In 2009 the city of Mobile constructed a monument to Mobile's relatively peaceful African American civil rights movement. Unity Point Park hosts a statue featuring former mayor Joseph Langan and civil rights leader John LeFlore shaking hands.
This three-story brick and plaster Greek Revival style hospital is one of the oldest hospitals in Mobile. The cornerstone for the building was laid in 1830 and was dedicated after completion of the building in 1831. The building served as a hospital for over a hundred years from 1831 to July of 1966, seeing the city through multiple rounds of yellow fever and the Civil War. Between 1839 and 1897 Mobile was plagued with recurring epidemics of yellow fever, those afflicted were often cared for here. In 1873, 40% of those who were treated for yellow fever at the City Hospital died. In 1897 yellow fever’s last year in Mobile, 35 of the 300 afflicted by yellow fever perished. During the tail end of the Civil War, the building was occupied by Confederate Soldiers and was used as a medical facility during the Battle of Mobile Bay in August 1864. In 1854 the Daughters of Charity began practicing nursing in the hospital and by 1861 had taken over the administration of the hospital. The sisters continued to run the facility until April 15, 1959. Not long after, the hospital was closed in July 1966 when patients were admitted to the newer city hospital. The hospital was given a historical marker in 1964 and on February 26th, 1970 the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Today the building serves as office space for Mobile businesses.
Established in 1843, the United States Marine Hospital of Mobile has served a variety of purposes ranging from providing care for United States servicemen to a tuberculosis hospital. From 1861 to 1865, the hospital was even used by an occupying force of Confederates for use as a military hospital for soldiers who fought against the United States during the Civil War. Shortly after that war, the building was returned to the government of the United States and by 1870, the hospital had reopened. The hospital's use declined following World War II and in 1952, the military converted the hospital to serve as an out-patient clinic for the residents of Mobile. Shortly after the US Government ceded control of the building to the State of Alabama, the former Marine hospital was utilized as a tuberculosis sanatorium. On May 22, 1974, the building was accepted into the National Register of Historic Places. The building now serves as the home of the Mobile County Health Department and includes a medical clinic.
Erected in 1907, Saint Joseph's Roman Catholic Church is home to the third oldest Catholic congregation in Mobile. The church is also a fine example of Gothic Revival architecture, featuring a 120-foot tower with a Tudor doorway arch and crenelated parapets over the entrance and roof, Tudor stained glass windows, and buttresses. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
This stately building is the historic St. Louis Street Missionary Baptist Church, an African-American church founded in 1853, which makes it the second oldest Missionary Baptist congregation in the state. The building itself was constructed in 1869 and was designed combining the Classical Revival and Renaissance styles. The two-story church features long rectangular windows, pilasters (columns), and a four-tiered domed bell tower with Ionic columns. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and is a property on the African-American Heritage Trail of Mobile.
Constructed in 1869 for the Creole #1 Fire Company, this building was designed by local Mobile architect James H. Hutchisson and served Mobile as a firehouse until it closed in 1926. The Creole #1 Fire Company was established in 1819 as the first volunteer fire company in Mobile by the thriving Creole community at the time. To service the needs of the community, the Creole Firehouse #1 was constructed and served as both a business and cultural center for the community in addition to being a firehouse. The building was a venue for Margi Gras gatherings, over 200 weddings, and was a practice venue for musicians. The Creole Fire company eventually was absorbed into the city fire department in 1888 and was eventually disbanded in 1970. Today the building is on the Dora Franklin Finley African American Heritage Trail in Mobile and has served as a private residence since the mid-1990s.
In 1901, Dr. Roger Williams opened one the first drugstores operated by an African American at this location. He was also the second African American to practice medicine in Mobile. Born on a sugar plantation, Dr. Williams studied medicine at the Meharry Medical School and graduated in 1900. He was a prominent figure in the city, serving in medical and civic associations, and was General Chairman of the Mobile Emancipation Association. The marker was erected by the African-American Heritage Trail of Mobile.
This marker commemorates the first Jewish house of worship in the state, called Shaarai Shomayim, which means "gates of heaven" in English. Jews had been living in Mobile since 1764 but the community did not become large enough to found their own congregation until 1841. They finally built their first house of worship in 1846 at a location on St. Emmanuel Street between Church and Government Streets. They moved to a new spot on Jackson Street between St. Louis and St. Michael Streets in 1853. Unfortunately, a fire destroyed it in 1856 but it was rebuilt, with the help of the local Christian community, in 1858. A new temple was built in 1907. This was replaced by the current one on Springhill Avenue Temple in 1954. The Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation erected the marker in 2006.
Barton Academy was named for Willoughby Barton, an Alabama state legislator from Mobile. Barton introduced an act that created the Board of School Commissioners of Mobile County on January 10, 1826 which was the first education board in Alabama. This school was completed in 1836 and is the oldest public school building in the state of Alabama. The building is presently on the state's list of threatened historical landmarks due to its condition and the funds required to preserve the historic building.
The Mobile Carnival Museum is a collection dedicated to Mobile's rich Mardi Gras tradition. The museum opened in 2005 in the historic Bernstein-Bush house. It is run by the Mobile Carnival Association and a team of volunteers. The collection has been donated by "Monarchs" and local mystic organizations of Mobile. Mardi Gras celebrations in Mobile represent tradition and diversity within the city.
