Jewish traders had been living in Mobile in the early 18th century but were forced to leave in 1724 by the French, who enacted laws that year banning Jews from residing in the city (the French founded the city in 1702). When the British gained control in 1763 the ban was lifted but was then put back in place when the Spanish assumed control twenty years later. However, it was not enforced. The effort to establish the congregation began when its founder, Israel I. Jones, arrived from London sometime before 1841.&nbsp;

Website

One a Day: An Anthology of Jewish Historical Anniversaries for Every Day of the Year

Book

The Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation

More Info

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.

Historical Marker: Shaarai Shomayim, First Jewish House of Worship in Alabama - 1846

This section offers a small selection of the individual landmarks, virtual museum tours, and heritage trails that interpret Jewish history in Clio. 

Jewish History

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. 

John LeFlore was born May 17th, 1903 in Mobile, Mobile County. &nbsp;He worked to pass the civil service exam and become a postman in 1922, when few African Americans were able to do so due to poor education opportunities and white supremacist threats. &nbsp;He also married Teah Black in 1922 and together they had three children. LeFlore may have had a successful job and some social standing, but he still had to deal with Southern life under Jim Crow. After an incident on a local streetcar LeFlore looked into the NAACP's abilities to improve African American life in Mobile. &nbsp;Mobile's chapter of the NAACP had been stagnant for several years and LeFlore took it upon himself to reorganize the Mobile branch. &nbsp;Within a year LeFlore was the Executive Secretary and had recruited fifty new members to the organization. Later, his highly effective organizational skills would be employed by the NAACP who sent him to other struggling NAACP&nbsp;chapters in the deep south. LeFlore used his position to improve housing, workers' rights, and voting for African Americans in Mobile. &nbsp;He advocated "polite persistence" rather than direct action. &nbsp;In his struggle to improve voting rights worked especially closely with Joseph Langan. Joseph Langan was born March 11th,&nbsp;1912 in Mobile, Mobile County. &nbsp;He was raised Catholic and joined the Alabama National Guard&nbsp;at a young age in 1931. &nbsp;He passed the Alabama bar exam in 1936 and entered politics in 1939, winning a seat in the Alabama House of Representatives at the age of 27.&nbsp; Langan's Catholic belief that God created all men equal, his childhood in a mixed race community, and his time in the military all bolstered his personal support of racial equality. &nbsp;He worked against the Southern Dixiecrats and focused much of his effort on improving voting conditions.&nbsp; Together these two leaders helped create a more peaceful end to segregation than other major Alabama cities could claim. &nbsp;LeFlore increased Black votership with a "pink sheets" campaign in which organizers informed voters which candidates were a positive force for the Black community. &nbsp;Langan campaigned against the proposed "understanding clause," a method to prevent Blacks and poor whites from voting by denying that they understood the Constitution thoroughly. &nbsp;Though they both faced opposition from white supremacists and even from more radical, younger Black organizers in the early seventies, they accomplished a great deal in the battle for civil rights in the South. &nbsp; Mobile created Unity Point Park in 2009 and unveiled this statue in 2010 to commemorate the achievements of these two great leaders.

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.

Unity Point Park

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.

Old Mobile General Hospital

In 1798, the United States issued an Act of Congress to create the Marine Hospital Service. This organization was established to create facilities and give hospital care for sick and disabled seamen. Following this action, the Marine Hospital Service established hospitals all around the young country in coastal and port cities. The property for the building of the hospital was purchased by the United States from Joshua Kennedy in 1838 for $4000. The Kennedy family of Mobile owned most of Downtown Mobile at the time, they themselves had purchased the land from Thomas Price, an Indian Interpreter who had received the land as a grant from the Spanish Crown. Plans to construct the hospital were underway in 1837 and fifteen thousand dollars were allocated for the building of the Marine Hospital. Public notices were sent out asking for proposals for the design of the new hospital. After several sets of plans from architects the architect Frederick Bunnell was accepted. The hospital opened and accepted its first patients in April of 1843. The building was designed to complement the nearby Mobile City Hospital constructed nearly ten years earlier. Both buildings are the only surviving examples of monumental Greek Revival style architecture in Mobile. During the Civil War, federal buildings in the South were quickly occupied by Confederate forces. From the years 1861 to 1865, the hospital served wounded Confederate soldiers. In April of 1865, the building was returned to Union hands and by 1870 resumed service as a Marine Hospital. During the early 20th century the hospital would undergo several name changes. In 1902 the hospital was renamed the “Public Health and Marine Service.”In 1912, the hospital was renamed again to the “United States Public Health Service.” Finally, in 1984 the building was rededicated as the “Major General William C. Gorgas Clinic.” Major General William Gorgas was a US Army Doctor and served as the US Army Surgeon General. In 1952 the hospital, following lowering demand for military use, was converted to a small out-patient clinic for local Mobile. Not too long after in 1955, the US Government ceded the building to the State of Alabama for use as a Tuberculosis sanatorium. On May 22, 1974, the building was accepted into the National Register of Historic Places for significance on Architectural and Social/Humanitarian grounds.

