A Fort, a Ferry and a Home

The weather has been a bit better with clear skies and sunshine so we decided to see some of the sights. We took the long way around and went south on the east side of Mobile bay to Gulf Shores and then West as far as the road would take us. With the Gulf of Mexico on our left and Mobile Bay on our right we passed many homes built on stilts and looking so very vulnerable to the many hurricanes that hit the Gulf.

Our first stop was Fort Morgan at southern most tip of Alabama. Fort Morgan was built after the war of 1812 as part of the Third System Coastal Defense. In August of 1864, Union Admiral Farragut led his fleet past the guns of Fort Morgan destroying much of the fort in the process. This enabled him to sail on to Mobile and capture the city in the Civil War.

The fort was later fortified with concrete gun bunkers and fully manned during the Spanish-American War, WW I and WW II. In 1946 the fort was deactivated and turned over to the state of Alabama. Fort Morgan is currently administered by the Alabama Historical Commission.

Fort Morgan is at the end of the road and to continue on to Mobile we had to hitch a ride on the Mobile Bay Ferry. The ferry runs daily year round with double the number of ferries during the summer season. The trip across to Dauphin Island takes about 45 minutes and passes by some of the natural gas and oil rigs situated in Mobile Bay. Prior to this trip I had never been on a car ferry. We were surprised to find that the Ferry cost was only $20 for the car and two passengers, a real bargain for the amount of time it would potentially save.

It is a short drive over the bridge across Heron Bay from Dauphin Island to the Mainland. Heading north on Highway 59 toward Mobile we come to the Bellingrath Gardens and Home. The home and gardens were built in 1935 by Walter and Bess Bellingrath as a summer home. Walter was a self-made man who amassed his fortune after buying a Coca Cola Bottling franchise. The 15 room home sits on over 65 acres of beautiful landscaped gardens on the shore of the Fowl River.

The Bellingrath Home showcases Bessie's collection of treasured antique furniture, silver, china, crystal and cut glass. The home itself features handmade brick and ironworks salvaged from a landmark 19th century Mobile hotel. Even though we were there in the winter we saw many varieties of flowers in bloom. If you decide to visit be aware that there is a lot of walking involved in touring the gardens.