Atop Ruffner Mountain

Atop Birmingham's Ruffner Mountain sits the abandoned Wharton Fire Tower.The tower, built in 1941, fell into disuse in the '70s once increased development and cheap aircraft fire spotting obsoleted the tower.

During its time of use, one or two men would climb the tower and stand vigil, looking for fires in the forests. If one was spotted, they used a rangefinding device to relay the location of the fire to the proper authorities. The tower also served as a mounting point for a radio navigation beacon, aiding pilots on their way to the Birmingham Municipal Airport. Today, the tower is used for a Birmingham School educational program, and possibly for some other radio services. The hum of electrical equipment can be heard coming from the locked doors of the building at the base of the tower. Entry to the top of the tower requires a tall ladder, as the stairs leading to ground level have been removed, climbing safety equipment, and a strong nerve. Many of the wooden stairs are rotted or missing altogether. The doors to the transmitter building have bullet holes in them.

Ruffner No.2 Redux - On Film

I can't imagine a more unforgiving environment in which to shoot low speed film than a pitch black abandoned iron ore mine.
I accepted the challenge, and upon my return to Ruffner No.2, I used my OM-2n and Ektar 100 film to capture the trip.

Ruffner Mine No.1

Ruffner No.1 started off as a drift mining site, and later was upgraded to slope mining. These mines produced huge amounts of iron ore for the Sloss blast furnaces.
Today, the mines are abandoned, and partially flooded. It is quite large inside, and there are bats sleeping on the ceiling of the lower levels.


The entrance to the mine is a simple hole in the ground.






Fun with light painting.










The Ice Lake.


There were dozens of sleeping bats in the mine, clinging to the ceilings. They didn't seem to mind our lights. If you find yourself visiting a mine or cave and find bats, please do not disturb them. The bat in this picture is a Gray Bat, a species native to the south which is nearly endangered.

Ruffner No. 3 Mine

The Ruffner No. 3 mine slope began producing iron ore in 1908. The site closed years before Ruffner No. 2 was modernized in 1939. Today, the mine is flooded only a short way down.

This Ole Mine - Ruffner No. 2

Mining was done at Ruffner No. 2 as early as 1886, and work on this slope mine began in 1908. This mine fed the Sloss blast furnaces, and helped to shape Birmingham into the city it is today. Activity onsite ceased in 1952, and the mine portal was blocked with dirt and stone. A large explosion at an above ground storage building, presumably from abandoned explosives, occurred onsite in 1971.

Today it sits much the same as it was then. The only break in the dark, eerie silence of this black hole are a few sporadic water drops, and a tiny underground stream.

For the first time known : Ruffner - Illuminated.

DANGER : Do not enter unless you are prepared to risk bad air and cave ins.







This passageway ended suddenly into a wall. Ruffner No.2 was once connected with another mine that sat just to the east, and this wall is the sealed portal that once allowed mine carts to travel across the valley to the next mine. A closer picture can be seen in my March 2014 Ruffner No.2 on Film post.















Above ground structure



Three story tall ore crusher