Tom McGehee
Ask McGehee
James Conning was a New York-born jeweler who had established himself on Dauphin Street in the 1840s. Early advertisements assured customers of a...
Ask McGehee: What’s the history of The Antoinette Apartments on Government Street?
In August of 1911, Mobile’s Register reported “work commenced last week on dismantling of the Government Street home which was occupied by...
Ask McGehee: Has Mobile ever had a white Christmas?
Although snow along the Gulf Coast is a bit of a phenomenon, it does occur, but unfortunately seldom in December. There have been...
Ask McGehee
In the fall, I always look forward to the chrysanthemums display at Bellingrath Gardens. What is their history?
Sugar Sweet Satsumas
Mobile and Baldwin counties were a buckle on the “Satsuma Belt.” The Japanese Mandarin satsuma was introduced to the United States in 1876,...
Ask McGehee: What is the history of Catholic Cemetery out in Toulminville?
Mobile’s original Catholic Cemetery or “Campo Santo” (Sacred Ground) was in the area now called Cathedral Square, a space stretching west from...
Ask McGehee: My grandparents often recalled going down to Coden to have Sunday lunch...
In 1907, cotton broker John Rolston built the Rolston Hotel on 30 acres of land overlooking Portersville Bay. His family home, ...
Ask McGehee: Did evangelist Billy Sunday ever visit Mobile?
In January of 1927, Billy Sunday arrived at Mobile’s Cawthon Hotel with his wife and a half dozen staff members to conduct...
Ask McGehee: My great-grandparents were married at Mobile’s First German Evangelical Church in 1907....
In December of 1867, a group of local German immigrants purchased property on the north side of St. Francis Street, between...
Ask McGehee: What is the history of the vacant Van Antwerp Building?
Ground was broken for Mobile’s Van Antwerp Building in 1906. Druggist Garrett Van Antwerp (1833 - 1911) had been in business on the...