Westfield is an unincorporated community and former coal mining town in Jefferson County, Alabama.[1] It was a coal mining camp for Tennessee Coal & Iron Co. that was purchased by U.S. Steel and developed as a planned steel worker community that was predominantly African American. It was home to Westfield High School. In 1969 it was described as a model of company owned community with various amenities noted.[2]
Westfield, Alabama | |
|---|---|
  Westfield  Westfield | |
| Coordinates: 33°29′04″N 86°56′25″W / 33.48444°N 86.94028°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alabama |
| County | Jefferson |
| Elevation | 564 ft (172 m) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Area code(s) | 205, 659 |
| GNIS feature ID | 128808[1] |
Star professional baseball player Willie Mays was born in Westfield in 1931.[3] Lawyer and former judge U. W. Clemon grew up in Westfield.[4]
Rev. Clarence S. Reeves wrote a history of the high school. It closed with desegregation. Alumni remained active in subsequent years.[5] In 2013 the film Westfield: Struggles to Success about Westfield High School debuted.[4]
Early in businessman A. G. Gaston's career he worked in the mines around Westfield. After his return from military service in Europe during World War I, he "was as a labourer with the Tennessee Coal & Iron Co. in Westfield, Alabama where his interest in entrepreneurship began to surface."[6]
History
Built for the Tennessee Coal & Iron Co. (TCI), Westfield was subsequently purchased by U.S. Steel. The community was planned to be developed as a predominantly African-American steel worker community. It was home to Westfield High School. In 1969, it was described as a model of company-owned community with various amenities noted.[7]
In 2013 the film Westfield: Struggles to Success about Westfield High School debuted.[8]
Notable people
- U. W. Clemon (born 1943),[9] Alabama attorney and a former United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.
- A. G. Gaston, (1892–1996), American businessman who established a number of businesses in Birmingham, Alabama. Worked in the TCI mines in Westfield.[10]
- Willie Mays (1931-2024), former Major League Baseball player and member of the baseball Hall Of Fame for the New York / San Francisco Giants[9]
See also
- Fairfield, Alabama, a nearby U.S. Steel company town