This year, the nation begins a yearlong celebration marking 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. But 250 years ago, Alabama wasn’t yet a state — it was land home to large Indigenous communities whose presence shaped the region long before statehood.
For America 250, ABC 33/40’s Ashonti Ford takes viewers inside Vulcan Park and Museum, a place where Alabama’s history — from Indigenous homelands to industrial powerhouse — is literally cast in iron.
“Two hundred and fifty years ago, Alabama was not a state,” Ford explains. “It was land for large communities of Indigenous people who would later create the largest cast iron statue in the world.”…