Gulf Coast

In 1699 the French began exploration of Alabama’s Gulf Coast. Dauphin Island and Mobile were discovered by those famous French brothers, Bienville and Iberville Le Moyne, the same men who founded New Orleans. Having celebrated its 300th birthday (2002), Mobile is among the 14 oldest cities in the United States. More than a dozen museums interpret history in this city.

When Interstate 10 was constructed in the 1970s, artifacts dating from the 1700s were discovered. Apparently the road builders had found the remains of an old French fort. City fathers decided to reconstruct Fort Conde, and it now serves as the city’s visitor center where costumed guides demonstrate Colonial life of 1717.

An hour’s drive north of Mobile is Alabama’s first territorial capital, Old St. Stephens, a boom town that flourished from 1811 to 1820 on the banks of the Tombigbee River. Archaeologists are excavating the site, which is now a historical park.

Situated on the east bank of Tensaw Lake in Stockton is the Fort Mims Historic Site, which commemorates the battle that took place here on August 30, 1813. During the attack by the Redstick warriors, more than 300 attackers and defenders were killed, including most of the women and children at the fort. This massacre is the event that initiated the Creek War of 1813-1814. Near the site is the grave of “Red Eagle,” William Weatherford, who emerged as the leader of the Red Sticks during the war.

Mobile Bay was the site of the last naval battle of the War Between the States, where those famous words, “Damn the torpedoes. Full speed ahead!” were uttered by Admiral David Farragut. Still standing and now interpreting that time in American history are Fort Gaines on Dauphin Island and Fort Morgan near Gulf Shores. To its north near the town of Spanish Fort is Blakeley Historic State Park where 20,000 men, unaware that the Civil War had ended hours earlier, fought a fierce battle on April 9, 1865.

The Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club, and Spa at Point Clear dates back to 1847. It has a Confederate cemetery on the grounds. Nearby is the charming town of Fairhope, a single-tax colony founded in 1894.

The region’s small towns have museums dedicated to their fascinating history. Monroeville’s Old Courthouse Museum is the centerpiece of a play based on native Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Travelers will notice several towns are 10 miles apart. This was due to the railroad lines that were laid out in a grid to transport the potato farmers’ harvest. The Foley City Museum and the Baldwin Heritage Museum in Elberta interpret rural agriculture and local history.