The Mobile Library inspires kids to create poetry out loud
John Cochran shares his passion for music with Mobile #$
Descendant Filmmaker and Mobile native Margaret Brown releases a new documentary about Africatown and the Clotilda
In 2007, Mobile was one of four towns featured in the PBS documentary, “The War,” which focused on the impact WWII had on the city of Mobile and its residents. To learn about “Descendant,” the latest documentary examining Mobile’s history, turn to page 52.
VOLUME XXXVIII
PUBLISHER T. J. Potts
ASSISTANT PUBLISHER Stephen Potts
EXECUTIVE EDITOR Maggie Lacey
EDITORIAL CONSULTANT Judy Culbreth
MANAGING EDITOR/WEB Mattie Naman
PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT Amanda White
ART DIRECTOR Laurie Kilpatrick
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Amelia Rose Zimlich
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Marissa Deal
EDITORIAL INTERN Zoe Blair
SR. ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Joseph A. Hyland
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Jennifer Ray
PRODUCTION Melissa Heath
ADMINISTRATION
CIRCULATION Anita Miller
ACCOUNTING Keith Crabtree
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Audrey McDonald Atkins, Eleanor Inge Baker, Dooley Berry, Cart Blackwell, Emmett Burnett, Tom McGehee
CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS
Summer Ennis Ansley, Matthew Coughlin, Elizabeth Gelineau, Chad Riley
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Mobile Bay is published 12 times per year for the Gulf Coast area. All contents © 2022 by PMT Publishing Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of the contents without written permission is prohibited. Comments written in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily re ect the opinion of the ownership or the management of Mobile Bay. is magazine accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photography or artwork. All submissions will be edited for length, clarity and style.
Ilike to write, but I am certainly no poet. There was this one time, however, when I tried my hand. It all started with an envelope of “clippins” from my grandmother in Montgomery. Who doesn’t remember getting newspaper “clippins” in the mail from their granny? The small white envelopes she seemed to mail weekly always had an obituary, an article of interest and maybe a recipe to try, usually with her handwriting down the margins, adding whatever anecdotes or corrections she deemed necessary. She had been a schoolteacher, after all, and her red pen was fierce.
This one envelope in particular, which came in the mail when I was in the fourth grade, included an article about the Alabama State Poetry Contest. It sounded exciting, and for whatever reason, I sat down by the fire that night, scrawled out a few lines and mailed it off the very next day. To my surprise and delight, I won in my age category! I should add that to my current resume — award-winning poet.
That was probably the last time I wrote any poetry, which is good news for us all. Combining words with the right rhythm, emotion and expression is a gift! Knowing this, I was completely in awe and full of admiration this month as I witnessed the winners of the Mobile Public Library’s Poetry Slam contest perform their poetry out loud. If you aren’t familiar with slam poetry, it is theater that combines writing, stage presence, competition and audience participation, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. The name slam comes from how the audience has the power to praise or destroy the poem, and also from the high-energy performance style of the poets.
These kids had energy and stage presence to be sure. Their topics ranged from nature to sports to social justice, and every single one stirred your soul. I admire their courage to climb in front of a room full of people and share their words with the world — a feat most of us could never undertake.
Take me, for example. I might write a few words on the page, but when it comes to performance, I’m out. More than 30 years later, I still don’t have the gumption to recite my award-winning fourthgrade poem in front of the MB staff.
Creating art is truly something special that feeds the soul. Sharing it with the world, however, feeds everyone else’s soul, too, and for that, we are grateful to the many poets, painters, filmmakers and musicians in this annual arts issue. Without them, our lives would be incredibly vanilla.
Maggie Lacey EXECUTIVE EDITOR maggie@pmtpublishing.comDid you know? Alabama’s poet laureate is Ashley M. Jones, a native of Birmingham. Jones is the youngest person to hold that title in its almost 100 years (she is 31 years old) and is the first Black poet laureate for the state.
MY GRANDMOTHER ALWAYS PRONOUNCED IT “MINEZ,” TOO! IN LOVE WITH THESE TINY WORKS OF ART. BLUE PLATE ORNAMENT, MOBILEBAYSHOP.COM
LOCAL ARTISTS ARE HAVING THEIR WORKS PRINTED ON FABRIC AND TURNED INTO THE MOST PRECIOUS KIDS PAJAMAS, BABY BLANKETS AND MORE! FAIRHOPE PJS, MOBILEBAYSHOP.COM
20
LIGHT AND COLOR ARTIST MAGGIE STICKNEY FINDS INSPIRATION IN THE EVERYDAY. THE GROCERY STORE STICKERS ON THE FRUIT GIVE THIS STILL LIFE A SENSE OF HUMOR. PAGE 30
STUFF IT THE PRECIOUS GLASS DEVILLED CRAB DISHES IN OUR BAY TABLES THIS MONTH INSPIRED ME TO FIND MY OWN. THESE DARLING VINTAGE ORANGE FELLOWS ARE FOR SALE ON EBAY!
DRIVE BY MISSISSIPPI ARTIST WYATT WATERS MADE A STOP ON THE ALABAMA GULF COAST DURING HIS RECENT ROAD TRIPS. THE ORIGINAL WATERCOLORS CAN BE YOURS — THEY’RE FOR SALE ON HIS WEBSITE! PAGE 18
On July’s Gardening story, “Jelly Palm,” a comprehensive guide to growing, harvesting and preparing jelly palm fruit
I love Dooley Berry’s articles in your magazine. But I especially liked her article in the July issue on jelly palms. It brought back wonderful memories from the coastline of Port St. Joe, Florida. We used to pick the palm fruit and sit down overlooking the St. Joseph Bay to eat it. We never made jelly, but sure enjoyed the sweet and tart, luscious fruit.
- Kay Fillingim
On July’s feature, “Simple Pleasures,” about Pete Vallas’ weekend home in Orange Beach
It is impossible for me not to comment after reading the well-written article about Pete Vallas and Mark Davis’ amazing beach retreat! The creative genius of Pete, with Mark’s enthusiastic input, led to a wonderful result. Sherrill’s Landing is a throwback to the way Cotton Bayou used to be. Thank you for your interest and extraordinary focus on local fact and fiction. J.B. and I look forward each month to your fascinating and informative publication.
- Diane Horst
Beautiful story and house.
- Nini De Lashmet Anderson
What’s not to love? Great article about two of my talented friends.
- Katie Kirby
On July’s Spotlight, “Wade Away,” about Buddy Russell and his stories of wade fishing
What a great article. I could sit and listen to him talk for days. Thanks for sharing.
- Jake Markris
I had many boating adventures and fond memories of fishing with this cool dude.
- Nichole Russell Patrick
Great read and guy!
- George W. Radcliff
Love this!
On the photo submissions for our first-ever Best of Mobile Bay photo contest
All are wonderful.
- Kathryn D. Watkins
I know you can’t showcase all 400 photos, but I would love to see the others. So breathtaking.
- Chenele Chapman
It’s hard to choose just one. Incredible!
- Carolyn Kinney Byrne
This is a very tough decision. - Leis Kaiser
- Luci McMillan Ladd Want to share your thoughts and reactions to this issue? Email maggie@pmtpublishing.com.
While the weather may still feel like summer, the start of football season means that fall in is in the air. And we’ve found the best tailgate recipes that will give your guests something to cheer about. Go online to see our favorite recipes for game day.
For an art adventure of your own, go online to see a guide to street art on both sides of the Bay.
Just engaged? Share your proposal story, and we’ll feature your engagement online.
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We are now accepting nominations for the 2023 class of 40 Under 40! This program recognizes the top young leaders making a difference in our community. Do you know someone worthy of this honor? Go online today to submit a nomination. The deadline for admissions is September 16.
Our editorial team has rounded up the most artistic craft cocktails from establishments around town. Go online to discover the best libations our local mixologists have to offer.
