Alabama Iron Works

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

From the record

“The Cedar Creek Furnace is a former blast furnace site near Russellville in Franklin County, Alabama, United States. It was the first iron ore furnace in Alabama, preceding an industry that would come to dominate the state's economy in the late 19th and early 20th century.”
Wikipedia article Cedar Creek Furnace, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 3 National Register listings published here for Franklin County · listed in 1977 · category: Site.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

Address. S of Russellville off U.S. 43, Russellville, 35653
When was it listed? August 1977
Category. site
Census division. Russellville
National Register reference number. 77000203 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Fires near this property

108 since 1997

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 108 fires within 5 miles of Alabama Iron Works between 1997 and 2019, burning about 1,534 acres in total. None started naturally. 55 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause	Fires
Arson/incendiarism	55
Debris and open burning	28
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	15
Railroad operations and maintenance	4
Smoking	3
Equipment and vehicle use	1
Fireworks	1
Power generation/transmission/distribution	1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
9 September 2010	Arson/incendiarism	17 acres	Alabama Forestry Commission	not named
9 September 1999	Arson/incendiarism	20 acres	Alabama Forestry Commission	not named
7 September 2010	Arson/incendiarism	under an acre	Alabama Forestry Commission	not named
7 September 1999	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	5.0 acres	Alabama Forestry Commission	not named
6 September 2019	Debris and open burning	2.0 acres	Alabama Forestry Commission	20190906-1
6 September 2000	Debris and open burning	11 acres	Alabama Forestry Commission	not named
4 September 2000	Debris and open burning	7.0 acres	Alabama Forestry Commission	not named
22 September 2010	Arson/incendiarism	2.0 acres	Alabama Forestry Commission	not named

Every fire recorded in Franklin County

Mines and quarries near this property

10 of 155 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 155 workings within 5 miles of Alabama Iron Works: 132 unknowns, 14 occurrences, 4 past producers, 3 producers. 5 still produce. What was taken out: Iron, Limestone, Dimension, Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Site	Commodity	Status
Russellville Quarry	Stone, Crushed/Broken	Producer
Rockwood Crushed Stone Plant	Limestone, Dimension	Plant
Rockwood Mine	Limestone, Dimension	Producer
Auxford	Iron	Unknown
Blackburn	Iron	Unknown
Blackburn Mine	Iron	Past Producer
Blacklidge Tract	Iron	Occurrence
Cedar Creek	Iron	Unknown
Douglas	Iron	Unknown
Ensley-Sloss Number 1	Iron	Unknown

