Westfield is an unincorporated community and former coal mining town in Jefferson County, Alabama.[1] It was a coal mining camp for Tennessee Coal & Iron Co. that was purchased by U.S. Steel and developed as a planned steel worker community that was predominantly African American. It was home to Westfield High School. In 1969 it was described as a model of company owned community with various amenities noted.[2]
Star professional baseball player Willie Mays was born in Westfield in 1931.[3] Lawyer and former judge U. W. Clemon grew up in Westfield.[4]
Rev. Clarence S. Reeves wrote a history of the high school. It closed with desegregation. Alumni remained active in subsequent years.[5] In 2013 the film Westfield: Struggles to Success about Westfield High School debuted.[4]
Early in businessman A. G. Gaston's career he worked in the mines around Westfield. After his return from military service in Europe during World War I, he "was as a labourer with the Tennessee Coal & Iron Co. in Westfield, Alabama where his interest in entrepreneurship began to surface."[6]
Built for the Tennessee Coal & Iron Co. (TCI), Westfield was subsequently purchased by U.S. Steel. The community was planned to be developed as a predominantly African-American steel worker community. It was home to Westfield High School. In 1969, it was described as a model of company-owned community with various amenities noted.[7]
In 2013 the film Westfield: Struggles to Success about Westfield High School debuted.[8]