Shop local products on our ecommerce store! Visit mobilebayshop.com (or scan the QR code at right) to explore the editors’ curated collection of local books, specialty gifts, home goods and decor inspired by the pages of Mobile Bay Magazine.
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Muscadines are one of the only types of grape that can grow in the hot, humid climate of the Mobile Bay area. Scuppernongs, a variety of the muscadine grape, were the first grapes cultivated in the United States.
The number of sidehall homes still remaining in Mobile. Two hundred years ago the number was more than 10 times that.
Architectural historian Cart Blackwell tells us more on page 74.
Our very own Mobtown Music can get you strumminí for $100≠ $21,000.
The Alabama state motto, “Audemus Jura Nostra Defendere,” (translated as “we dare defend our rights”) was inspired by an 18th-century poem called ‘What Constitutes a State?’ by William Jones. The stanza from which the state motto originated goes ‘men who their duties know. But know their rights, and knowing, dare maintain.’
Poetry still impacts Alabamians daily, including the youth in Mobile. Read more on page 42.
ìSeptemberî appears in the title of more pop and classic songs than any other month.
Fill in the blank: ìDo you remember/ the 21st night of _____________?î
Itís a tough one!
[ SEPTEMBER]
Cats will have you know that, in their world, this is every month.
“By all these lovely tokens, September days are here.
With summer’s best of weather and autumn’s best of cheer.”
- American poet Helen Hunt Jackson
MB’s contributing food fanatics share their go-to local dishes.
BELFAST BURRITO AT CALLAGHAN’S IRISH SOCIAL CLUB
“Callaghan’s is a family favorite. I tried the Belfast burrito last weekend, and it was delicious. True to its Celtic roots, it has corned beef around the eggs. Cheese binds the onions and peppers, and a spinach tortilla holds it all together. Match this with hash browns and church on a Sunday morning and your weekend is complete.”
CALLAGHAN’S IRISH SOCIAL CLUB • 916 CHARLESTON ST. • 433-9374 • CALLAGHANSIRISHSOCIALCLUB.COM
CRAWFISH AND CORN BEIGNETS
“A new upscale restaurant in West Mobile, named for a Mobile County Public Schools teacher? Yes, please! Margaux is inventively decorated, and the streamlined menu focuses mainly on seafood, including an oyster bar, as well as dry-aged steaks. I could have eaten about 100 of the crawfish and corn beignets, which are like elevated hush puppies. The pimento cheese grits are also amazing.”
MARGAUX • 7899 COTTAGE HILL ROAD • 2773355 • MARGAUXMOBILE.COM
“Avocado toast and West Indies salad are two of my favorite foods. Combining them is a stroke of pure genius. Served atop a slice of hearty bread and sprinkled with sea salt and cracked pepper, every bite of this toast is a delight — and so is the scene. Provision’s swanky space houses a wine bar, coffee shop, gourmet groceries and chic gifts. There is so much to savor.”
PROVISION • 100 N. SECTION ST., FAIRHOPE • 850-5004 • PROVISIONFAIRHOPE.COM
“As a loyal fan of anything Panini Pete comes up with, I am not shocked that the Tuna Poke Bowl at Squid Ink has become a lunchtime staple in downtown Mobile. The tuna is always so exquisite. The combination of the soy sesame sriracha (say that three times fast) and spicy mayo, with fresh veggies on a bed of rice, leaves me powered up for the afternoon.”
SQUID INK ECLECTIC EATS AND DRINKS • 102 DAUPHIN ST. • 405-0031 • SQUIDINKEATS.COM
Muscadines are a sweet treat whether prepared in wine and jellies, or eaten straight off the vine.
text by DOOLEY BERRYIf you are lucky enough to have a wild muscadine vine climbing around your yard, late summer days will make the sweet perfume of their lush, beautiful grapes apparent. Delicious juiced, in jellies, wine or cobblers, this thick-skinned fruit is also a bounty of antioxidants, making it a tasty and healthful snack right from the garden.
Muscadine vines produce native North American grapes indigenous to the southern half of the United States. The individual grapes are much larger than those found in bunch grapes, but grow in pods or bunches with fewer grapes and have a much thicker skin. Our hot and humid climate here in coastal Alabama gives the muscadines a shot of vitamins that helps them thrive.
With their rather unusual and fun-tosay names, both grapes are similar, but not identical. The muscadine is a native American grape — ‘Vitus rotundifolia’ — found in the southeastern and south-central U.S. while scuppernongs are simply a particular variety of muscadine. So, we can say scuppernongs are indeed muscadines, but not all muscadines are scuppernongs.
Early American settlers noticed the grapes’ similarity to the sweet muscat grapes they knew in Europe and gave the vine the same name, which over time, morphed into muscadine. (muscat vine = muscadine)
The scuppernong is a greenish or bronze muscadine variety that the settlers called “the big white grape.”
During the 1600 and 1700s, vine cuttings were produced in Scuppernong, a small town in North Carolina, hence the name.
Muscadines usually taste sweeter than conventional supermarket grapes with a melt-in-your-mouth feel and seeds you simply spit out. Muscadines are usually as sweet as Concord grapes while scuppernongs are slightly less sweet.
Foragers can easily find muscadines in coastal Alabama, where they grow abundantly. MB
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4 cups chilled muscadines 1/3 cup granulated sugar 2 tablespoons lemon juice
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&'+&(,'&-$%&."/)0 washed, untl ready to eat or use. They will keep for about a week, or freeze $%"*-1'"%)"*-)2" for snacks.
!"3*'+4"/4'"$*'" grapes in all kinds of culinary preparatons, including jams, jel lies, sorbets, pies, smoothies or as a 2'44'&$"5()'6
• Chop and add the grapes to a Waldorf salad for extra favor or to add distnctve magic to Southern grape jelly meat balls.
!"7/48-2()'"1()'4" make an excellent fall table garland. The leaves don’t keep long, so cut your vines the day of the event if possible. Once the leaves dry
out and fall of, the vines can be saved for years as a festve fall centerpiece or 5&'-$*9
1. Process the grapes and sugar in a food processor or blender for 2 to 3 minutes untl the sugar is completely dissolved and the grape skins are pulverized.
2. Press the mixture through a fne-mesh sieve and dis card the solids.
3. Str the grape puree with the lemon juice and freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directons.
!"#$"%$&'()%*&#$%&#'#(+#,+%&#"&)-$*%$(%*& #).&/)+()%&*0/-+.&1/-&.%2(.%&"/&,%3()& 1/-$&/4)&,#251#$.&'()%1#$.6&70%1& #$%&%#*1&"/&3$/48&#).&"0%($&"0(25&*5()*&
ofer natural disease resistance, mean ing less chemical sprays. Be sure to include space for a trellis. The sweet $%4#$.*&4(++&,%&4/$"0&("6& :+#)"&2/)"#()%$93$/4)&'()%*&()&%#$+1&
fall or winter for fruit that ripens at summer’s end.
Mulch the plants with pine straw or shredded pine bark to preserve moisture and discourage weeds.
The vines prefer full to mostly sun and "0%1&)%%.&3//.&()"%$)#+&.$#()#3%&"/& make the best and tastest grapes. Cultvars you might consider are Nesbit, Noble or Regale (black/ purple varietes) or Carlos, Doreen or Magnolia (bronze varietes).
The vines can be found growing wild and, if conditons are right, can become invasive. Constant monitoring (*&)%2%**#$1&#).&%;2%**&3$/4"0&2#)&,%& controlled by pruning at soil level or treatng with herbicides.
If growing your own is not your thing, you can sometmes purchase muscadines at area farmers’ markets or, maybe, hanging around your neighbor’s backyard.
Dooley Berry is a Baldwin County writer, cook and gardener who writes for various lifestyle and gardening magazines.