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. 

United States Marine Hospital

St. Joseph's Parish was established in 1857. The purpose in founding it was provide a place of worship for Catholics who were too far from the Church of St. Vincent de Paul, which is located in the southern part of the city, and the Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, which is located downtown. Priests (Jesuits) from the Society of Jesus were in charge of building the parish's first church in 1858. The first parish members were mostly German immigrants. The parish grew in the coming decades and by the early 1900s it was apparent that a larger churching building was needed. Construction on the present church began in 1907 and was finished the next year. The original church was used as a school and later became part of another building in the 1920s.

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.

Saint Joseph's Roman Catholic Church

African Americans in Mobile first established their own Baptist congregation, called Stone Street Baptist Church, in 1836. At that time in Mobile, African Americans had more freedom and as a result were able to organize a separate congregation. They erected a church building in 1839. Due to a disagreement (it is not clear what exactly), some members decided to leave the church and establish St. Louis Street Missionary Baptist Church in 1853. The church did not have its first African-American pastor until 1865 when the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery, was passed. Where the congregation met during these first years is not clear but it did buy a small church in 1868. The next year, a school for African-American children was established in the church basement. The congregation worshipped there until the present one was constructed in 1869. In 1874, the church hosted the Seventh Session of the Colored Baptist Convention, which voted in favor of establishing a school called the Alabama Baptist Normal and Theological School. It opened in 1878 in Selma and later became Selma University in 1908. St. Louis Street Missionary is also significant in that it participated in missionary activities that established other congregations throughout the state. The church was closed for for two years after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. During that time, the congregation met at the Sunlight District Auditorium while the church was repaired.

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. 

St. Louis Street Missionary Baptist Church

The Creole #1 Fire Company was established in 1819 by members of the local Mobile Creole Community, its founding date made it the first volunteer fire company in Mobile and in the state of Alabama. Before the establishment of a professional fire department in Mobile in 1888, the procedure for fire fighting at the time was individual, independent fire fighting companies established by local citizens. Businesses and homes would pay one of the companies and get an emblem to mark their building. When a fire broke out at a building, only the fire company whose symbol was on a building would come to fight the fire and no other fire company. To help the Creole #1 Fire Company serve their community the building located here on North Dearborn Street was built in 1869 and designed by local Mobile architect James H. Hutchisson. At the time of construction and onward, the fire company building served as a center for the local Creole Society. The building served as a business and cultural center, being a venue for over 200 weddings, a host for Mardi Gras gatherings, and was the founding site of the Excelsior band in 1883 when John A. Pope and friends gathered to celebrate the birth of his son. In 1888 the company was absorbed into the city fire department. Prior to the introduction of automotive fire carriages to the fire department, the Creole firehouse used Horse-Drawn equipment and was considered one of the fastest in the city thanks to the company’s preference to buy rejected racehorses for their fire carriages. The Creole fire company used horse-drawn equipment until 1924. The fire company would continue operating at this location until 1926 when the Central Fire station was constructed. Eventually, the company was disbanded in 1970. Today the building is a private residence and has been since the mid-1990s. In addition, the building is also on the Dora Franklin Finley African American Heritage Trail in 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.

Historical Marker: Creole Firehouse #1

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.     

