Downtown Mobile

We spent the day in downtown Mobile.  It was a foggy day (the picture was taken in the afternoon) but otherwise fine. 

I had to laugh at the Welcome Center.  They pushed using a shuttle instead of using our personnel car for a driving tour.  After we looked at the map, we realized it wasn’t that long.  So we ended up walking the 2 mile route.  Much easier so we didn’t have to worry about parking or waiting for a shuttle (we never actually saw a shuttle), we got to see more details in architecture, and we got exercise.  Worth it!

Fort Conde has been occupied by the French, British, Spanish, and Americans.  I thought the fort was well preserved until I found out it was a replica of the original fort and was built in 1976!  The museum has many artifacts found while building the new fort that include older pieces like this cool pipe bowls with faces up to semi-modern bottle caps (semi-modern since now we use aluminum cans or plastic bottles).

 

The Church Street Cemetery reminded me of New Orleans.  The graves are raised and iron fences are frequently used.  One of the graves was for Old Joe Cain.  He was the man who renewed the Mardi Gras parades after the Civil War, a tradition that the occupying Northerner troops weren’t familar with.  His grave is covered with Mardi Gras beads and coins.

 

The Phoenix Fire Museum is small but full of equipment and Mobile history.

 

We enjoyed the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.  An organist was practicing Christmas music on the large organ while we were there.  Very nice!

 

Fun Stuff near Mobile

It can’t all be historical.  We stopped at this Greek Byzantine church.  While it said it was supposed to be open, it was closed.  Still, the outside is gorgeous!

At a sports academy there were scrap metal sculptures in the yard.  I loved the balance beam the best, but they were all amusing.

Last Battle of the Civil War

Ironically, there is a battle as to what was the last battle (or major battle) of the Civil War.  It might be Bentonville, NC or Palmito Ranch, TX, or Columbus, GA.  But since we’re in Alabama, we’re going to say it was at Fort Blakeley.  It was fought on the same day that General Lee surrendered at Appomattox but without cell phones or the internet the news didn’t get to Alabama quick enough to stop the battle!

 

The site has a dirt and wood redoubt (a fort system outside the main fort) for both the Union and the Confederates. 

The park also has this large oak tree.  The legend is that Confederate soldiers hid here after the battle.

The part I found amusing was the write up we received to describe the battle.  Everything was about how brave the Confederates were but that the North just had too many soldiers.  About the Confederates, “…southern troops were on continuous duty with little rest, fighting all day and repairing the damaged works at night….First Missouri Brigade, a unit famous since the Vicksburg Campaign…veteran cannoneers….Though most of the efforts failed, favorable results were obtained by making the Yankees overly cautious…Rebels in the woods rallied and continued firing…”  About the North, “…the guns in this position were silenced by the superior shell fire of Confederate Artillery… began taking casualties…they immediately drew fire from the Rebel rifle pits…”

It’s all about your point of view!

Blakeley Ghost Town

 

We’re visiting Mobile for a few days as our holiday trip.  The campgrounds is near the highway, but in the delta area and has boardwalks with signs not to “harass” the alligators!

Back in the 1820’s, Blakely with a population of 4,000 was bigger than Mobile Alabama.  The town had 3 hotels, several stores, a bank, and a newspaper.  For some reason the town is called “the South’s loveliest ghost town.”  Little of the town is left.  Only the foundation of the courthouse still exists. 

 

Near the courthouse is a very large oak called the hanging tree.  This is supposed to be where someone was hung after the first court case at Blakeley.

However, yellow fever killed many Blakely residents in 1822, 1826, and 1828, while land speculation made land prices too high for new people to buy land.  By the time of the civil war, only 100 people lived here.

 

The town is supposed to be haunted.  While we heard something in the trees near the cemetery, it was probably acorns and not a ghost.

For the holidays