Artist Wyatt Waters shares his watercolor paintings and the life lessons he’s learned along the way.
text by AUDREY MCDONALD ATKINSPlein air painter Wyatt Waters had just purchased a 16-foot Casita camper. It was February of 2020 and he had hit the road with his wife, Kristi, to fulfi ll a lifelong dream of traveling the South, documenting what he saw along the way in watercolor and words. Then the pandemic struck. “We were all to ourselves, really,’’ says Waters, “and I felt like God was looking over us, telling us, ‘Well, you better do this.’”
What came out of that journey, two years and 75,000 miles later, was the book Waters had always dreamed of doing: “The Watercolor Road,” a collection of 133 of Waters’ paintings accompanied for the first time by his words. The 21 essays depict both the South and his relentless trek to be a better painter as a mindset rather than a destination.
For Waters, a lifelong artist and Mississippi native, paintings and stories go hand-in-hand. For both, “there is a beginning, a middle
and an end. You introduce an idea. You develop an idea. And you bring it to a place — I’m not going to say a conclusion,” says Wyatt. “The people seeing it finish it for themselves.”
Waters’ artistic journey began before he even started school. His mother saw in him a spark of creativity and asked his childhood babysitter, whom he affectionately refers to as Miss Rose, to give him art lessons. Those lessons continued until the Waters family moved from Florence, Mississippi, to Clinton. “At the end of every class, she would say, ‘You can be an artist. You can have a gallery. I love you and I’m praying for you,’” he remembers. Miss Rose was right. Today, Waters still lives in Clinton where he paints and, when he’s not on the road, runs a gallery. “It was really kind of a positive brainwashing,” he says. “I just thought, ‘Well, I’m going to paint.’ I thought that was a reasonable expectation of doing things.”
But while Miss Rose might have set Waters on the path of artistry, it was at Mississippi College where Waters had a eureka moment. “I just fell in love with watercolor like a pretty girl! You just know that this is it,” he says. “And it wasn’t logical because no one ever sits down with their counselor and the counselor says, ‘Well have you ever considered watercolor?’ It’s not that kind of choice, but it was that way for me. I loved it. And I have never not loved it since that sophomore year.”
Now in his late 60s, Waters says that to him, “seeing and feeling are more important than brushwork,” and that he feels the need to say what painting means to him. In “The Watercolor Road,” he does just that, sharing the many life lessons he’s learned throughout his artistic journey alongside stories that are sometimes humorous, often poignant and always thought-provoking.
“Painting is like a footprint,” he says. “And I don’t worry too much about making good footprints. I try to make a good journey.” Mission accomplished, Wyatt. Mission accomplished. MB
Thursday, October 6, 2022
Richards DAR House 256 N. Joachim St. 2 - 5 PM
It’s called “woo woo sauce,” and just know that you are going to want to put it on everything. Chef Ryan Tomlinson of Margaux created a homemade Worcestershire sauce that’s a touch on the sweet side for perfectly finishing his dry-aged steaks, and it’s good. That’s not the only thing hand-crafted or made from scratch at this new West Mobile outpost from restaurateur Matthew Golden, the owner of downtown’s Loda Bier Garten. He and his team source almost everything locally (he confesses they don’t make their pasta from scratch), including the seafood that fills this inventive menu. “We burn up the rubber between here and Bayou La Batre, picking up shrimp and crab claws,” he laughs. The grits are local and the microgreens are grown about a mile down the road.
The other thing that’s close by is the customers. Until now, you could hardly find a locally-owned or fine dining establishment west of University Boulevard. Golden’s customers appreciate being able to have a date night without leaving their neighborhood. He wouldn’t want you to think Margaux is not family friendly, however, just because the food and service are top-notch. “I’ve got four kids,” he explains, “and I wanted this to be a place my
own family could come.” To show he is sincere, he mentions the diaper changing station in the men’s room. Anything from a girls’ night out to a casual dinner in your blue jeans is going to feel right at home.
The crab traps and shrimp nets decking the walls let you know this is south Alabama, while the empty bottles of Chateau Margaux caught in the traps and nets hint at the upscale appetite of patrons. The live music and oyster bar take center stage on weekend nights, combined with a solid wine list and a creative cocktail menu. Tomlinson weaves all his local ingredients into a delicious menu that’s approachable but exciting, saying he thinks of it as French Creole-inspired Southern cuisine.
The name Margaux has a French vibe, too, but it is actually a nod to Golden’s wife. “I’ve opened a new restaurant or bar within a week of the birth of three of my kids, so she has earned a little recognition. I don’t know any other woman who can put up with what all she puts up with.” This restaurant, which has been more than two years in the making, is already making its mark on West Mobile. MB
A bowl of tender hollow bucatini pasta is topped with shrimp, crawfish and a delicate cream sauce. It’s garnished with fresh herbs and is perfect with a crisp white wine.
Chargrilled and served with herb goat cheese and pepper jelly, they are presented in a vintage Indonesian bowl Margaux sourced from Charles Phillips Antiques.
]
A perfectly cooked steak can be garnished with seafood, blue cheese or house-made sauces. Cajun honey-glazed carrots and roasted garlic mashed potatoes finish it off.
Like a fluffy cousin to a hush puppy, these beignets are flash fried and served with pork rind “powdered sugar,” pickled jalapenos and whiskey remoulade. No one can eat just one.
A Fairhope artist combines a mix of old and new in his historic home.
text by AMELIA ROSE ZIMLICH photos by ELIZABETH GELINEAU
SSome artists start young, while others discover their creative talents later on. The latter is true for Rex Turner. The Baldwin County artist didn’t start dabbling in art until after he retired in 2000. Since then, he has created a sizable body of work, enough to earn him the moniker T-Rex. “In my shop out here, I’ve got a big T-Rex head that I made,” he says with a laugh. “I’ve made hundreds of pieces. People all over Fairhope have got my stuff in their house.” He is no exception, with several rooms in his historic home showcasing his art.
Rex’s fanciful figures — mermaids, horse heads, fairies — complement the architectural elements of his 1923 home. A wood staircase, with original metalwork, cascades into the common area. Brought about by water leaks, the sections of red brick peeking out from under the white stucco walls are now an integral element of the interior. Rex’s art — chosen and placed by his wife, Camille — creates the juxtaposition of
The front door opens into a comfortable living space filled with light where the Turners like to have their morning coffee.
old and new, adding an artistic flair to every room.
“Camille does all of our decorating,” says Rex. “She’s an artist, but she won’t admit it.” Camille’s paintings, hanging on the walls, showcase her talent; however, she is not convinced that she has earned the title. “I’m a copier. I’m not a painter,” she laughs. “After copying a painting, an artist told me to put ‘regrets,’ meaning ‘I’m sorry I did that,’ and then put my initials.” Inspiration aside, her paintings are skillfully done and show her obvious artistic ability.
Rex is originally from Birmingham, and Camille hails from Mobile. The couple met during the 1958 – 1959 school year at the University of Alabama. “That’s the year Bear Bryant came,” says Rex with a grin. They married in 1960 and, after living in several different cities across the United States, eventually settled down in Fairhope. “We love it,” Rex says. “It’s one of the best cities that was ever made!”
Rex and Camille have been married for 62 years. However, their love story with their Fairhope home started 11 years ago when they were shopping at a garage sale next door. The house in foreclosure was wide open, so the couple walked over to look more closely. Once inside, Camille turned to Rex and said, “I think I could live here.” So, they did.
Camille is in charge of decorating the couple’s Fairhope home, pairing her unique picks with Rex’s art.
From curtain rods to the gate in the archway, all the interior metalwork is original to the 1923 home.
The thick white stucco walls of the Spanish-style home serve to keep the indoors cool in the summer.
