Mobile
Mobile was established a French colony and capital of French Louisiana in 1702. Since
Mobile's founding, the city has also been under the control of the British, and Spanish during the 18th and early 19th centuries. As an American city from 1813 onward, Mobile has experienced periods of economic growth and stagnation, as well as the victim and beneficiary of war. Because of
Mobile's ideal geographic location on the Mobile Bay, which opens up to the Gulf of Mexico, Mobile is a major port city, importing and exporting goods and raw materials around the globe.
The people of Mobile, Alabama, are very friendly, and are happy to share their local knowledge of the region. Whether I was visiting downtown Mobile, or at a "big-box" department store in the suburbs, the peoples' laid-back and personable attitude made my visit to Mobile particularly enjoyable.
During my brief tour of downtown Mobile and the waterfront, I had the chance to witness how geography and history impacted the city's development.
I walked down Mobile's historic Dauphin Street to the waterfront. Along the way, I visited the impressive Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, constructed in 1839 and part of the Parish established in Mobile in 1703. By chance I met the priest, who gave me a brief tour of cathedral and provided a brief history of it that I would not otherwise have known.
Along Dauphin Street, French influence was apparent by the wrought-iron, French-Creole balconies on some of the older buildings. However, after speaking with a local shop owner, I learned that most of the balconies are post-World War II, not the originals. According to the shop owner, iron was desperately needed for the war effort, and the people of Mobile allowed most the distinctive balconies to be removed, melted down, and made into bombs and other war material.
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| My view of Chacaloochee Bay while driving into Mobile on highway 90 west-bound. Much of the landscape around Mobile is lowland and swamp. The body of water in this image is almost at street level. |
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| Looking down Dauphin Street. Some of the buildings in this image have the classic French-Creole balconies. However, they were likely installed post-World War II, and not historic, due to the urgent need for iron during the war. According to one local, there is animosity toward New Orleans because while the people of Mobile sacrificed their traditional balconies to aid the war effort, the people of New Orleans chose not to do so, and now have more architectural fame because of it. |
