By MOLLY DAVIDSON / Staff Writer

MT LAUREL—Birmingham has not always been the city it is today. Stop by the Mt Laurel Library on Sept. 17 to learn about Birmingham’s early “wild west” days from historian Jim Phillips.

Phillips is an avid Alabama history buff, with a special interest in the 19th century. He has produced numerous history videos and travels around the state to give talks at senior clubs, churches, libraries, historical societies and retirement communities.

Phillips’ talk at the Mt Laurel library will cover a variety of aspects of early Birmingham between 1871 and 1915, including epidemics, medical care and tales of the wild world of saloons in the mining city.

“It deals with the wilder days of older Birmingham,” Phillips said.

Phillips will bring the stories to life with artifacts from the time period, including coins and old bottles that contained patent medication and snake oil medication, or “outright quackery,” as Phillips characterizes it.

“There was not an understanding of contagious diseases,” Phillips said. “The streets were mud, the best streets were cobblestone.”

Phillips’ passion for Alabama history was sparked by his interest in collecting historic bottles and love for exploring historic sites.

“I started hunting old bottles,” Phillips said, explaining that interest led him to begin researching where the bottles came from, the industry surrounding their production and more. “After a while, you get a great, complete picture of early Birmingham.”

Following his talk, Phillips said he will stay at the library to appraise old coins, paper money and bottles. If guests have several of these items at their home, Phillips invited them to bring the items along for him to look at.

Phillips will be at the Mt Laurel Library on Thursday, Sept. 17. His talk will be from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. The talk is free to attend. Guests are welcome to bring lunch, and coffee, lemonade and desserts will be provided by the library.