Ask McGehee: Magnolia Manor
In June 1931, the homeowner, local defense attorney Foster Kirksey Hale Jr., was gunned down by his former mistress in his St. Michael Street office. “Two...
The Seafarers
Many public sculptures dot Mobile’s landscape. They have become as essential to the city’s character as the oaks that grace our neighborhoods. Some of our best-known pieces include the...
Tunnel Vision
Because it is submerged, the Bankhead Tunnel may not seem like a massive structure. But the tunnel, with its $4 million price tag, was definitely Mobile’s...
The Waterman Globe: Mobile's Transient Landmark
John B. Waterman, C.W. Hempstead, and Walter Bellingrath organized the Waterman Steamship Corporation in 1919 in response to the city’s poor port facilities during World War I....
50 things You Didn’t Know About the Port City
1Hail to the Chief. Mobile’s first five mayors were called presidents. They were appointed, not elected.2More presidents, more hail. Five U.S. Heads of State — Theodore Roosevelt,...
Ask McGehee: 1116 Government St.
Coca-Cola bottler Walter Bellingrath had the structure built, but it was never part of his gardens on Fowl River.Bellingrath and his wife, Bessie, bought a 10-room...
The Conqueror's Mask
French dominance during the first 60 years of Mobile's existence certainly contributes to the expression that Mobile is a "French-ified" city. Glimmers of later 18th- and early 19th-century French...
Ask McGehee: Silver Collection at Museum of Mobile
Col. Edward Lafayette Russell came to Mobile in 1875 as a legal representative for the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, which was in bankruptcy. Within eight years of his...
Ask McGehee: What is the story behind the name of Tuthill Lane in Spring...
What is the story behind the name of Tuthill Lane in Spring Hill?Tuthill Lane earned its name from the family of George Augustus Tuthill. In January of 1849, ...
An Ode to Oysters
Long before French vessels plied the waters of Mobile Bay, Native Americans pulled millions of oysters from its clear waters. When European explorers arrived, they found enormous...