Eureka Coke Ovens
The industrial activity in this area is interesting, as there were a number
of changes to the railroad layout near Helena. Understanding these
changes, in some detail, will assist in understanding the various historical
components and locations of sites.
First, as shown in the previous page, the South and North Alabama RR (S&NA RR) entered the area, during the Civil War, and was likely built by the Red Mountain Coal and Iron Company interests, the developers of the Oxmoor furnace site. Note that these interests also had mutual interests in the S&NA RR. This rail development was fundamental to the development of the Birmingham District, and we know that there was an intricate story about the railroad's themselves. This is the reason that the map on the previous page labels the rail line as the Nashville & Decatur, rather than the S&NA. In any event, the railroad stopped just north of the Cahaba River and it had a spur track going southwest to serve the local mines.
We also know that the this original rail alignment served the Gould ovens, located between Buck Creek and the Cahaba River Crossing, as shown on the HABS HAER layout.
This map by Grieg dated 1889, shows rail spurs to the Eureka and the Morris Mines, and shows the "old" line of the L&N, that would have been adjacent to the Gould ovens.