Sloss Furnaces was a major producer of pig iron in Birmingham until the 1970s. Since then it has been converted to an educational historic landmark. It's red silos and ovens are picturesque. Walking through the facilities you will feel enveloped by the architecture, the strange views of large equipment and machinery, the stairways running hither and yon. I felt connected to the brutally hard work that was done by iron workers in years past. There is helpful explanatory material everywhere so you will learn a lot. The gift shop has nice books and explanatory materials. Bring your camera to Sloss; it's great for offbeat portrait work of your friends and family.
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