Tag: Ask McGehee
Ask McGehee: Who was Emma Roche?
Emma Langdon Roche (1878 - 1945) once described herself as an “artist, writer, housekeeper and farmer.” In retrospect, she could well be termed Mobile’s “Renaissance Woman.”
Ask McGehee: What is the history of “Skull Island?”
“Skull Island” or “Massacre Island” were names given to what we have long known as Dauphin Island.
Ask McGehee: What’s the story of the First National Bank building on St. Francis...
Although Mobile’s First National Bank will long be identified with the skyscraper which is now home to the New Year’s MoonPie, the bank had a few former homes.
Ask McGehee: Who designed Mobile’s Battle House Hotel?
Although routinely missing from a list of his creations, the Battle House Hotel was designed by renowned architect Frank Mills Andrews in 1906.
Ask McGehee: Do any of the characters in HBO’s series “The Gilded Age” have...
The lead character, social climber Bertha Russell, was certainly inspired in part by Mobile-born Alva Smith Vanderbilt.
Ask McGehee: What’s the history of the Girls’ Preparatory School of Mobile?
Girls’ Preparatory School would probably have enjoyed a long run, but the stock market crash and untimely death of the school's founder caused the institution to close its doors.
Ask McGehee: What’s the story behind Downtown’s long-forgotten St. Andrew Hotel?
Like other hotels in Mobile, the St. Andrew flourished during severe housing shortages during World War II.
Ask McGehee: What’s the history of the Catholic Church that is closed on Springhill...
St. Joseph’s Church was dedicated in 1908 and has been vacant since 2018. The parish itself has a much longer history, however.
Ask McGehee: Where was Mobile’s first movie theatre?
The first moving picture in Mobile was shown at the Mobile Theatre, which stood at the southeast corner of Royal and Conti streets.
Ask McGehee: What’s the history of the fountain in Bienville Square?
Historian Tom McGehee explores the history of the Ketchum fountain that was recently removed from Bienville Square for restoration.