Historical Marker: Dr. H. Roger Williams (1869-1929)

Construction began for the Academy on February 13, 1836 and the architect overseeing the project was Charles Dakin. Before the project began, lack of funding would stall progress until the Alabama state legislature passed an act that allowed commissioners to raise the money needed through a lottery. The building committee for the building raised $50,000 through that lottery and got a municipal loan of $15,000. They even got a donation from a millionaire apart of the building committee named Henry Hitchcock. The building was fully constructed, despite some difficulties, in January 1839.The Board of School Commissioners of Mobile County would allow Barton Academy to be used for private and denominational schooling. The state legislature even passed an act in 1846 that stated that taxes could be collected for the creation of a free Methodist school. The commission tried pushing for an act that would allow them to sell the building for maintenance purposes, but it was rejected by voters on the ballot. A new school board was elected as well and they completely reorganized the school system as apart of their first actions. Barton Academy officially opened up as a public school in 1852, but closed down for the first time for the duration of the American Civil War to be used as a hospital for Union soldiers.The Academy had two high schools, one for girls and one for boys, that both opened back up separately afterwards. The Girls High School reopened in 1865 while the Boys High School did not open back up until 1870. Both would continue to be hosted at Barton until Murphy High School opened up in 1926. The Academy continued as a public school until the 1960’s when it would be converted into the Central Office for the Mobile County Public School System. The school would be placed on the National Registrar of Historical Places in 1970.

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. 

Barton Academy

The museum began in 2005, but it celebrates a much longer history. &nbsp;Inside, visitors can expect to find fourteen rooms filled with memorabilia from Mobile's rich history of Mardi Gras celebrations. &nbsp;Especially impressive are the elaborate costumes which were once worn in Mobile's parades. Mobile is actually home to the very first Mardi Gras celebration in the new world by French settlers in 1707. &nbsp;Micheal Kraft then started the city's first society, "Cowbellion de Rakin Society" in 1831. &nbsp;Their&nbsp;hi-jinx&nbsp;and escapades (including waking the mayor with cowbells on New&nbsp;Years Eve,) continued into today's celebration of good natured&nbsp;frivolity&nbsp;surrounding Mardi Gras. In 1938 the Colored Carnival Association, now the Mobile Area Mardi Gras Association (MAMGA,) began the first African American official involvement in the event. &nbsp;Dr. Wilborne Russell began the MAMGA in order to provide a positive outlet for the city's Black youth. &nbsp;Russell was a dentist who aimed to improve his community. &nbsp;He wrote a proclamation that is read every year and worked to support MAMGA's mission statement to:&nbsp;&nbsp;“promote knowledge, arts, sciences: to create and cultivate interest in the celebration of carnival activities at Mardi Gras and to encourage its members to participate in all events that will enhance our civic and national betterment.”&nbsp; The organizations also acknowledges the involvement of&nbsp;Mrs. Frederica Evans who worked to sustain this community involvement until her death in 1967. &nbsp;Evans is now known as "The Mother of the Colored Carnival." In 1980 the celebration's first gay order began with the Order of Osiris and has since been joined by&nbsp;the Order of Pan and the Krewe of Phoenix, two more LGBTQ organizations. &nbsp;Osiris is well known today for their elaborate costumed balls, adding an extra layer of&nbsp;inclusivity&nbsp;to&nbsp;Mobile's Mardi Gras celebrations.

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.

Mobile Carnival Museum

The history of the church begins with the missionary efforts of&nbsp;the New York Evangelical Society of Young Men. This organization recruited young church leaders to travel to the frontier regions and establish churches.&nbsp;Reverend John Warren was part of this effort, arriving in Mobile in 1822 and building a church two blocks east of this building&nbsp;with his own hands. Together with Reverend Murdock Murphy, Warren helped the newly-formed&nbsp;Independent Protestant Church grow by visiting families throughout the area. With many new members, the congregation acquired property at this location in 1836 and began construction of the&nbsp;Greek Revival&nbsp;church.&nbsp;

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. 

