books – via Google Books.
  8. 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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. Jenkins, Carol (February 2004). "Remembering Arthur G. Gaston: A Titan's First Step". blackenterprise.com. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
Municipalities and communities of Jefferson County, Alabama, United States
County seat: Birmingham
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Map of Alabama highlighting Jefferson County
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