Westfield, Alabama | |
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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] |
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]
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 Successabout 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]
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]