Shelby, AL

Shelby is an unincorporated community near Lay Lake and Waxahatchee Creek in Shelby County, with its identity tied closely to the ironworks that once stood here. The Shelby Iron Company grew into Alabama's first permanent ironworks and by 1860 included a blast furnace, forge, foundry, rolling mill, church, school, and homes for as many as 300 people. During the Civil War, the plant made iron plate for Confederate naval vessels, including the CSS Tennessee, CSS Huntsville, and CSS Tuscaloosa; enslaved labor was also forced into the works, a part of the site's history that cannot be skipped.

ATTRJet Lowe / Public domain

Today Shelby Iron Works Park preserves the furnaces and chimney along with a museum, sawmill, syrup mill, blacksmith shop, grist mill, steam equipment, and a railroad monument. The park is operated through the Shelby County Historical Society and offers tours and living-history demonstrations by request, as well as seasonal events and fundraisers. The Brick House and Old Shelby Hotel are listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage. Lay Lake, the creek, county roads, and nearby Columbiana give the community its present-day setting. Shelby is a rural place whose name still opens onto a full industrial landscape.