“EVERYBODY THOUGHT WE WERE CRAZY BUYING THIS HOUSE BECAUSE IT WAS A MESS. IT WAS A FORECLOSURE AND WAS LEFT OPEN. BUT I LOOKED AT REX AND SAID, ‘I THINK I COULD LIVE HERE.’”
– Camille Turner
The Turners have hosted many gatherings in the restored house, from welcome events for new neighbors to wedding parties on the patio. “We do it less and less as we get older,” says Rex. Still, Camille has a few favorite recipes she makes when entertaining, including stuffed crab. “It’s quick and you can use stuffing mix,” she explains. “It’s some of the best stuffed crab you’ll ever eat,” adds Rex. “It’s simple but it’s good.”
Glimpses of Fairhope are prevalent in Rex’s pieces. Many of them are made of driftwood, which he gathers himself, and reflect Bay-area themes. “My art is just about all coastal,” he says. But he does have one exception. “I like what they call cryptids,” he says with a smile. He enjoys crafting the fictional creatures, naming several species with origins all over the country: the Rougarou, a form-changing, werewolf-like creature, from Louisiana, the Goatman from Maryland, the Skunk Ape from Florida. “It makes a good show when I go to the art center,” he says.
He has been a featured artist at two shows at the Eastern Shore Art Center and has won multiple juried awards. He donates work to the art center, too, as well as Thomas Hospital Auxiliary, and the Fairhope Public Library for its annual Chocolate and Champagne fundraiser.
Rex’s favorite place is his studio, where he fashions commissioned pieces for patrons and creates art for himself.
Art was not the only new venture Camille and Rex began after retirement. They are no strangers to historic homes, having restored and now rent out several across south Alabama. “I don’t know how we started all that,” says Camille. “I don’t know why we did either, but we did,” laughs Rex. “We’re in so deep with the rental business, we can’t get out of it!”
Their Fairhope house, however, is the place they call home. One of Rex’s pieces, a giant heron, is mounted to the front, greeting visitors as they drop by. The house contains history, both in its 1920s architecture and the Turners’ art. “I’ve made a lot of stuff,” Rex says. “There’s a story behind every piece.” MB
Many of Rex’s pieces are made primarily of driftwood. This fairy won an award at the Eastern Shore Art Center.
Above: Meagan Ogletree, the Turners’ granddaughter, never misses a family gathering, bringing her children along, too.
The Turner’s decor is a mix of works from local artists, one-of-a-kind garage sale finds and their own art.
4 cups seedless watermelon, cut into ¾ -inch cubes
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved ½ red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
¾ cup baby arugula
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
7 oz. crumbled feta cheese Salt to taste
1. In a large bowl, combine watermelon, tomatoes, onion and basil.
2. Gently mix in arugula.
3. In a separate small bowl, whisk together oil and balsamic vinegar.
4. Pour oil mixture over watermelon salad and toss. Add crumbled feta, and season with salt.
5. Serve immediately.
3 or 4 bananas, sliced, divided Baked pie shell
8 oz. carton of sour cream
1 cup milk
Small box of instant vanilla pudding Cool Whp
1. Spread half of the sliced bananas over the bottom of a baked pie shell.
2. Combine the sour cream and milk and stir in the pudding.
3. Blend until slightly thick and pour over bananas.
4. Top with another layer of bananas.
5. Spread Cool Whip over the top.
Above: Carly McRae, the Turners’ granddaughter, graduated from medical school last year and stops by to visit between hospital shifts.
SERVES 4
4 – 4 ½ cups unbleached flour, divided 2 packets yeast
2 cups warm water
¼ cup oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
Butter for bowl
1. Combine 2 cups flour and yeast.
2. Add water, oil, sugar and salt.
3. Beat on low in a stand mixer for 30 seconds
4. Turn to high and beat for 3 minutes.
5. Add the rest of the flour and knead for 10 minutes on a floured board.
6. Put the dough in a buttered bowl and let rise until dough doubles in size.
7. Punch down and divide into 6 balls.
8. Roll into ropes.
9. Take 3 and braid. Do the same to the remaining ropes.
10. Put on a cookie sheet and let rise again until doubled in size.
11. Bake at 375°F for 20 minutes.
The stuffed crab is easy to freeze for drop-in company. This recipe makes the perfect stuffing for baked flounder, too.
Above Right: Dawn McRae, the Turners’ daughter, visits her parents when she’s not teaching yoga.
SERVES 4
6 oz. box of stuffing mix
½ cup butter
½ tsp. poultry seasoning
½ tsp. parsley flakes
1 cup crab meat (can substitute cooked shrimp or rotisserie chicken)
1 ½ cups water
Paprika, to taste
Chopped rosemary, for garnish
1. Combine all ingredients except crab meat and paprika and cook according to stuffing mix directions.
2. Add crab meat.
3. Scoop into ungreased muffin tin and freeze.
4. Allow to set, then drop in freezer bags and freeze until you are ready to cook.
5. To cook, place in custard cups or crab dishes with a pat of butter and a sprinkle of paprika.
6. Cook at 350°F for about 20 minutes until golden brown.
7. Garnish with chopped rosemary and serve.
Even the most artistic souls need fresh inspiration from time to time. Five local artists share their go-to sources to kick-start creative thinking.
Describing herself as someone who “finds beauty in the ordinary,” Maggie Stickney’s life and art are anything but mundane. A mother of three daughters, Stickney finds time to paint in the rare moments of quiet when everyone is otherwise occupied or out of the house. She grew up on Long Island and then earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in printmaking from Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Ultimately, she moved to Fairhope, where her husband grew up, and has been raising her family along the Bay ever since.
For years, Stickney used her artistic vision to create fabric designs for baby carriers but recently returned to her love of painting. Whether exploring the “edge of two worlds, where land and water meet” through her coastal landscapes or revealing the beauty in simple items such as a houseplant or butterfly, her colorful works remind us to take the time from our busy lives to appreciate the magic all around us. Her work can be found at Sophiella Gallery in Mobile, Purple House in Gainesville, Georgia, and Jenner McGinn studio in Atlanta.
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Other artsts are always a great source of inspiraton for me. There are so many I love. Alice Neel, Fairfeld Porter,John Singer Sargent,Henri Matsse and Richard Diebenkor are just a few. 32##/454, Color is a constant inspiraton. In nature, textles, books, food, architecture – really everywhere.
If I see a color or combo I like, I try to fle it away. I get really excited about relatonships with color. Color is magic. I love color! I enjoy trying to match and mix colors to my color-aid paper chip.
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The natural world is a huge inspiraton. I’m constantly snapping pics while walking my dog or when we drive the backroads to the beach. I can fnd something I want to draw or paint anywhere. I like to play games like: where is the paintng?
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Playing with compositon is a huge thing, too. What makes a paintng work has a lot to do with the compositon. So I like to tnker with this and see if I can take something really boring and
make it interestng with just compositon and color.
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I enjoy lines and form. Sometmes I just see something with really cool lines and I want to draw it. Recently we were at the beach with some friends down at Fort Morgan, which has all these brightly painted houses on stlts. The bright colors were fun, but the stlts were the inital pull for me to paint that setng.
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The edges of where things meet is something I’m always drawn to. I love where water and land meet. I also love the juxtapositon of the natural world and man-made — like houses on the dunes or the masts of boats in the sky.
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Houseplants are a kind of mundane beauty. I appreciate the lines and forms and incorporate them into interior spaces.
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The color combinatons in the sky are literally endless. I relish the challenge of sortng out what the colors truly actually are, and recreatng them in my work. Ofen with clouds there is very litle white — even when they appear white. Clouds are a hard thing to paint. It’s hard to make them feel authentc, but I like the challenge.
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Light and shadows are really fun for me. I love creatng simple stll lifes in my house, arranging fruit with interestng shadows and paintng them.
