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OM Ntnifbcrti NiHrl at MewBirminghamGaspedinA Bicentennial Edition cannot be written about Rusk without mentioningits once thriving neighbor. New Birmingham.A town based on iron ore, New Birmingham burst upon the Texas scene in 1888 when an Alabamian saw possibilities of another Birmingham, Ala . with its iron industry The man, Alexander Blevins, was an enterprising salesman who sold sewing machines from town to town for a living.He saw the large deposits of iron ore in the Rusk area which some ‘experts’ later predicted could supply SO blast furnaces for 50-100 years Blevins must have been some kind of persuader as he interested New York investors to sink a cool million dollars in the East Texas iron ore project.With Capt. E. L. Gregg, the father of E R Gregg of Gregg Insurance, as one of the board of directors. Blevins helped form the Cherokee Land It Iron Co.in March 1888 The president of the growing enterprise was from New York while the vice president hailed from St Louis. Mo. Stories written about local support of New Birmingham note that the people of Rusk and surrounding cities weren't ready to sink their money in a ‘fly by night' project. Then, too, people still referred to ‘northerners’ and ‘southerners' in describing people at that time and the president of the iron ore company was from New York which is definitely northThe fast-talking Blevins must have told the prospective investors about the lack of competition 'within a 500 mile radius (the nearest being in Alabama): the large supply of iron ore that was available: the available market for their product. the easyaccessibility of processing at the penitentiary: accessibility of a railroad Hoe to transport their products. and a large labor force to supply the manpower.Blevins and his brother-in-law, W. H. Hammons, thought ahead and purchased land options for thousands of acres that contained the iron ere.When the New York investors agreed to go in onthe amgupe. Capt Gregg and ■mini began planning Hie City of New Birmingham which was on the southern outskirts of Rusk off Texas II where the Texas Highway Department’s warehouse is located. The first lot wassold Oct 12, 1M and the city was incorporated inSept. IW.Showing the influence of the Cherokee Land t Iron, the first mayorwas JOe D. Baber, a land agent far the company.The first furnace that went into operation was christened “Tassie Belle in honor of Mrs. Blevins. It spewed out 58 tons of car wheel pig iron per day and required 271 men to work to the furnace A second furnace. the Star and Crescent, went into operation in 1891 and cost 8175.000 and required 300 menAn old resident of Rusk in the 1930s noted that most of the iron went to the Dickson car wheel plant at Houston where it was used for the manufacturing of car wheels for the Southern Pacific railwayThe City of New Birmingham bustled withactivitv as new businessesaflocked to the Iron Queen of the Southwest as it was beginning to be known Much of the town's public relations work can be contributed to the New Birmingham Times newspaper which was established Feb 23. 1889 In 1889. the Times boasted 1.500 residents and 400 buildingsSome ot the businesses listed were F W. Bonner Sons Bank: New Birmingham Wagon and Plow Factory (which could put you behind the driver's seat of a luxurious wagon for a mere 145); New Birmingham Building Co.: J D Baker Brick Co (which had an output of 25.000 bricks per day); New Birmingham Pipe Works (manufactured 25 tons ofpipe per day); New Birmingham Lumber Co.; Bottling Works; Carriage Shop; New Birmingham Planing, Sash and Door Factory; Steam laundry: an electric light plant; Ice and Manufacturing Co ; The Pioneer Hardware Store; the Southern Hotel; and a number of saloonsOver the vears. articles»appearing in The Cher okeean and other newspapers relate how rough New Birmingham was A saloon keeper in town appears to have been in league with the city under taker as he was constant I v giving him business through his many gun fights Justice was quick in those days as many hang ings were also noted by oldtimersOne old man fondlv recalled the street rail road which ran from Rusk to New Birmingham and seemed to stop at each saloon on its route of travelThe highlight of any visitor's excursion to New Birmingham was an over night stay in the 99 room Southern Hotel Theelegant hoslerlv was three stories high and was surrounded bv balconies Its bar and dining room was comparable to the finest ot the noted New York hotels of those days, according to some accountsPeople reminiscing about the old hotel recall the three magnolia trees which grew in front of it and enhanced its beautv Those same three magnolias in a cluster are still growing at the hotel site which is now Clayton Isaacs Mobile Home Park on Texas 09The town returned to the earth as fast as it sprang from it The Panic of 1893 was created by the Alien I^and I^iw which Gov. James Stephen Hogg, a native of Rusk, helped to pass through the state legislature The iron ore industr\ was in bad need of investors during that time and a deal was almost worked out with some Englishmen When theylearned of the state's Alien l*ind I,aw w hich prevented foreign investors from investing their money in Texas, they tried to change Gov Hogg's stand at a large banquet in his honor at the Southern Hotel in New BirminghamThe governor refused to budge from his position and this sounded the death knell for the aspiring metropolis The Tassie Belle furnace was blow n in 1893 The furnace's destruction marked the end ot the towns existence Deterred payments on lots previously sold were defaulted in 1892 People began moving away during thi^ period and bv the 19t)0s the town was listed among the many ghost towns in TexasThe ground swallowed up New Birmingham but area residents still pass stories down from generation to generation The last vestige of the old town up in smoke, literally, the evening before April Fools Day in 1928 Nature pulled its last cruel joke on New Birmingham on that dayand finally left it alone... mainly because there wasn't anything left of the Iron Queen of the Southwest Chalybeate Spring*—Prom kin* Rewort Area near Ru*k in 1888This photograph of the famous mineral springs near Rusk is from the New Birmingham brochure of (KM! TheStandard Enterprise, an ancestor of The Cherokeean. reported in its issue Mar. 14. IHMM. Everybody should visit the celebrate Chalybeate Spring* three miles northeast of the town of Rusk. The grounds around the springs and the park has been fitted up for puMtc gatherings. There is a speaker's stand built of solid masonry and heavy timbers. Seats w id be erected before spring comes. East Texas affords no better place for comfort, convenience, enjoy ment and health than these duly celebrated f halvheate Springs Mr Martin informs us that the first week in May of this year will be a free week, that is all campers at the springs will be allowed to use the water free of charge and will also hr allowed to ase wood free. Sometime during the free week everybody will be invited to take part in the grand picnic Further Information a Hoot these springs will appear fmin time to lime in the StandardEnterprise.
Newspaper Details
Rusk Cherokeean
Rusk, Texas, US
Thu, Jun 24, 1976
Page 51
Full Page
Clipped by
Max B.
USA 05 Oct 2018
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