The Learning Center
Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park

Learn why iron made in a blast furnace was called 'pig iron' and why it was so important to the Confederate war effort.

The Learning Center is coordinated by the Iron and Steel Museum at Tannehill. Everyone is familiar with our camp ground, Trade Days and other events that bring in over a quarter million visitors each year. Fewer people know that the park's 1500 acres contain a surprising number of historical archaeological sites. From pioneer homesteads that date from the first quarter of the 19th century to an array of sites associated with the Civil War Iron Works, to a sharecropper family's home from the last half of the century, nearly every important chapter in the social and economic history of upland Alabama is represented. The Learning Center's archaeological program is actively involved in the study and interpretation of these sites. As our field work advances we plan to make each site a venue in our Side Trails To History Program. Our presentations will draw from a blend of historical research and archaeological investigation to provide a unique perspective on Alabama history.

The Marchant Cabin (ca 1879) serves as our replica Slave home. Its interior in particular, is very similar to the houses that once stood in the Quarters.

The Side Trails To History Program - Fall 2009
Our program this Fall will focus on the findings of three years of archaeological field work at the slave quarters where workers and their families lived during the Civil War. Content follows the Alabama Course of Studies, social studies 4th grade.

Stops on the hike:

The Nature Trail; How building stone, iron ore, and virgin forest timber lured early settlers to the area.
The Blast Furnaces: How pig iron was made and how it was used by the Confederacy.
The Slave Quarters Site; How Archaeologists learned that families once lived here.
The Slave Cabin; How its was for a large family living in a one room cabin.