Every working recorded in Franklin County

Storms near this property

60 of 100 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Russellville, the town this property stands in, in 100 storm reports between 1994 and 2026: 53 thunderstorm wind, 32 hail, 7 flash flood, 3 funnel cloud. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
July 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$100,000	A microburst from a collapsing severe thunderstorm produced significant damage within the town of Russellville. Most structures in downtown received damage of some magnitude, including windows being blown out, portions of roofs being torn off, and large trees being blown down. Eyewitnesses indicated the storm came up very suddenly and did not last long.
June 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$50,000	A large McDonald's sign was blown down in Russellville.
May 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$40,000	Six power poles were reported damaged at the Russellville Industrial Park. Utility personnel reported the damage was in a half of a mile area. They reported the center pole was reported broken off at the phone line connection. The other five poles around this center pole were blown down around the pole.
April 2011	Lightning	Russellville	$25,000	Lightning struck a house in the town of Russellville.
April 1999	Lightning	Russellville	$25,000	Lightning struck a service station and started a fire. The gas station sustained considerable damage.
June 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$25,000	Several trees were down, including one on a barn and one on a car, in the Tharptown community.
April 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$25,000	Trees and power lines were reported down due to strong wind in Phil Campbell in the southeast part of Franklin County.
August 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$20,000	Numerous trees and several power lines were downed by thunderstorm winds.
August 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$20,000	A downburst blew over an old barn and knocked down several trees near the intersection of Highways 243 and 24.
March 2010	Lightning	Russellville	$15,000	Lightning struck the top of a water tower which then fell 75 feet onto a home in Russellville.
March 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$15,000	no account filed
March 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$10,000	A tree fell over the road and onto a car on Waterloo Road. Time estimated by radar.
June 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$10,000	A few trees were downed by thunderstorm winds along Gravel Hill Road.
September 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$10,000	A few trees were downed by thunderstorm winds on Fairview road near Atwood.
June 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$8,000	Multiple trees were reported down in the Russellville area.
October 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$8,000	Trees were reported downed by the wind across parts of northern Russellville. Police officers reported trees down on North Jackson Street, Waterloo Road, Peach Street, and Willis Avenue.
March 1996	Hail	Russellville	$8,000	no account filed
November 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$7,000	Several trees were knocked down along CR 48, northeast of Russellville. The tin roofs were blown off several outbuildings in the same area.
May 1997	Hail	Russellville	$7,000	no account filed
September 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$6,000	A few trees were blown down on East Lawrence Street.
August 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$6,000	Numerous trees were blown down across the northeastern part of Franklin County.
March 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$6,000	no account filed
December 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$5,000	Multiple trees were knocked down in the county. Power outages in Russellville.
March 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$5,000	A tree was downed by thunderstorm winds onto a structure on College Avenue in Russellville, Alabama.
June 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$5,000	Several trees were knocked down. Power outages reported around Russellville. Time estimated by radar.
May 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$5,000	Thunderstorm winds knocked down several trees and power lines throughout Russellville.
March 1999	Hail	Russellville	$5,000	Dime to quarter sized hail was reported in Russellville.
July 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$5,000	Large trees were downed across Highway 24 near Russellville.
June 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$5,000	EMA reported trees down along U.S. Highway 43 about three miles north of Russellville.
July 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$4,000	Trees were blown down west of Russellville.
May 1997	Hail	Russellville	$4,000	no account filed
June 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$3,000	A tree was blown down at the intersection of Cross Street and Lawrence Street.
June 1997	Hail	Russellville	$3,000	Three-quarter inch hail fell in Russellville.
June 1997	Hail	Russellville	$3,000	Three-quarter inch hail was reported just east of Russellville.
November 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$2,000	Trees and power lines were blown down along CR 48 in Russellville.
July 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$2,000	no account filed
December 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$1,000	A tree was knocked down at the intersection of George Wallace Highway and Lakeview Lane. Time estimated by radar.
October 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$1,000	Trees were blown down on Laurence Street on the southern edge of town.
October 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$1,000	The 24-hour warning point reported that three trees were downed by the wind in Russellville.
November 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$1,000	Several trees were blown down east of Russellville near Waco.
March 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$500	A tree was knocked down onto a house.
March 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$500	A tree was knocked down on East Lawrence Street.
July 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$500	Several trees down in the Russellville area.
December 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	$200	A large tree was knocked down in downtown Russellville. Report via social media.
February 2026	Hail	Russellville	-	Ping pong ball sized hail was reported in in the north side of Russellville.
September 2025	Flash Flood	Russellville	-	EMA reports water running over numerous roadways in Russellville. Depth of water estimated at 6 to 8 inches of water over several roads, with less affecting others.
March 2024	Hail	Russellville	-	Hail of 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter was reported in the Russellville are. Hail size was estimated from pictures.
April 2024	Hail	Russellville	-	Quarter sized hail was reported north of Russellville. Time estimated by radar.
May 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	-	Multiple trees were knocked down across Russellville, including one on a house. Time estimated by radar.
February 2020	Flash Flood	Russellville	-	EMA reports several roads closed in Russellville due to water covering the road. Water depth unknown at this time, but most roadside drainage ditches and creeks were also overflowing their banks at the time of the report.
December 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	-	Trees and power lines were knocked down on Duncan Creek Road past the football stadium. Report obtained via scanner. Time estimated by radar.
December 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	-	Trees and power lines were knocked down near Mahan Avenue and Liberty Avenue. A tree was knocked down onto a home. Relayed via social media. Time estimated by radar.
March 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	-	Trees and power lines were knocked down along Highway 43.
November 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	-	Widespread trees were knocked down in and along Cave Hollow Road and in several locations north of this area up to the Colbert County line. Some power power lines were knocked down.
April 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	-	A tree was knocked down.
July 2016	Hail	Russellville	-	Franklin EMA reports quarter size hail near Russellville.
July 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	-	A few trees were blown down across the eastern portion of Franklin County.
March 2015	Hail	Russellville	-	Nickel sized hail was reported.
April 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Russellville	-	Multiple trees and powerlines were knocked down northwest of Russellville High School.
April 2014	Tornado (EF1)	Russellville	-	A tornado first touched down along Whitten Road near the intersection of Willis Road on the northwest side of Russellville. Trees were uprooted in this area and small trees were snapped. The tornado tracked northeast approaching the school complex. Here a tree was snapped and fell onto a house along Clay Avenue causing significant structural damage. The school complex along Summit Avenue sustained damage to its athletic fields and one awning at the elementary school was damaged. Across the street several trees were snapped near the base and a home sustained minor roof damage.\|\|The tornado then appeared to weaken briefly with only very light damage noted over the next 2 miles before touching back down near Alpine Street. Here numerous hardwoods were twisted, mangled, and snapped. Several trees fell on houses causing substantial structural damage. The tornado reached its maximum intensity of EF-1 with a width of approximately 100 yards. Interviews with several residents indicated that they observed a multiple funnel type of tornado track across the neighborhood. The tornado lifted northeast and weakened as it produced minor tree damage along Mountain View Drive before dissipating.

Every storm recorded in Franklin County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

1 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Photograph	Property	Distance	Listed
	Russellville Commercial Historic District	3.9 miles	2019

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 77000203 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia article	Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Franklin County	All 3 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.