Bessemer, AL news and local guide

The city was founded by the Bessemer Land and Improvement Company, named for Henry Bessemer and owned by coal magnate Henry F. DeBardeleben, who had inherited Daniel Pratt's investments. Bessemer was incorporated on September 9, 1887, and grew so quickly that its promoters thought it might overtake Birmingham. With iron ore, coal and limestone nearby, it was a steelmaking center from about 1890 through the 20th century, drawing rural Southerners and European immigrants, and by the 1950s most of its residents were African American. Steel is no longer made there. In 1907 Greek immigrant Tom Bonduris opened the Bright Star cafe, which moved to its present building in 1915 and calls itself Alabama's oldest restaurant; the Koikos family bought into it in 1925. H. W. Sweet, the city's first undertaker, built his Sweet Home in 1906, and his son Henry W. Sweet later helped bring the University of Alabama Medical Center to Birmingham. Sources Wikipedia: Bessemer, Alabama The Historical Marker Database: The Bessemer Site (Bessemer Hall of History Museum and the University of Alabama Museums) The Historical Marker Database: Bright Star / Koikos Restaurant; Sweet Home / Henry W. Sweet