Sloss Furnaces: The Ghosts of Birmingham’s Iron Empire

Entrance to Sloss Furnaces National Monument in Birmingham, Alabama, with rusted towers and catwalks visible beyond the gate

They say you can still hear the hammers ringing at Sloss Furnaces, echoing through the smoke and iron that built Birmingham’s name. But when Dusty and I first tried to visit, the only sound we heard was Murph laughing in the distance. Round One: When Murph Closed the Gates This stop was supposed to be … Read more

Brierfield Ironworks: The Confederate Forge That Armed a War

Ruins of the main brick furnace at Brierfield Ironworks

Alabama Road Trip #2 There’s something about ruins that pull you in—the way time folds itself around stone and iron, how silence can still hum with memory. We hadn’t planned on finding Brierfield. It was one of those “Murph detours” that started with a roadside sign for the Absalom Pratt House and ended with Dusty … Read more

Lost Beneath the Pines: The Forgotten Town of Oriole

Live Oak Tree in the distance from the Withlachoochee trail near Oriole Ghost Town

They say some stories don’t find you until you’re ready to hear them.For me, that story began under the canopy of Withlacoochee pines—where time, moss, and memory have buried a town called Oriole. It took three separate hikes to find it.The first, I wandered alone through the brush, chasing rumors of old chimneys and whispers … Read more