Government Street Presbyterian Church

The Marquis was only 20 when he came to America to fight with the Continental Army. His reputation and experience, despite being so young, earned him the position as General Washington's aide. He was also a general, and participated in key battles such as Brandywine and Yorktown. Back in France, he was a member of the Assembly of Notables and commanded the French National Guard. During the French Revolution (1789-1799), he felt that the revolutionaries had gone to far and tried to escape but&nbsp;was caught and thrown into prison in 1797. After the Revolution he again was an active member of government and earned a seat in parliament in 1818 but&nbsp;lost it in 1824. Upon hearing this news, President James Monroe decided to invite the Marquis to take a grand tour of what was then 24 American states. The festivities in Mobile cost the state $17,000 (an enormous sum at the time) but it allowed Alabamans to see and honor one of the countries great heroes. Many people traveled hundreds of miles to Mobile to see him, including some Revolutionary War veterans.

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. 

Historical Marker: Le Marquis de Lafayette visited Mobile

Wallace was born in Snowhill, North Carolina in 1847. His slave mother was 15 years old but his father was the white owner (around a&nbsp;quarter of a million slaves were born to white fathers). He was sold to Hector Davis, of Richmond, Virginia in 1860. Hector owned a slave auction house and netted a fortune from the business. Wallace was then sold to James Chalmers from Alabama in 1863. That same year Wallace once again was sold, this time to Collier. Each time he tried to escape during these years he was beaten and whipped severely. When he walked out of Mobile on that July day, so began his three week journey southward along the western shore of Mobile Bay (he tried to return to North Carolina on this previous attempts). Through alligator infested swamps, terrible weather, and prying eyes of Confederate troops and slave catchers, he walked for 25 miles undiscovered. At the bay, he managed to find a row boat which he then used to try to row to Fort Gaines (which he could see from the bay; he also heard the sounds from the Battle of Mobile Bay, which resulted in a Union victory led by Admiral Farragaut), over which flew the Union flag. As he was rowing a squall appeared and nearly sunk his boat before seeing another boat carrying Union soldiers. They brought Wallace to Fort Gaines, where he provided the Union with important information about Mobile. He was then given a choice to join a Black regiment or become a cook for a white officer. Wallace chose the latter, and eventually entered Mobile with Union troops. After the war, he was able to go to North Carolina and gather his mother and half siblings; they then settled in New York. He worked as a poor general labor for the rest of his life, but nevertheless died a free man thanks to his sheer will power.&nbsp;

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).

Historical Marker: Wallace Turnage

This home was originally built to serve as a residence for the new Bishop of Mobile, Michael Portier. Portier was born in France in the town of Montbrison on September 7,1795. Portier volunteered to be a missionary for service in Louisiana and was ordained in St. Louis on September 29th, 1818. Eventually, Portier would find his way to present-day Mobile, Alabama in December, 1826 where he served as the Bishop of Mobile. In 1830, Portier founded the Spring Hill College and in 1833 he founded the Visitation Convent and Academy of Mobile. This home was constructed in 1834, eight years after Portier had first arrived in Mobile, by Claude Beroujon. Beroujon was Portiers’ nephew and also part of Portiers’ entourage as a seminarian architect. Construction of the ten-room cottage had cost around $7,000. The cottage was built in the Gulf Coast tradition of the time, featuring the aesthetic of mixing several contemporary styles of architecture along with a gable roof. Notable in its construction is the French influence from Beroujon in the form of casement windows in the cottage.    Over the course of the home’s early life, the cottage served as a residence to five bishops. After over 70 years of service to the Diocese of Mobile, the cottage was sold and became a residential family home. As the nation prepared for World War I, the home served as the location of a United Services Organization building from 1914-1945 and would eventually be restored as a residence once again in 1958. On January 4th, 1970, the Portier House was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In recent years, the Portier House has served as a historical site and Catholic Parish office that includes a collection of historic artifacts on display.

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. 

Bishop Portier House

In July 1703, the&nbsp;Bishop of Québec, John-Baptiste del la Croix, founded the parish in what is now referred to as "Old Mobile," the original location of the city in what is now the town of Le Moyne. Mobile moved to the current location in 1711 and the parish took on a new name, Our Lady of Mobile. Later during Spanish occupation the church acquired the name Immaculate Conception. Various improvements, additions, and renovations have taken place over the years. The tower were added in 1890, the portico (the front part of the cathedral with the columnns) was built in 1870, and the stained glass windows in 1910.&nbsp;

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.

Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception

The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry was established in Alabama long before the temple was built, and just before Alabama gained statehood. The society first organized in 1819 but did not finish organizing itself until after the Civil War. Once organized membership was kept secret from 1890 to 1901 until public disclosure of the society’s records forced the society to discontinue. Later that same year the society reorganized. In 1909 the society purchased the former lot of St. Francis Street Baptist Church. The organization spent around $10,000 to renovate the inside of the church auditorium to serve as a freemason hall. In 1921 the Scottish Rite decided to create a new external building to serve as their new hall. After deliberation among members, the society decided to pick member George Rogers to construct and design the new building and building facade. George Rogers was a local Mobile AL architect, responsible for the design and construction of several other Mobile buildings including the Mobile Public Library and the Maschmeyer house. On September 1, 1921, the Mobile Commercial Register published that the building cost nearly $150,000. In 1922 the Mobile Register announced that the auditorium would be available for public use for residents. Suitable for local events, the building was stated that the building had a seating capacity that was three times larger than any other meeting hall in the city. During World War 2, the temple was occupied by the US Army for use as an aviation interceptor center. Within the occupied temple, the Army stationed tracking maps that were utilized to record all aircraft movements After the war was over the Army returned the temple to its normal configuration. By the 1990s enrollment and membership within Masonic organizations had lowered dramatically and Mobile’s Scottish Rite could no longer maintain the temple. In 1996 the society sold the temple after which point it was renamed to simply “The Temple” to avoid confusion with another Cathedral nearby. Today the building serves as an event venue for Mobile, hosting parties, weddings, and other events.

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.

Scottish Rites Temple

Bettie Hunter was born into slavery in Cahaba, Alabama around 1852. Her younger years involved the standard agricultural work that was forced upon many Black Americans at the time. Bettie Hunter was only 11 when Abraham Lincoln signed the emancipation proclamation and after the Civil War moved with her family to Mobile to seek better opportunities instead of continuing a farming life.In 1876, Bettie and her brother Henry established a Hack and Carriage business that transported goods between the port and the markets of Mobile or the warehouses within the city. After the collapse of the New Orleans port in 1862 during the Civil War, Mobile had swiftly become the major Gulf port for the south. Seeing a business opportunity Bettie cornered the carriage transportation market in Mobile. She partnered with her brother Henry since it was illegal at the time for women to own a business. With her two brothers, Henry and Robert, helping as drivers, she ran the business end to massive success.The marker of her success comes from this home that has survived over 140 years. With the wealth she was able to accumulate, she was able to purchase the piece of land for the home at auction, hire an architect to design the home, and built the home at the age of 27. The home itself is built in the Italianate style of architecture, having elaborate and sensitive decorative detailing. Beyond her beautiful home, however, one of the markers of her wealth is a diamond ring, fashioned in the shape of an H that remains in the family today as a symbol of her success.Unfortunately, Bettie died childless at the age of 27 due to anemia, leaving her home to her family in her will. An obituary for her in the Mobile Daily Register read, “...after a long and painful illness…” Bettie Hunter, “...departed this life, leaving behind… a large circle of acquaintances…” The obituary continued, “She bore her days of suffering with the satisfaction of … having faithfully done her duty to her fellow beings...” This tribute to Hunter, written by “A Friend,” is of enough length and praise that it can be gathered she had gained admiration and influence in Mobile before her untimely death.The home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 for architectural and historical value and is still owned by Bettie Hunter’s descendants. The home was partially damaged by hurricane Frederic in 1979 and the family hopes to restore the home soon for use as an event space or art gallery, returning it to its former glory.

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.

