Midfield, Alabama

When people think about Birmingham and its many surrounding suburbs, they normally think of Hoover, Mountain Brook, Bessemer or even Fairfield but rarely do they think of Midfield.  Like its name, Midfield is snuggled in the middle between Fairfield and Bessemer.  According to the 2013 census, Midfield boasted a population of 5,284.

Midfield, in comparison to its sister suburbs, is a baby having been incorporated as recently as 1953.

Early settlers were attracted to the Midfield area because of its natural springs, one of which, Hawkins Spring, can still be seen in the Midfield Municipal Park.  The spring was named for the earliest settler in the area, arriving prior to 1830.  His name was Williamson Hawkins.  His son, Davis built a house beside the spring.

Portrait of Williamson and Betsy Hawkins of unknown date

Williamson Hawkins was related to David Crockett and when his first son was born, he named the child David Crockett Hawkins.  When David Hawkins married Mary Finley in 1831, his father gave the young couple land which surrounded the Big Blue Spring (now Midfield).  David selected a high site near the spring upon which to build his home.  He selected "the Carolina plan", which were two or more rooms connected by a long hallway or dogtrot.  The house was built of cedar logs and soon became a center of gracious hospitality for weary travelers who stopped at the spring to drink.

Photo of Hawkins Spring at some point in the early 1900's

  

Photo of Hawkins Spring located in the Brookwood City Park taken in 2013

The Civil War was devastating to the Hawkins family.  David and his wife, Mary, died a short time after the war.  With the coming of the industrial era in Jefferson County, Williamson eventually sold his property to Samuel Thomas of Pennsylvania, one of the founders of Republic Steel and Iron Company, which still stands today.  The land around the great spring was eventually developed.

The Bessemer Super Highway very narrowly missed the Old Hawkins Cemetery that is located at the corner of Woodward Road and the Bessemer Super Highway.  It came so close that many of the headstones had to be moved.  The cemetery is now known as the Walnut Grove Cemetery.

The land around the spring was sold after the civil war to the Hawkins Spring Land Company, and the spring became a popular recreational area for people from Birmingham and Bessemer, who traveled there on two separate streetcar lines.  

The Midfield community actually started in the late 1920s by Alandale Land Company, with paved streets and sidewalks.  Lots went up for sale but only three houses were actually completed.  They tried to develop the land, laying out streets and subdividing lots, dubbing the town Midfield.  Unfortunately this project began in 1929, right as the Great Depression hit and development was halted until 1941, when the Belcher Building Corporation purchased 700 acres and constructed and sold 450 houses.

World War II once again put a halt to the development.  After the war, Belcher again spearheaded a housing boom in the town.  In 1952 Midfield became part of the Jefferson County School System, which constructed an elementary school there in 1952.  After overtures from the city of Fairfield to annex Midfield, city leaders decided to pursue incorporation, which they achieved in 1953.  The city has since left the Jefferson County school system and established its own system.  Midfield grew by annexing the McDonald's and Wilkes communities in 1961 and the Rutledge Heights and Fairfield Highlands communities in 1967.

The first Midfield City budget was approximately $15,000.  By 1958 there were 40 businesses in Midfield.   It was during this time that a new sport was born.  A group of citizens purchased land and built a new kind of racetrack, which they named the "Dixie Speedway".  Many of the young rookies got their start at this speedway who would later become stars of the sport.  Thousands of spectators came to the speedway to see the races and many of the exisitng NASCAR rules and regulations were establsihed and refined there.  

Among the first businesses in Midfield was the W.V.O.K. Radio, which went on air with 50,000 watts in 1947.  For 25 years, they hosted local music events and remained a Midfield staple until they moved to Oxford, AL.

Whereas initially the Chamber of Commerce listed 40 businesses in Midfield in 1958, in November, 2010 the Midfield Area Chamber of Commerce decided to invite all business owners and managers in Midfield to an open house.  They did a business survey and mailing labels were created for 181 Midfield businesses.

While Midfield may not be a common name to many people in the Metro area, I'm sure the residents of this small suburb are happy to have escaped the often notorious reputations of some of its neighboring suburbs.  

According to City-Data.com, there have been 12 murders between 2001 and 2013 in comparison to 43 in neighboring Fairfield and 57 in Bessemer.  The crime index number for Midfield is 549.8 with Fairfield sitting at 1006.9 and Bessemer at 1068.8.

Whatever they're doing in Midfield, it appears to be working rather well.