Cahaba Project "Slagheap Village" - Trussville
N 33° 37.711 W 086° 36.313
16S E 536615 N 3721037
The Cahaba Project, also known as "Slagheap Village," is a WPA housing project built in the 1930's on "slagheap" land vacated by the old Trussville, AL iron furnace.
Waymark Code: WM1R77
Location: Alabama, United States
Date Posted: 06/29/2007
Views: 115
The Cahaba Village historic district was built with funds allocated by the Roosevelt "New Deal" administration. Trussville's Mall in the center of the historical district was designed to resemble the Mall in Washington, D.C. with the school and commissary (now the Chamber of Commerce) anchoring the east end. This district contains 287 residential units consisting of triplexes, duplexes and single family homes. These homes were originally rented to families, before being offered for sale in the early 1940's. The area had schools, sewer, indoor bathroom facilities, paved streets with curbs and gutters, parks and sidewalks. This was the first planned unit development in Trussville and is still a very desired address to this day. All homes had lots large enough for a garden spot with a shed to house a cow and chickens. Remember, this was established during the Great Depression. The City of Trussville has received a historical designation for the Cahaba Homestead Village Historic District from the Alabama Historical Preservation Commission and has been listed on the National Historic Register in Washington D.C.
Given coordinates are for the old commissary (see picture) at the end of the central mall.
Marker Name: Cahaba Project "Slagheap Village"
Marker Type: Urban
Addtional Information::
Historic marker reads:
A government project under President Franklin D. Roosevelt A total of 243 houses and 44 duplex units were constructed from 1936-1938 at an overall cost of $2,661,981.26. Cahaba residents rented from the government until 1947, when the houses and duplexes were sold to individuals at prices ranging from $4,400 to $9,000 each.
Date Dedicated / Placed: Erected 1999 by Alabama Historical Association / Trussville Historical Board.
Marker Number: AL201
|
Visit Instructions:
Please post a photo of you OR your GPS at the marker location. Also if you know of any additional links not already mentioned about this bit of Alabama history please include that in your log.