Mobile History

Gateway to the Gulf

Situated on the sparkling waters of the Gulf of Mexico where the Florida coast gives way to Alabama, Mobile is an ideal vacation destination for visitors looking for a laid-back beachfront retreat. As Alabama's major gateway to the Gulf Coast, Mobile is a town with a rich, unique history and a variety of cultural attractions that rival larger bustling cities. Known for being the home of the oldest Mardi Gras festivities in America, this port city celebrates good times all year long. 

The Meeting Place

Located on the shallow inlet of Mobile Bay, Alabama's oldest city and only saltwater port was inhabited for thousands of years by Native Americans who had originally named it "Mabila", which means "the meeting place." Europeans started arriving in 1699 when Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville came down from New Orleans with settlers to establish a new colony.

Founded in 1702 as "Fort Louis de La Louisiane," Mobile would become the oldest permanent settlement in the original colony of French Louisiana. It would serve as a major trading andmilitary outpost, but would eventually become the first capital of the colony. It was one of many French settlements along the Gulf Coast, consisting of a log fort, Creole houses, a well, a church, a hospital, and a marketplace with shops. When river flooding forced the colony to move downstream to a new site protected by a wooden fort. The settlement kept its French name and developed as a focal point for colonial exploration and trade due to its prime location upon a bluff at the mouth of the Mobile River.

After the French and Indian War ended in 1763, Great Britain took over France's North American colonies, an act that led to several significant changes for the colony.

British settlers began populating the area and Britain declared Mobile a free port, establishing a colonial government for its new territories, with new laws concerning slavery and religion, and changing the colony's name from Fort Louis de la Louisiane to Mobile. The town served as a center for important diplomatic relations with neighboring native tribes. Mobile remained under British control until Spain captured the Bay in 1779 and declared the area to be a Spanish territory.

Under Spain's authority, Mobile developed sawmills, brickyards and traded cotton and indigo. After 20 years of Spanish rule, the area was returned to France, who sold the town to the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. It was not until 1819 that Alabama attained statehood and American influence began to grow in the region.

"Mobile sits at the confluence of five rivers, forming this beautiful delta. And the delta has alligators crawling in and out of rivers filled with fish and cypress trees dripping with snakes, birds of every flavor."

Mike DeGruy

The export of cotton became the most profitable commodity for the city in the 1800s and Mobile became a major trade center for the South to European markets. The city's economy prospered until the advent of the Civil War when the Union naval blockade stifled foreign trade. The city itself was spared the level of devastation endured by other Southern port cities, and Mobile recovered to again become a center of commerce and industry.

Since its founding, Mobile has developed into a coastal melting pot, where evidence of its French, British, Spanish, Caribbean, and African influences are visible today. Visitors can step back in time through Mobile's history by visiting the city's seven historic districts, each with its unique heritage and architectural design.