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Anything with a shape I like, I want to draw it. That can be a chair, scissors, a bunch of bananas, a houseplant, a stack of books, a crumpled napkin or a bag of lemons from the grocery store. I’m always reminded that anything can be a good paintng if it’s painted well.
At an early age, June Reddix-Stennis discovered her passion for art and social justice. She was raised on a farm in Vancleave, Mississippi, where she joined the Jr. NAACP and won the state art competition at the young age of 6. With no formal art education available, she became “the class doodler and hobby photographer,” while remaining an activist throughout her younger years.
Reddix-Stennis enrolled at Tidewater Community College to study commercial art, and then mass communications and advertising at Norfolk State University. Eventually, after “bouncing around a bit,” she landed in Mobile where she had a 20-year career as an award-winning graphic designer.
Then, after a life-changing injury, June realized that she could merge her passions to advocate for social change. Now, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Goddard College, June works from her studio in Central Arts Collective in Mobile. Her upcoming “SOIL” focuses on lynchings in Mobile and their modern-day legacy.” She describes herself as one who “creates for ‘them,’ the ones who are unheard, unseen, unnoticed.”
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LM149>"H'+"N)'6O"<*"<*+,)1)#8" )2"-)6%$*"C)%5/"78"M149>" Americans” by Arnold Adof &,%*"!"&4/"47)'+"%.#,+"8%4$/" )16"2$)5"58"<'*+"N.1"&,)"1.B%6" in Chicago. I stll read from it. I also had the pleasure of meetng and chatng with Maya Angelou &,.1%".*"9)11%#%".*"F.$#.*.4?"4*6" my daughter is named afer her. I am also a fan of Mobile poet Alex Lofon, aka “HuggyBear Da Poet,” ,%=/"4"/+4+%"+$%4/'$%;" C/#.-.7,&-)#78#(,*''5# -8"#$%4+:#$4*65)+,%$"&4/"4" 5.6&.2%?"6%1.B%$.*#"5)/+")2"+,%" <2$.94*:<5%$.94*"747.%/".*")'$" town untl about 1965. She went +)+4118"71.*6"2$)5"#14'9)54" shortly afer. I would walk to her ,)'/%"+)"B./.+"&,%*"!"&4/"4"9,.16?" 9)5%".*"4*6"*)+"4**)'*9%"&,)"!" was. She would tell me to come to ,%$"/)"/,%"9)'16"2%%1"58"249%"4*6" .*/+4*+18">*)&".+"&4/"5%;"!"+,.*>" 47)'+",%$"&,%*"!"(4.*+"4*6"/9'1(+?" 4*6"!"&)*6%$"&,4+"6.6"/,%"/%%; D/#%&(%#$%,-*0#372'$# )%--$)# !"($)5./%"8)'?"+,%$%=/" *)+,.*#"1.>%"+,%5A !"/#(7,07'#+*,;)# !"6./9)B%$%6",./"(,)+)#$4(,8" soon afer my mom bought me a 35mm camera in high school.
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I’m refreshed by green space, and Mobile has some jewels. I’m a frequent visitor to Langan Park, Treasure Forest and the Botanical Gardens.
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I love being out and about in the world. An exotc locale, a crossstate excursion or simply driving the back roads of Mobile and Baldwin countes is cup-flling.
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A well-made cup, an Eames chair, a Frank Gehry building, even a good grilled cheese sandwich can be inspiring.
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When I think of the clear waters and the sound of the creek fowing through the limestone canyons, I feel at home and at peace.
B"#$%#:.=&#and best friend, Amy Paterson.We’ve known each other since we were children growing up in small-town west Texas. Our relatonship and our adventures together, keep me centered and motvated.
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I frequently revisit the places I’ve been, the people I’ve known, the experiences that have formed who I am. I look back so I can beter understand and shape what lies ahead.
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The process of gathering molten glass on a blow pipe and forming a bubble gives me unfetered joy. At that moment anything is possible.
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Artsts like William Gudenrath taught me craf, while others, like Therman Statom, taught me how to conceptualize my work. I frequently refect on their lessons.
,"#$%#-./+ To be a child is to see the world for the frst tme. They are so atuned to being imaginatve, open, and free. They are practtoners of play and unconditonal love.
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Being able to work with such a talented and diverse range of collegues at The University of South Alabama has fostered and facilitated my professional development these past eleven years. Being a teacher, helping students grow and mature as artsts, and knowing that I played some small role in their success inspires and informs my own work.
Whether traveling to far-flung destinations, going for a drive or enjoying the pleasure of a long walk, Matthew Patterson finds beauty in life’s journeys and the natural world. Beauty defines Patterson’s award-winning art as well, “beauty is not just the object of our attention, but the quality of how we think and feel,” he explains.
Patterson was raised in Ballinger, Texas, where he met his wife Amy. Art ran in the family, and Patterson was influenced by his mother, a landscape painter, and his brother-in-law, who introduced him to glass blowing. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Fine Arts at the University of Texas Arlington before relocating to Mobile and becoming a professor at the University of South Alabama, educating his students in the art of glass blowing.
Patterson’s works have been displayed in galleries, museums, and private collections across the United States. A busy, proud father of two children, Patterson still takes the time to appreciate the beauty of Mobile’s “frequent rain, lush landscapes, delicious food and people.”
Kent Walsh is a painter, but she is not the type who sits quietly at an easel. Walsh’s process is a physical act, often leaving her breathless as she scrapes the canvas to create her distinctive works. “I refuse to plagiarize myself,” Walsh proclaims.
Walsh has been painting since her grandmother gifted her a set of oils when she was 5 years old. She graduated with a degree in studio art from the University of Alabama where abstract art was not a part of the curriculum. Despite this, she gained knowledge of color and expression that enabled her to develop her style, creating the abstract pieces that define her work today.
Nearly 30 years ago, she donated 25 of her paintings to sell for an event, and all of them sold. The enthusiasm for her work made it clear that she had chosen the right profession.
Now, she continues to paint and teach classes out of her studio in Point Clear, where she has lived for the past 20 years. She is an engaging mentor and teacher, who encourages her students to use their emotions to fuel their work. She takes pride in the relationships that her students form with each other on top of the instruction they receive. Walsh’s works are displayed at the Sophiella Gallery in Mobile.
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His color and brush strokes are bold and intentonal. I especially admire “Rosy Fingered Dawn 1963”
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Lennon and McCarthy make me remember meaningful tmes in my life.
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I respond to the nature around me. I’m moved by high and low tdes, sunsets, and squalls on the bay.
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The color combinatons on the houses in the French Quarter thrill me.
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The ships’ simple lines and monochromatc palete remind me of abstract paintng.
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The moss on the trees, the cypress knees, the reflectons on the water, all contribute to my landscape paintngs.
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The story of five women who started a movement that changed modern art: Lee Krassner, Elaine de Kooning, Grace Hartgan, Joan Mitchell, and Helen Frankenthaler.
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Flowers, candles, crystal and china can be seen in the background of my abstracts.
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I can stare at bridges forever. The way light expands and alters the architectural elements invigorates my imaginaton.
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Everything my mother touched had style. She lived her life with elan. Her sense of proporton had an effect on me.
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Poetry, like most art, comes in many different forms, with a majority of people having a strong preference for one over another. Some lean towards more traditional works, composed of flowery vernacular and conveyed to an audience through a structured, rhythmic delivery. These types of poems are just as alive on paper as they are in speech. Some prefer the more recently developed form of poetry performance: the poetry slam, which consists of something completely different, yet just as impactful.
The poetry slam, popularized by Marc Smith in the 1980s in Chicago, often includes the use of modern-day language to express the performers’ emotions and is relayed through a direct, almost casual, delivery. These elements in combination create a poem that has just as much impact as the classics we enjoy, albeit through contrasting performance styles. While traditional poetry is written for the page, slam poetry is written for the stage. And it may be just the introduction to poetry many need.
