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.