The Mobile Bay area can make a big first impression on visitors, and it’s love at first sight. That is especially true for local historian Tom McGehee. The indelible mark the Port City made on him during his visits as a child resulted in decades of research, exploration and, most notably, a well-loved monthly history column in the pages of Mobile Bay.
The topics McGehee has covered in “Ask McGehee” throughout the years span the length of the Port City’s existence, answering questions with a thorough and detailed examination of the subject at hand. Years of learning, asking questions and digging made him an expert on the pivotal moments of Mobile’s past. He is one of the few who are well-versed in the small, lesser-known fun facts about the area’s historic architecture, residents and time periods, sharing his knowledge with a palpable and genuine excitement.
Through cataloging Mobile’s history in monthly columns, the director of the Bellingrath Home has educated both lifelong Mobilians and those new to the area on its history and stories. Twenty years later, that education through his columns is as passionate as ever.
Q&A with Tom McGehee
Congratulations on 20 years of Ask McGehee. I want to go back further than that and hear how you first became interested in history, especially local history.
Well, gosh, that goes way back. I first visited Mobile when I was 11 years old. I was being driven down Government Street by my father’s good friend, Sam Eichold. I commented on the beautiful houses and he said, if I had seen what was gone, I’d cry. And that’s what got me curious about, well, what is gone? What was here? Why is it gone?
I followed Christopher Gray’s column in the New York Times on Sundays for years, where he looked at scenes of New York City years ago and discussed what happened and why it changed. I actually broached the subject with William Hearin at a party. I suggested it might be a good column for the Mobile Register, but he had no interest in it at all. Then I met the new editor of the Azalea City News and mentioned the idea of publishing old photos beside the current scenes. The next day, he called me and said his board liked the idea and wanted me to do it.
That had never been my plan. I was working at AmSouth Bank – not in the journalism field. That was my first column: “Mobile: Then and Now.” I had been going over there looking at a lot of their photographs and there were many good images of Mobile that they had no information about where it was. I would literally take Xerox copies of these unknown spaces and go around to people my parents’ age and over and say, “Have you ever seen this?” I say nine out of 10 times I found an answer. I’d go back to the Sanborn maps and city directories, and they were on the money. That’s exactly what was there and they even had stories about what happened to it.
When I wrote about the site for the Admiral Semmes Hotel, a lady I knew who grew up on Government Street had all kinds of information. She said that when they demolished that beautiful mansion, the wreckers were in such a hurry that they tore the staircases out before the furniture had been removed from the upper floors. None of that was in the newspaper. But because she witnessed it and it was kind of the talk of the town, I got some great information from her. So I really relied on Mobilians who had grown up here around the same time as my father, who graduated from Murphy in 1934.
What I really enjoyed was that they were ecstatic to have somebody ask them questions. Nobody had ever actually asked them about this. Their children just took it for granted. All the information was in one ear and out the other. When your grandparents were telling these stories, you weren’t really interested. Suddenly, you reach a certain age, and they’re gone. And that’s when you say to yourself, “I should have asked questions, and I didn’t.”
So, that’s really how I got started. That was with the Azalea City News and then it closed. The Harbinger, which was a publication of USA, took over. They had just about ended their own publication when I got a call from Judy Culbreth asking me to join Mobile Bay Monthly. At the time, I said, “I have to be blunt, I really don’t like your magazine.” It just didn’t appeal to me at all, what they were doing, but she said changes were being made and started describing this column she wanted to do that was modeled after the Ask Vance column in Memphis Magazine. So that’s how I got started for Mobile Bay Magazine.
And so if you’re not from Mobile, where did you grow up?
Bronxville, New York, which is 15 miles north of New York City.
What was your first column and how long did you think Ask McGehee would run?
Oh, I had no idea, but it just kept going and going. We did two or three very brief ones and then we got away from that and started writing on a single topic, and that’s what I’ve been doing for, gosh, 20 years now.
Did you think you would run out of topics?
I’ve had a long list of 200 to 300 columns that we’ve done, and I don’t seem to be running out of any topics. There’s always something happening in Mobile or a new discovery that warrants looking into.
What are some topics that you’re drawn to in particular?
It’s a combination, because there are so many great stories about the characters that have been in Mobile, from Floating Island to “The Bad Seed.” And then you have the architecture. I enjoyed looking back on how misnomers got started on all this historic architecture, such as Spanish. The Spanish era was long over when most of these buildings were constructed, so it’s been fun to look back at old postcards and historic images from the past and try to correct what was written.
Do you primarily get ideas from readers or from yourself or friends?
A bit of a combination of everything. I’ve had lots of readers send me emails with questions. My only problem with some of them is if I can’t find the imagery to go with it, it’s hard to do a column. You have to have a picture for that visual, because topics like ghost stories, for example, most of the time, the ones that come up are out in the woods and there’s nothing to take a picture of. It’s so vague what they’re saying had been there that even artists can’t come up with something. I’ve got to have a picture of the building or a person or a monument, something to tie the story together.