In that spirit, the annual Slam-O-Rama began in 2004 at the Toulminville Branch Library. “I have been able to see so many young people become interested in this art,” says Gertrude Laffiette, a youth specialist and assistant manager with Parkway Branch Library and one of the founding members of the SlamO-Rama. “The library’s goal was to give these young people an
outlet and a voice and to encourage them to use their voice in a positive way to communicate their feelings.” This year’s competition, held during National Poetry Month, was the first one the library has hosted in person in the last two years, a celebration made even more special by occurring in conjunction with the library’s 120th birthday.
Experience writing poetry is not a prerequisite to enter the Slam-O-Rama. Some participants wrote their first poems for the competition and several learned about it through school. “Many of the teachers got involved by encouraging their students and even helping them to use what they have learned in class along with their own creative gift,” says Laffiette. “This gave many of them the confidence to stand before a crowd and speak; it was great practice for them.”
Teaching participants about poetry is certainly a goal of the Slam-O-Rama. However, teaching young people how to express themselves creatively is the key mission. Throughout the years, Laffiette has encountered not only poetry that needs people to express it, but people who need poetry to express themselves. “I believe poetry is important because it allows people to speak their opinion,” says Laffiette. “It stirs up creativity in them. It can also make a positive change in the direction they’re going.” MB
One Wednesday afer school, Kaci told her mom about a poetry contest, saying, “Mama, I’m going to write a poem and I’ve got to go say it on Saturday!” That night, she wrote her frst poem, “They Did It,” which depicts prominent fgures throughout Black history. And, just three days later, she won frst place in the 8-11 age group of the competton. When writng and recitng a poem for the frst tme, stage fright is all but expected. However, the spotlight doesn’t seem to faze Kaci. “Afer a lot of tmes of saying poems, I just got used to it,” she says.
For some, it takes tme to decide what to write about. It took tme for Shepherd, too — about fve minutes. The topic for “The Cold Soccer Night” was obvious for the player for Associaton Football Club (AFC) Mobile, and the words to describe it came $&+3.&446D%'/%),)%*,$$,$>%+",.)%-4&@#%,$%+"#% 8-11 age group. Ever-compettve, he is upfront about his reason for entering the contest. “I just did it because I heard we *#.#%>/,$>%+/%>#+%&%-.,E#78%"#%'&6';%F#%#$B joys repetton, which he learned from his +#&@"#.%&+%5&*#'%<$+#.0#),&+#%9@"//4%&$)% is evident in his poetry. And, like soccer, -/#+.6%,'%&%-#.2/.0&$@#%9"#-"#.)%)/#'% not back away from. “I like being in front /2%-#/-4#;8
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age group of the poetry contest. The positve subject mater is not surprising given his bright, happy demean or, and writng it distracted him from the neighborhood dogs, which he is afraid of, barking outside. Poetry gives him confdence. “When I’m talking to people, I’m ner vous and stuter,” he says. When he recites his poem, all that goes away. “I’m comfortable.”
The wind blows on my face. I’m in the park having a picnic by the benches. The dogs bark behind the fences.
I plant fruits and vegetables at the public garden.
I look down at an ant bed that has got harden. I got in my car, drove back home, Got on the couch and slept To the crack of dawn.
John Cochran’s job description, resume and life are summed up in one word – music.And yes, the word music covers a wide range. So does he.
A business owner, musician, teacher, promoter and performer, Cochran manages bands, plays in bands and can train your band. Students of guitar, from children to the elderly, with skills ranging from Jimi Hendrix to don’t-quit-your-day -job, seek his tutelage.
Cochran’s professional career started as a teenager.“My first paid gig was at age 14 sitting in with Hank Becker,” he recalls, reminiscing about picking guitars with Mobile’s late music patriarch. “I asked to play, mainly just to sit in,and Becker said yes. We performed at a teen birthday party. I made $20.”
But the guitarist began his musical quest around age 5. Other preschoolers were obsessed with playing, playgrounds and Play-Doh but 5-year-old John loved The Rolling Stones, The Allman Brothers and The Grateful Dead.
His older brother Zach had a guitar, so the youngster would sneak into his room and play it, memorizing chords and deciphering musical notes by sight. Though still a child, the self-taught student was not too young to memorize pictures and finger placements on strings.With no formal training in music until college in his early 20s, he learned music by ear.
His turning point also came at a young age when tragedy struck. He and his dad, Jimmy Cochran, were playing basketball at the YMCAwhen the father had a heart attack and later died.
“It was hard on us,” the son recalls. “I remember one day mom picking me up from UMS. I could tell she was having a tough time.” But just then, a musical revelation changed his life. “Whenever Motown music was played — Marvin Gaye,
John Cochran in the showroom of Dauphin Street’s Mobtown Music
The Temptations and other soul tunes, — mom seemed to feel better,” he remembers. “I realized that music can lift you up, help through grief and offer cheer. I wanted to pursue that for my life’s work.”
His mom, Becky Cochran Roberts, was adamant about her son receiving an education. “She wanted me to be a literate, competent and educated musician,” he recalls.Before he died, his dad also offered advice: “Son, do what you love,and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
Parental advice was heeded.Cochran has a bachelor’s and master’s in Jazz and Studio Guitar Performance from the University of Mississippi and Middle Tennessee State. He is an adjunct professor of music at Coastal Alabama College. And he has never regretted a life in music.
“There are so many people here in Mobile and Baldwin Counties-professional musicians, amateurs- from all walks of life, hungry to learn music or wanting to improve their skills,” he notes. “I gave my first guitar lesson when I was 13. My student was 11.” Currently, he teaches 12 classes a week.
In addition, he has performed with bands throughout the U.S. and beyond, often as a sideman and guitarist. In 2020, as COVID began, so did his own group, John Cochran and the Remedy. “[COVID] keeps rollin’ out the punches but I guarantee ya’ this show will be a ‘remedy’ for whatever’s got ya hung up!” he posted on social media. Fans eagerly awaited the debut at Daphne’s Downtown Cigars. And the band plays on. “Sometimes I think I do too much,” he concedes. “But so be it. This is what I love.”
Cochran is a co-partner with Brett Harrington in Mobtown Music. The 1960s former print shop at 651 Dauphin Street is more than ‘just a store.’ Never say that. This place is just a store like Elvis Presley is just a singer.
Here, one may purchase a “learner” guitar for 100 to 200 bucks. Or one may buy a nicer model for $21,000.
“See this teardrop edge?” Cochran says, examining a handbuilt guitar, in the one-stop-music extravaganza. “You don’t of-
ten see that on acoustic guitars.” He gingerly feels the strings.Each instrument has a personality. He knows each one.
Mobtown Music is connected to Dauphin Street Sound, a state-of-the-art recording studio. “It is a fascinating place,” the musician explains, pointing out electronic booths indicative of NASA’s Mission Control. Except NASA does not have Grammy Awards. Dauphin Street Sound does.
“This is Studio A,” he says. “I have played on two albums here. Me and Keylan Laxton,Dauphin Street Sound’s chief engineer, coproduced an album here.” It was an album for the group The Backseat Drivers. “I put them together when they were 11 years old,” notes Cochran. “At age 18, they laid down$8,000 of their own money and recorded a full-length album here.” The band still plays with him as its manager.
There are isolation booths with 600-pound doors blocking outside sound. “Morgan Freeman was in here yesterday,” notes the guitarist, pointing at the actor’s notes still by the microphone. “We’ve also hosted Robert De Niro doing voiceover for a movie made in town.”
Mobtown Musicand Dauphin Street Sound work hand in hand. One can take music lessons, form a band and record an album all under one roof. Cochran has done it all. Just ask his peers.