This church was built between 1836 and 1839 by the Independent Protestant Church. The building features a distinctive Greek portico held by Ionic pillars. The congregation is one of the oldest in the area and the structure is one of the oldest and least-altered Greek Revival church buildings in the United States. Although some aspects of the interior have changed over the years, the congregation still sits in the original high-backed walnut pews that were used in the decades prior to the Civil War.
On April 7, 1825, Frenchman and American Revolutionary War general, the Marquis de Lafayette (his full name was Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier), arrived in Mobile as part of a grand tour of the United States. The year 1825 was the 50th anniversary of the war and the Marquis was invited by President James Monroe to honor his role in the war as well to promote patriotism among Americans—i.e. the "Spirit of 1776". The Marquis attended a banquet and ball, and was also entertained at this location (now the property of the Hilton Hotel), on which stood the home of Mayor Samuel H. Garrow.
This marker commemorates the remarkable story of Wallace Turner, an African-American slave who managed to escape to freedom in July-early August, 1864. At this location once stood the home of Collier Minge, Wallace's last owner. Wallace tried to escape slavery four times before being successful on the fifth. He was driving his owner's carriage home when a harness broke, flipping the carriage over on its side. Wallace was nearly killed by a passing carriage. When he arrived at the home, Collier's wife scolded him. Wallace replied aggressively then ran off. He was discovered a week later, taken to a "whipping house" and whipped 95 times by Collier, who then told Wallace to walk home. However, Wallace did not and began his long journey to freedom. Eventually, he made his way to Fort Gaines, which was recently captured by Union forces, where he finally obtained his freedom (see below for details).
Constructed in 1834 and located adjacent to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, the Bishop Portier House serves as a central landmark to Catholic history in Mobile. The home was built to house the new Bishop of Mobile Michael Portier who was also responsible for the founding of Spring Hill College and the development of Catholic architecture in Mobile. The cottage served as the place of rest for Bishops of Mobile until 1906 when the building began being rented as a residential family building. The Bishop Portier House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and features many elements of Gulf Coast residential architecture.
The Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception is one of Mobile's most impressive structures. It was designed in the Greek Revival style, featuring a front facade resembling an ancient Greek temple with Doric columnns, and two flanking towers. It took fifteen years to build, from 1835-1850. The interior is also striking. Corinthian columnns support the arched roof and stained glass windows, made in Munich, Germany, are located on the walls on each side of the building. The cathedral has also had an organ since its completion (the original one was destroyed by a fire in 1954). The cathedral is part of the Church Street East Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Just in front of the building is a historical marker offering a brief history of the cathedral and the archdiocese.
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Built-in 1921 this Egyptian revival building was previously used as a site for the local freemasons society, specifically the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. The temple was used for the society until WW2 when the US Army used the building as an aviation interceptor center, after the war the building was returned to the freemasons. In 1996 the Scottish Rite could no longer maintain the temple and it was sold to a private owner for use as an event venue.
This beautiful two-story Italianate style home was built by a Black businesswoman and ex-slave Bettie Hunter who had moved to Mobile after the Civil War to find her fortune. With the help of her two brothers Henry and Robert, she started and managed a successful hack and carriage business transporting goods from the port to warehouses and the local market. With the fortune she amassed, she was able to purchase the piece of land for her home at auction, commission an architect, and build the home at the age of 26. Hunter died of anemia a year later at the age of 27, leaving her newly built home to her mother, brothers, and other family members. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 7th, 1985. Today the building remains in the Hunter family who hope to restore the home to its former glory.
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Standing on historic “Automobile Alley,” the Turner-Todd Motor Company building was constructed in 1926 for use as a car dealership. The building would serve as a dealership for Buicks until the company closed its doors in 1943. After Turner-Todd’s shutdown, the building would become host to several auto parts stores until 2002. The building was then left vacant for 13 years until 2015 and it was renovated to become office space.
Constructed in 1854, this historic structure is the oldest Methodist church building in Mobile, Alabama. The church is notable not only for its age but also for its size and the success of its members in securing title to the building after they broke from the white-led Methodist church leadership after the Civil War. The congregation dates back to the 1820s and had been utilizing a previous building for its meetings until 1854 when that structure was lost in a fire The congregation was one of two Methodist churches established in Mobile before the Civil War. In 1978, the structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places for architectural and religious significance.
The Mobile chapter of the International Longshoreman’s Association (ILA) Hall was established in 1936 to represent African Americans working on the city's docks. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke here on January 1, 1959.
This archive and museum is located in the former Davis Avenue Branch of the Mobile Public Library which was established in 1931 and served as a branch library for African American patrons until the 1960s when the library ended its policy of segregation. The library was the result of a campaign led by African American residents who were previously not served by Mobile Public Library. The building was designed by George B. Rogers, a Mobile architect who had previously built the library's main branch. Designed in a period when the city's public buildings featured classical revival architecture, the building cost a total of $26,000 and contained only three rooms when first constructed. After the city library ended its policy of segregation in 1964, the building was re-purposed for the storage of government documents. In 1992, the city council of Mobile leased the library to the National African-American Archives & Multicultural Museum which offers a variety of exhibits that interpret the history of African Americans in Mobile and throughout the United States.
Stone Street Baptist Church is an African American Baptist church located in Mobile, Alabama. The congregation was established before the American Civil War, but the church itself was established in 1843. The African American church was established from the Saint Anthony Baptist Church when white representatives of the church purchased a piece of land for the establishment of a separate African American church.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
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This walking tour starts at Unity Point Park and moves south to explore landmarks throughout the Central Business District of Mobile before moving back north towards the starting point and several churches and other landmarks that are central to the African American history of the community.