So, your columns are based on photos?
Yes, and that’s the other thing. I hope that the reason my column has been successful and popular is because I don’t try to write an article that I just saw in a dictionary. I was a journalism major. A journalist typically creates things in a smaller package, so you get the point across, but you don’t lose your reader because it’s not going on page after page after page. Even though it can be very interesting, the mass majority of people these days don’t have time to read three or four or five pages of print, so they really would prefer it in half a page.
What are your go-to archives for research?
The South Alabama archives and the Minnie Mitchell Archives at Oakleigh are the main two sources. And then I’ve found a lot online. It’s amazing what you can find online these days. And then, of course, a lot of these stories I’ve covered from Mobile have links to other places. So that helps too. From New Yorkers and even things in London, we tie it all together, so there’s a lot out there about some of these subjects.
Is there anything you’ve found surprising in your research?
Where do I start? There’s so many. Anywhere from the story of a Mobilian who was an astronaut. I mean, who knew? One of the things I found and corrected was people talked about the time an airplane hit the top of the cathedral, and they all said it was during World War II. Well, it wasn’t during World War II. It was a year or two after World War II, but it’s interesting how things just get flummoxed together and people just take it for granted. They say, “Oh, it had to be a military plane that hit it.” And it was a military plane, but the war was over at that point.
I think my favorite thing about this is to have people stop me and say, “I liked your column, I never knew that.” Or that they’d heard of it and didn’t know the full story.
How many hours does it take to research a column?
It just depends on the subject. If it’s one where I’m having trouble finding the right photograph, that can take a while. If trying to research something out of town, of course, that can be kind of tricky, too. I guess having been a journalism major and studying it the way we did it at the University of Georgia, I don’t mind having a deadline. It kind of helps me to have one. I’ve got all these notes and I just have to put them together.
What would you say was one of the most memorable Ask McGehee columns to date?
One of my favorites was one years ago. I did one about “Who was the book ‘The Bad Seed’ based on?” And we know the author lived in Mobile and he was obviously incorporating this horrible little girl capable of murder from children he’d seen. The person I say it was largely based on was Dorothy Danner.
Now, when I published that, one of her cousins called and said, “I’m very upset with you. Dorothy loved animals. She was just a wonderful person. She was not the bad seed.” I was at dinner with somebody and I said, “Who was the bad seed?” And this gentleman very promptly said, “Dorothy Danner.” I said, “Well, that’s funny. Her first cousin said that wasn’t true.” And I named her and he said, “Hm, well, another first cousin called her the bad seed his entire life.”
Has there ever been something that you’ve researched that you just haven’t found enough information to fill a column?
Well, there are definitely photographs that I found at South Alabama that we never could identify. It’s funny, one of them was of a building, and I was standing there talking to someone in the archives and I said, “I can’t find anyone who’s ever seen this building. I’m not sure it’s even in Mobile.” And the head of the department walked up and said, “What did you say?” I explained and he looked at me and he said, “You mean you talk to people?” I said yes and he said, “That’s not what you’re supposed to do. You’re supposed to be using primary sources and Sanborn maps and city directories.” I said, “Well, how would I know where to begin on a Sanborn map where this building could be if someone didn’t give me a hint where I could go to the map and say, ‘Yeah, that fits that spot,’ and look it up?” And he said, “Fine, just do whatever you want.” And I said, “Fine. I didn’t ask your opinion anyway.” And then after the column really got started, he thanked me and said that the University of South Alabama had gotten more business in the archives because of that column. People got curious about photographs they’d seen published in the magazine and wanted copies.
I guess you could say I’m more of a social historian than covering just historical facts. To me, that could be pretty dry, and I think that’s what the problem is. A lot of people don’t like history. They had an experience in junior high with a history teacher that is teaching that way. They don’t get the point that there are good stories to be told. If there’s not a good story, you can forget people being interested in it. And that’s just the way it is. And that’s what’s so interesting about Mobile. Mobile is full of good stories and good characters. That’s why when you said, “Will you ever run out of stories?”I think that there’s no way. There are just so many stories out there.
Constantine’s restaurant in the 1950s. The Alec and Roy Thigpen Photography Collection, the Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of South Alabama.
Any memorable reactions to your column?
Most of the columns that have gotten comments have been about if I write about a business or subject, readers are writing the magazine saying, “Thank you so much. I remember that from my childhood.” They have happy memories about what I’m writing about. One of those was Bear Ice Cream. It’s long gone, but a certain generation still remembers going over to Spring Hill Avenue to get their ice cream that was so wonderful. And Constantine’s restaurant, that was another iconic thing Downtown for my father’s generation. They would have the Mardi Gras events at the Battle House when the ballroom was up on the roof garden before World War II. They would all trickle down afterwards and go into Constantine’s for a midnight meal and the place would just be packed with people from the ball. And it wasn’t that big of a place. People have a lot of happy memories of Constantine’s. And then it moved out to 1500 Government Street, where people remember going still. Some of those businesses, like Gayfer’s, always get a big response because of the shared experiences, like shopping in downtown Mobile. In the last 10 years or more, we’ve seen Downtown really coming back, and a whole new generation discovering what another generation lamented was gone is wonderful.