“Some guys are just talented at what they do,” says Laxton. “John embodies that. He is not out here just trying to make a living. He has a mission to expand education of students and to develop the talent we have around here. Many people do not see the music business that way, the way John sees it.”
His projects also venture onto the Eastern Shore — musically and philanthropically. In 2016, he joined the crew at Live at Five. On the campus of Fairhope’s Coastal Alabama Community College, the outdoor concert series raises money for the Jacob Hall Memorial Music Grant. The proceeds provide resources to area musicians to help them achieve their full potential.
“John is a ball of energy,” says Live at Five board member, Elizabeth Tonsmeire. “He books the bands, performs at shows
and makes it all happen. He is an asset to Baldwin and Mobile Counties and a pillar of Live at Five.”
Dawn comes early.“Typically, my day starts with Layla and I having coffee and meditations,” says Cochran. Layla is a 14-year-old rescue dog of the breed “happy to be here.” But the canine of concerts has seen more band shows across the country than you or I ever will.
After answering emails, checking messages, and perusing the to-do list, Cochran arrives at Mobtown Music around 10 a.m. His day may end around 4 a.m. the next morning. There are entertainers to be matched with venues, band schedules to update and talent to hire.
He practices guitar for at least an hour a day. “Never stop practicing,” he states. He believes no matter how good you are, you can be better. His lessons are often by Zoom meeting with a personal guitar instructor in London.
In addition to guitar, other tools of the musician’s trade are the lap steel guitar, dobro, piano and drums. But wait, there’s more. Cochranmanages five bands: In addition to the Backseat Drivers, there areGrits and Greens, the Bruce Smelly Band, Red and Revelers, and Cat Rhodes and Truth.
He also is an ordained minister. “I have officiated four weddings — all musicians,” he says.
During afternoons, into the evenings, and on weekends, there are music lessons to teach. Many students are musicians wanting to hone skills. “But I can teach students as young as 5 if they show promise,” he notes. After all, age 5 is when he began to learn.
Like Mobtown Music and Dauphin Street Sound, Cochran, too, is a one-stop music shop. He is passionate about his work and helping other musicians, bands and music students in similar endeavors. “Somebody has to fill that need,” the Mobile music man says.
John Cochran fills that need. MB
The Sundance award-winning documentary releasing to international audiences this October captures Africatown’s complicated history and hope for the future.
and humidity of a lush Lower Alabama summer, filmmaker Margaret Brown and her crew canvas the streets of Africatown searching for the right shot. The myriad of greens from grass, banana trees, azalea bushes, and other coastal flora fill the lens. Shotgun houses, an old car and a chain-link fence appear rundown but are buoyed by nature’s electric pallet. Then the frame widens and pans up above the tree line to reveal a tumult of billowing smoke and the massive gray infrastructure of the heavy industry adjacent to the community of Africatown.
Brown, a Mobile native, screened her forthcoming documentary at last year’s Sundance Film Festival, where it was an award-winner and caught the attention of some noteworthy fans. “Descendant” has been acquired by Netflix for worldwide distribution with Michelle and Barack Obama’s production company, Higher Ground, and producer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson of musical group The Roots. This high-profile support ensures the film will reach national and international audiences. Questlove is a multiple Grammy Award-winning hip-hop musician, bestselling author and award-winning filmmaker, who happens to also be a descendant of Charlie Lewis, one of the Clotilda captives and a founder of Africatown.
Dr. Kern Jackson, the director of the African American Studies program at the University of South Alabama, also brought his expertise to the documentary. Jackson serves as co-writer and co-producer and appears in several scenes throughout the film. He collaborated with Brown in the past, and it was through their conversations over the years that “Descendant” was born.
The documentary focuses on the descendants of the Clotilda slave ship, whose ancestors were smuggled from Africa to Mobile in 1859, despite the international slave trade being outlawed in 1808. More than a century later, the infamous story has finally received local, national and international coverage since the discovery of the actual ship by local investigative reporter Ben Raines in 2019. The release of “Descendant” this October will thrust the Mobile area into the spotlight again.
The story goes that on the eve of the Civil War, Alabama shipbuilder, planter and lumber magnate Timothy Meaher bet a large sum that he could smuggle a ship full of enslaved Africans into Mobile. The penalty of such an action, if caught, was death by hanging. Meaher presumably made the bet late in the evening on one of his riverboats during an argument with a Northern passenger about the politics of the day. Captain William Foster was then hired to sail his schooner Clotilda, one of the fastest
cargo ships in port, to the coastal city of Ouida in the kingdom of Dahomey, now present-day Benin. Once there, Foster purchased 110 captive Africans who were then forced into the cargo hold of the ship. They endured a terrifying and inhumane three-month journey back to Mobile across the Middle Passage. On July 8, 1860, 108 captives disembarked into the dense cane break and mosquito-infested swamps of the Mobile River onto a plantation belonging to Meaher’s friend. They had to be hidden under the cover of night as US Marshals searched for the slaves as evidence against Meaher. Those slaves were the last recorded African captives imported into the United States.
Dr. Kern Jackson of the University of South Alabama and Margaret Brown co-wrote the documentary, which prominently features Africatown-native Jocelyn Davis.
Foster then burned the Clotilda. It sank into the mud of the Mobile River near Twelve Mile Island and disappeared from view, hiding evidence of the crime. Meaher was arrested, brought to trial and cleared of all charges because the ship could not be found, despite reports to the press that he bragged incessantly about the bet he had won.
Five years after first setting foot on Alabama soil, the Africans of the Clotilda were emancipated at the end of the Civil War. Despite the fact that many of them were from different African kingdoms and spoke different languages, they were able to unite and persevere. They worked to find a way back to their beloved homeland, but eventually gave up that hope due to lack of resources and availability of return passage. Instead, they set out to build their own community where they would practice their customs and religions, govern themselves and raise their children in ways that were important to their identity. A leader of the community was chosen to ask Meaher for a plot of land on which to settle and farm. When he balked at the request, the group collectively saved money and purchased the land from Meaher, establishing a community they called Africatown. Descendants still hold tax records proving these land purchases.
This story might have disappeared, along with the ship, had not generations of descendants of the Clotilda’s captives kept it alive through oral history. For decades, the citizens of Africatown either did not feel safe to tell the story to a broader audience, or they could not find an audience willing to listen. Today, however, that has changed, and the trials and perseverance of the Clotilda passengers and their descendants have culminated in the discovery of the ship. This perhaps stands as a judgment of Meaher’s hubris.
Brown’s film poignantly weaves the stories of several of the descendants still living in and around Mobile, uncovering the legacy of their ancestors. “The story of the Clotilda inspired me the most initially — all the complicated layers of it,” Brown said when asked about the film’s impetus. “But as I got to know the descendants as people and as friends I was just inspired by their activism, creativity, resilience and humor in the face of extreme multigenerational odds.”
With the discovery of the Clotilda in 2019, Brown captures the moment when this small south Alabama community was suddenly catapulted into the national spotlight. “When the ship was found it gave the community a way to validate the stories they’d been telling among themselves for generations,” Brown adds.
In addition to oral history, author Zora Neale Hurston’s anthropological work, “Barracoon,” forms a written narrative of the Africatown settlers that Brown uses to weave the past and present together. In the book, Hurston documents the stories and ruminations of Cudjo Lewis (Oluale Kossula), one of the enslaved Africans on the Clotilda and a founder of Africatown. Originally penned in 1927, the manuscript lay dormant in the vaults of Howard University until its publication in 2018. It could not find a publisher in its day because it was written in Lewis’s vernacular and prominently discussed the enslavement of Africans by other Africans, both unpopular at the time. In Brown’s documentary, the descendants read aloud Lewis’s own words from “Barracoon” as he
described the tortuous and terrifying conditions of the Clotilda’s hold. We hear how he longed for his mother, and that even as an old man he still reached for her in his dreams. We feel Lewis’s love for his fertile and verdant homeland, we despair at the group’s attempt to return to Africa, and share in their hope of creating a home in this new land they were forced to inhabit.
