Martha Wurtele

Homewood Martha Wurtele

Shades Valley was primarily used as a hunting ground by Native Americans until the arrival of the first white settlers in the 1830s. During Birmingham's industrial boom in the 1870s, "Out of the Smoke Zone, Into the Ozone" became the promoters' cry to move "Over the Mountain" into what was then called Clifton. By 1926, Rosedale, Edgewood, and Grove Park were established neighborhoods, and under the leadership of Charles Rice they incorporated to form the city of Homewood. The new community had luxurious amenities like the Hillcrest Country Club and the Birmingham Motor and Country Club at Edgewood Lake, which was accessible via the Edgewood Electric Railway. Nearly 100 years later, through much growth and change, Homewood has maintained its small-town feel while adapting to the ever-changing culture of today.