A cooperative activity of The University of Toledo Urban Affairs Center and the Toledo/Lucas County Public Library.

Excerpt from the Introduction:

Birmingham is a place, but it is much more than that. This book will tell you what it is and what it has meant to those with roots in Birmingham. But place is the best way to begin for it was Birmingham's location on the Maumee River that caused it to become a neighborhood.

Birmingham came to be because factories were built along its eastern border, the Maumee River. Factories related to the steel industry needed convenient housing for their workers. The neighborhood developers chose the name Birmingham, not only because of the steel industry, but also because Birmingham, England, symbolized jobs. People came here to work and so Birmingham was a good name for this place. And there was never a need to change it.

This book is currently out of print. Copies can be requested from: The University of Toledo, Urban Affairs Center, Mail Stop 404, 2801 W. Bancroft St., Toledo, OH 43606. Copies are $18.00; make checks payable to University of Toledo Foundation.

To request a copy of Roots in Birmingham by email, click here. Your email program should open a window with a message to be sent to the UAC. Add any additional information to the message body (such as your name, mailing address, or phone number), and then send the message.