Bettie Hunter House

Originally constructed in 1926 the Turner-Todd Motor Company building was initially built for the sale of Buicks. At the time there was a growing market of automotive dealerships in the US and particularly on St. Louis Street. As St. Louis Street became populated with dealerships the street gained the nickname of Automobile alley to Mobile residents. As the years progressed, during its time as a Buick dealership the Turner-Todd building became known as the Buick Building. In 1932 the Turner-Todd company changed its name to the Turner Motor Company. Eventually closing its doors in 1943. The building itself would continue to see use from 1944 to 2002, serving as host to several auto parts stores. Eventually, in 2008 the building would be added to the National Register of Historic Places and remain unoccupied until 2015. The building would remain vacant until in 2015 the commercial construction firm Roger &amp; Willard Inc. purchased the building and began to renovate the building. Today the building is host to Rural Sourcing Inc. an Atlanta-based software development company.

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.

 Turner-Todd Motor Company Building

The State Street AME Zion church building that stands on this plot was first built in 1854 for the African American congregation of Mobile that was founded in 1829. Records of the congregation's earlier meeting places are scarce, but it is known that the congregation had a previous structure that was lost in a fire in 1854. At the time of this church's construction, State Street was one of Alabama’s largest Black churches in the antebellum era with 500 full-time members and 50 probationary members. The congregation grew until 1865 when they voted to join the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. In response, local officials of the Methodist Episcopal Church claimed ownership over the State Street property and challenged the congregation’s right to occupy since they had changed organizational affiliation. Following the Methodist Episcopal Church’s actions, a long struggle over the rightful ownership of the property began. Thanks to the efforts of congregation members and the leadership of Reverend Wilbur G. Strong, the congregation was able to maintain control of the building. Eventually, in 1872, Reverend Strong was able to secure legal ownership of the property for the congregation. The exterior of the building remains mostly unaltered, however, the interior of the church was partially renovated around 1890-1895 to allow for greater support of the roof. The interior ceiling trusses are inspired by Gothic architecture, which was popular in the late-19th century. Other similar features such as arches and molding follow suit, making them likely from the same renovation period. State Street AME Zion Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 6th, 1978, and continues to serve the Mobile community today.

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.

State Street AME Zion Church

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.

International Longshoreman’s Association (ILA) Hall 

Originally designed and built by George B. Rogers in 1930, this building is designed after the classical revival style that was ongoing in the 1920s and 30s. Before its construction, the Mobile Public Library decided that there was a need to give a library to serve the needs of the Black community. Rogers was given $26,000 to construct a small three-room building that would serve as the Davis Avenue Branch of the Mobile Library. In 1961 local architect Harry Inge Johnston was contracted to design an addition to the small library, a simple one-room addition. Not long after segregation was officially ended in 1964, and the branch of the library closed with the opening of the main branch to all residents. With the closing of the branch, the building was repurposed to serve as storage for government documents. In 1983 the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places for significance in Architecture. Starting in 1992, the city council of Mobile leased the library to the National African American Archives which expanded to include a museum.

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. 

National African-American Archives & Multicultural Museum

The Stone Street Baptist Church has a long history of
expansion beginning in 1843 when the new branch of the church was built for the
African American congregation of the Saint Anthony Street Baptist Church. The
land that the church is built on had to be purchased by white members of the
congregation, and it was not until 25 years later when full ownership of the
land and church was given to the African American congregation. The church has
experienced moves and major renovations throughout its history. The church and
congregation has also had only 16 pastors in its 196 year history. 

The first pastor of the congregation was Richard Fields who
was succeeded by Reverend Benjamin Franklin Burke who pastored the church for
38 years. Under his leadership the church was moved from its original location
to Cleveland Street in 1870. Cleveland Street was changed to Tunstall Street
after another pastor of the church; Dr. Charles A. Tunstall who has been the
longest serving pastor of the church serving for 43 years. 

Something interesting about this church’s history is that in
1859, the church welcomed members to its congregation from the slave ship Clotilde,
which was the last slave ship to arrive in America. This ship arrived in
Mobile, Alabama in 1859 and those onboard settled in a town near Mobile called
Africatown, where many of the descendants still live today. 

The church was rebuilt in 1909 and has been renovated many
times over the years under various leadership. The church has grown to become
the most influential African American churches in Alabama. The current pastor
of the church is Reverend Milton E. Saffold. The church was added to the
National Register of Historic Places on August 28, 1985. &nbsp;

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.

Mobile Alabama Central Business District Walking Tour

Historical Marker: Shaarai Shomayim, First Jewish House of Worship in Alabama - 1846

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information