
The Tower

There was a time, in the area that makes up the Cahaba River Wildlife
Management Area, when coal was king. The Cahaba River Basin Coal Fields,
or simply Cahaba Coal Fields, were the foundation of industry and economic
growth during the late 1800s and early 1900s in Shelby County.
Underground mining of the Cahaba Coal Fields was big business from roughly
1870 to the 1950s; it reached its peak between 1900 and 1929. Small mining
towns and camps sprang up all along the Cahaba River wherever the mining company
established a new dig. Some of the towns were Marvel, Gurnee Junction,
Coalena, Piper, West Blocton, Mayberry, Pea Ridge, Dogwood, Boothton, Coalmont,
Scratch Ankle, and many more.
The underground mining of coal was hard and often dangerous work.
The pay was not great, but there were other benefits. The miners were
provide health care and often the mining companies would build schools and
churches for the families in the mining towns. Miners were also provided with
low cost housing for themselves and their families, and the coal companies
maintained a "company store" in most all of the towns. On Saturdays, most
of the stores would stay open late to allow the miners and their families to
shop.
As you drive through Marvel (and most any of the other old mining towns),
you can see many of the homes that the miners used back in the hey day of mining
in the Cahaba Coal Field. Marvel, as well as all of the other "coal towns", were
thriving communities. Try and imagine the vibrant community that once was
Marvel, AL. Imagine a water tower in her prime, overlooking the miners and
their families on a lazy Saturday afternoon as they shop and visit with friends.

Marvel, AL
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Imagine "her" grandure during her prime. |
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The old water tower in Marvel, AL. |
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Reclaimed Coal Mine |
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Marvel, AL |
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The entrance to the Marvel mine... |
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Mine Structure |
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The reclaimed mine has numerous interesting structures. |
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