A relic of the Industrial Age holds much more history than it appears at first glance. Recognized as the birthplace of Birmingham, the Sloss Furnaces, at its prime, bolstered the local economy as Alabama’s highest pig iron producer. After 90 years of operation, Sloss Furnaces was slated for demolition in 1977 until the people of Birmingham had something to say about it. As one of the city’s most iconic sites, residents wanted to save the site and its buildings. Sloss stands today as the only twentieth-century blast furnace recognized as a historic landmark, and with community attention and preservation, it serves as a great educational destination.
Educational Opportunities
Sloss has become an epicenter for youth education, with its unique collections, extensive research library, and hands-on approach to teaching its history. School group tours take visitors through the historic grounds, featuring age-old machinery, the history behind how Sloss shaped Birmingham, and the stories of the men who made it all possible. Students can touch, see, and learn through larger-than-life visuals and walk in the footsteps of steelworkers who helped contribute to the local economy, war efforts, and transportation. Guided tours are a one-hour program led by trained docents.
Hands-On Programs
Students will feel the heat with a hands-on education program designed to engage their artistic side. Sloss has one of the world’s largest iron arts programs. For young minds, the Student Tour + Iron Pour invites students to make their own metal art as they learn the importance of metalworking in local history and then see a demonstration of its beauty applied to the arts. Talented metal artists will take students’ creations and pour them in molten iron. At the end of the day, students take home a one-of-a-kind keepsake they helped craft, keeping the day’s memories and lessons with them!
Educational Resources
Further students’ field trip education with post-visit exercises that build on what they learned from their trip. Sloss supports educators with a teacher’s guide full of materials and activities to keep students engaged long after their visit. With lessons on history, science, technology, and art, the program offers an abundance of learning outcomes. And for more hands-on classroom activities, they offer a Discover Sloss Bag. This free resource loans artifacts, maps, documents, and other primary materials that help create an engaging classroom experience and keep students learning.
As Sloss continues to grow as a community center, their commitment to education remains key. Rich in local history and committed to educating youth, this is an ideal field trip destination for teaching students history and the arts. Their programming is designed not only to engage students but also to support educators in continuing education so students can make the most of their visit.