What’s your favorite research resource?
Mobilians. That’s the starting point. They have memories and good stories. You take it from there and check the facts as best you can.
Who is your most severe critic?
Probably myself.
What would you change about Mobile and Baldwin counties?
I don’t know what I would change. I kind of like it the way it is. I mean, my first visit to Mobile was in 1969. I was 11 years old and I came in on the last plane to the Mobile airport as Hurricane Camille came in. I was looking back thinking, “Now, why did my parents send me down here in the middle of a hurricane?” I think the hurricane was supposed to be going towards Pensacola and instead it swerved to the West. I was just fascinated by Mobile with the hurricanes and you’re driving around Mobile and there are trees down. I thought, “This is really a neat place. I want to live here.” There was no doubt in my mind that when I finished college, I would come back to Mobile, and that’s what I did.
Why do you think history is important?
I think it’s the old saying of “If you don’t know your history, you’re going to repeat it.” Good and bad. It comes in cycles.
Would you say you’re a curious person?
Yes. I want to know why. I think you’d be really dull if you didn’t want to know why. If you just walk down a straight line, never looking at anything, you’re missing out.
What’s your favorite historical moment in Mobile?
When you’re talking about over 300 years of history, it’s hard to pick just one. But I think some of those disasters — the yellow fever epidemics coming right up to just recently the pandemic — and what happened during those years. History repeats itself; it’s bound to.
I’ve been happy to have reported about properties that were in decline that have now been restored. When you think of the Kennedy House on Government Street sitting there just derelict. Then to see the Protestant Children’s Orphanage on Dauphin St. completely restored and protected after being derelict and vandalized. But it’s been completely restored and the whole block has come back 1,000 times better than it ever was. So it’s fun to see something that I report on when they were on a downward slide that really bounces back.
And I think that’s one of the great things about Mobile, that we do appreciate our history and our architecture. I think there was a time we did not, such as when the Civic Center went up. The powers that be wanted to destroy everything between Government Street and the Civic Center. The idea was that everything should look at that. And now what are we looking at? A vacant lot. Several houses were demolished, but the preservation community fought it enough that some were saved.
What’s the most underrated building?
That’s a hard question. I guess you’d have to think of some building that we take for granted, but I can’t think of many we do because I think the ones we’ve got that have any kind of history attached are appreciated.
What’s the worst local architectural loss?
I think probably the most important structure that was allowed to be torn down was the Jonathan Emanuel House to build the Admiral Semmes. I have researched that house, I have read his daughter’s will where she left it to the Episcopal Church. She was very specific that the house was never to be torn down, and it still was torn down. And it had incredible architectural features outside. Inside, the interiors had been restored with the help of George Rogers in the ‘20s, they spent a huge amount of money, and a decade later, they’re tearing it down. Of course, there are a lot of factors with that, because construction on the Bankhead Tunnel had started, so they knew it was going to be spewing out cars right in that section of Government Street.
Who’s the most underrated local historical figure?
I would say there are probably many, but the more I learn about Mayor Langan, the more I appreciate what he did for Mobile in the 1960s. There were terrible images of Alabama cities on the 6 o’clock news growing up in New York, but I never saw Mobile mentioned. We didn’t have those kind of problems, and it was because of his leadership.
What is your favorite little-known fact about Mobile?
The parks that are gone now. Grandview Park, a lot of people have written and asked about that. Crystal Pool was a popular one, but the swimmers had no idea that employees had to check it for water moccasins before they opened each day. It had a sandy base, not concrete. And Monroe Park, of course. Then you talk to people who actually went to Monroe Park, and they said the beach there was not always the best because the outflow line of the sewage system came out just north of there, which is one of those things I didn’t know. And then another one is Hartwell Field. That was such a drawing point for Mobilians to go watch these baseball games.
Which figure in Mobile history would you like to sit down and have a drink with?
The Baroness de Riviere (who ran off as a teenager with a French Baron while chaperoned by her mother) and just ask her, “What really happened?”
What are the three most critical points in history that shaped the course of Mobile?
World War I, World War II and events after the Civil War, starting with the magazine explosion and then going into some of the Northerners coming down here and causing some uproar. There was such a backlash with reconstruction from that.
Who would you put on a Mount Rushmore of Mobile?
Joe Cain (founder of modern Mardi Gras celebrations), Henry Hitchcock (first attorney general of Alabama), J. L. Bedsole (businessman and philanthropist), Ralph Chandler (president and publisher of the Mobile Press Register). These are all people who have helped the city grow in so many different eras.
What’s an architectural style that you wish would come back, and what’s an architectural style that you wish would go?
Most of the styles I like have come back, like Greek Revival and some of the classical stuff. I’m not a fan of 90% of mid-century modern. I never have. I never will.
Which historians do you most look up to?
John Sledge and Cart Blackwell
