(Fort Morgan,  AL)  True, one reach the white sand beaches of Alabama’s gem cities, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, by turning off I-10 and heading due south.  Why not try shooting an approach from the west for a scenic and safe alternative to asphalt?  The Mobile Bay Ferry runs year-round between the historic Civil War forts that continue as silent guards at the mouth of Mobile Bay:  Fort Gaines and Fort Morgan. Read the rest of this entry »

(Fort Morgan, AL)  A humble historical marker on the white sands just outside Fort Morgan, AL is a pilgrimage for many members of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon national social fraternity.   It is here, in the waters of Mobile Bay, that this national social  fraternity’s founding father became the first Alabama soldier to die in the Civil War.

Noble Leslie DeVotie, a C.S.A. chaplain with the Independent Blues and the Governor’s Guard of Selma, Read the rest of this entry »

Civil War-era Wooden Ship Near Fort Morgan, AL

(Fort Morgan, AL)  Is it a blockade runner from the Civil War?  Was it already aground when Union Admiral David Farragut entered Mobile Bay in the late summer of 1864?  In 2008 Hurricane Ike uncovered a greater portion of a 150-foot long wooden ship long-buried in shifting sands.   Locals and Civil War buffs have seen this historic treasure before —  just after the winds of Hurricane Ivan blew away its protective sand blanket.  Drive to Mile Marker 6 on the Fort Morgan Road (Alabama Highway 180), which is part of the Alabama Scenic Byways Program.  Fort Morgan Road (officially the Dixie Graves Parkway) can be accessed from Alabama State Highway 59 in Baldwin County, or take the Mobile Bay Ferry from Interstate 10.

(Orange Beach, AL)  Go to the refurbished old school house on John Snook Drive in Orange Beach when you are next on the Alabama Gulf Coast!  There you’ll find the Orange Beach Indian and Sea Museum.  Quite a gem of history!  Learn of the unique history of Native Americans who populated the coastal regions of Alabama.  The original furnishings in the school house are interesting as well!

The Alabama Gulf Coast is rich in history — Native American, British, French, Spanish and many others have explored, settled and often fought over the coastal waters and fertile fields for generations.  One battle, however, is well-known to even the least interested history student, and usually for a most famous quote: “Damn the torpedos, full speed ahead!”

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