Revisiting the Ensley Steel Works

Back in October, I posted some photos from a visit to the Ensley Steel Works in Birmingham that had occurred about a year prior to that past. Yet I recently developed a roll of Kodak BW400CN that was shot on my Canon EOS 3; the film contains shots from several outings dating back more than two years. That roll contain several shots from U.S. Steel's Ensley Steel Works that I had forgotten that I had even taken, some of which I liked even better than the similar photos taken on the Panasonic LX3, which can be seen in the previous post (linked above).

For additional photos of this ilk, I have also previously posted about Republic Steel's East Thomas Plant in Birmingham.

The Ensley Steel Works, Property of US Steel

The Tennessee Coal, Iron, and Railroad Company (TCI) established its largest production facility in Ensley, Alabama, at the site that has subsequently become known as the Ensley Works. According to John Stewart, "The Ensley Works became a very significant steel property and was key in the growth and development of the Birmingham District as a steel and particularly a rail manufacturing center." Eventually, US Steel purchased TCI and procured control of the Ensley Works.

1909 Panorama of the Ensley Works :: Copyright Deposit, Haines Photo Co., January 14, 1909

In August of 2010, several friends and I came upon this site while out looking for another site, which turned out to be less interesting than had been hoped for. We spent several hours checking the place out, but I wasn't really prepared for an in-depth photo session, not having either of my nicer cameras nor a tripod on me at the time. Hopefully, there will be an opportunity to return in the not-too-distant future, with proper equipment in tow.