In response to the explosive growth of industry in Birmingham, entrepreneurs and young families sought quieter areas to call home. The search led them to Shades Mountain, an area replete with flowering dogwood and pink honeysuckle—pure wilderness. There were no paved roads, no public services, and no merchants nearer than Homewood. Still, those seeking respite from the soot (of the steel mills) lingering over the "Magic City" persevered, establishing homesteads, stores, communities of worship, and basic public services. While the contributions of some of the area's early pioneers—men like Edgar S. Smyer, George Ward, and Charles Byrd—are well documented, Images of America: Vestavia Hills contains lesser-known stories of citizens who helped shape the "city on top of the mountain."
Author Rebecca Cybulsky Walden is a lifelong resident of Vestavia Hills. She remembers East with classroom trailers, Central without a lunchroom, and weeklong trips to Wesley Woods. Autumn meant Rebel Girl outfits and Friday nights in the front row of Thomson-Reynolds Stadium, and springtime meant Vestavia Belle attire and hosting city events. In 2013, she moved into Coventry, one of the city's most beloved neighborhoods—the same one where Rebecca's parents brought her home as a newborn in 1977.