In the documentary, Captain William Foster’s descendant, Michael Foster, attended the Spirit of Our Ancestors festival held in Africatown. On a chilly morning during his visit, Ben Raines took Foster and several Clotilda descendants, along with Kamau Sadiki of Slave Wrecks Project, up the MobileTensaw River Delta to the remote site of the sunken Clotilda. In an uncomfortable moment, Foster says he felt good that it was recorded by his ancestor’s slaves that Captain William Foster was a good master. Taken aback, Kamau Sadiki then replies, “A good master or bad master is equal in my book.” The uncomfortable tension and passionate frustration of Sadiki are palpable. Missteps aside, the conversation — and the understanding Foster presumably gains — would have never been possible at all if he had not reached out and made the goodwill effort to meet those whom his ancestors wronged.
“The beauty,” Brown says of the film, “is in the complexity of this story. This project taught me how to collaborate deeply with the subjects of the film. I had to listen, be a vessel, and question my own bias.”
Hope is a continuous thread throughout Brown’s documentary. Since the Clotilda’s discovery, aspirations for what could be loom large. Local residents and descendants aim to revitalize their community with an influx of tourism. As a model, the community looks to the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery. A world-class museum like that would put Africatown on the map as a must-see landmark in Alabama.
Several community groups composed of descendants and residents of Africatown have been active in the conversation, hoping to have a say in what happens to their community. But these efforts have not come without continued trouble. “We have different groups in Africatown paddling in
different directions, so we’re standing still,” says Cleon Jones, Africatown activist and former Major League Baseball outfielder. (He famously made the game-winning catch for the Mets in the 1969 World Series.) Despite the sudden interest in tourism, some descendants worry their community will not reap the benefits of tourism dollars.
Dozens of articles locally and nationwide also highlight concerns of the economic and environmental racism the community faces, as well as the generational wealth disparity that continues to weigh heavily on residents. For generations, the community has had a disproportionate amount of cancer and other health problems implicated by the close proximity of heavy industry. In the film, Joycelyn Davis, who grew up in Africatown and who is also a cancer survivor, remembers playing in the schoolyard with friends as the ash from the papermill snowed down around her. “We didn’t know,” she said. “I thought every school, every neighborhood had factories right next door. I remember when someone asked what that terrible smell was, someone else quickly said, ‘money.’”
The community was often neglected where basic utilities were concerned. “We didn’t have running water in Africatown until 1966,” explains Lorna Wood, a lifelong resident and descendant of Charlie Lewis. “We had an outhouse. For water, we used a pump and carried water into our house by the bucket.” In Ben Raines’ 2022 book, “The Last Slave Ship,” he recounts how the great-grandson of Timothy Meaher worked to prevent the City of Mobile from laying water lines to the neighborhood just north of town. As the major landlord in Africatown, he worried his tenants wouldn’t pay their rent and water bills, too. “Those were hard times,” Wood continues, “but it brings me joy to tell the story of our ancestors the way it was supposed to be told. Now people are listening. God wants this story to be told, and I have hope.”
Despite questions about the best way to move forward, the potential for revitalization is boundless. Already underway, and in varying degrees of completion, are several projects. County Commissioner Merceria Ludgood, Mayor Sandy Stimpson, State Representative Adline Clarke, Visit Mobile’s David Clarke, and Lee Sentell, Alabama Tourism director, have sought to pool their resources to support the efforts underway in Africatown.
The Africatown Visitor’s Center, which is across the street from the historic graveyard where many Clotilda survivors are buried is awaiting the final go-ahead. A multipurpose building, the site of a former credit union, will include a business center for community groups and entrepreneurs as well as a food pantry. Also underway is the Africatown International Design Idea Competition, which offers multi-disciplinary design teams the opportunity to imagine Africatown as it might be. The contest challenges teams to propose 16 water and land venues stretching between Africatown, Prichard and Chickasaw. The idea of creating a life-size replica of the ship has also garnered considerable interest.
Lorna Woods and Jocelyn Davis, both descendants of Charlie Lewis, share their stories of the past and present.
The most significant project at present is the Heritage House Museum, set to open at the end of the year. The History Museum of Mobile, in partnership with the Alabama Historical Commission, Mobile County Commission, and the City of Mobile, has curated and will operate a landmark exhibition expected to be the primary interpretative space for the story of the Clotilda.
Like “Descendant,” the 2,500 square foot exhibition will put a special focus on the people of this story— their individuality, their perseverance, and the extraordinary community they established, all through a combination of interpretive text panels, documents, and artifacts. The pieces of the Clotilda that have been recovered from the site of the wreck will be on display, on loan from the Alabama Historical Commission. The exhibition has been curated, developed, and designed in conjunction with the local neighborhood and the wider descendant community, and in consultation with experts around the country.
The discovery of the Clotilda, and the international spotlight put upon
this hamlet north of downtown Mobile, offers a potential path of hope for the future and a way for the community to tell its extraordinary story. This story has the potential to serve as an avatar for countless African Americans who cannot trace their lineage, but who long to make that connection.
And for those grappling with a way to make sense of the past, the future and their own personal role in this larger discussion, the answer isn’t simple. Cleon Jones in “Descendant” said, “I’m not responsible for what my grandfather did and you’re not responsible for what your grandfather did.” But William Faulker also famously wrote, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” Maybe the path forward is somewhere in between these two truths. MB
“Those were hard times, but it brings me joy to tell the story of our ancestors the way it was supposed to be told. Now people are listening. God wants this story to be told, and I have hope.”
- LORNA WOODS, Descendant And Africatown resident
THIS SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION HIGHLIGHTS ENGINEERS, BUILDERS AND ARCHITECTS INTEGRAL TO THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND BEAUTIFUL COMMUNITIES IN MOBILE AND BALDWIN COUNTIES.
Julia Sledge
The mission of Cochran Builders, Inc. is and always has been to provide customers with the very best construction process. From design to move-in day, attention to detail is the standard.
e men and women who represent Cochran Builders, Inc. are the very best at their trade in the surrounding area. In order to obtain the best results, Cochran Builders, Inc., only works on a couple projects at a time to enure the jobs are managed properly. This also allows for use of the same craftsmen on all the jobs, which results in delivery of the very best work.
If you can dream it, the team of talented craftsmen can build it. Your home is your biggest investment, and when the build or renovation is complete, Geo rey and Jared Cochran make sure the outcome is more stunning than words can describe.
“WORKING WITH THE COCHRAN BROTHERS FROM THE START PROVIDED A RELATIONSHIP BUILT ON TRUST AND COMMUNICATION. I KNEW I COULD COUNT ON A PROMPT RETURN CALL OR TEXT, WHICH IS SO IMPORTANT, AS SOMETIMES BIG DECISIONS NEED TO BE MADE ON THE FLY! IT WAS A FUN PROCESS WITH A LOT OF LAUGHS AND NO DRAMA.”Photo by Chad Riley
COCHRAN BUILDERS, INC.
Spanish Fort | 251-423-9686 (Geo rey) | 251-401-9059 (Jared)
CochranBuildersInc.com | facebook.com/cochranbuilders instagram.com/cochranbuilders
Founded in 1995 in Mobile, AL, Hargrove is a full-service EPC (engineering, procurement, construction management), controls & automation, life sciences, and technical services rm.
After 27 years of building relationships, they have grown to over 2,500 Teammates supporting both domestic and international clients in multiple modes of service:on-site support arrangements, plant-level small projects and consulting roles, and larger capital projects.
e Hargrove Foundation, their charitable arm, supports causes across the country in health and human services, education, arts and culture, and quali ed sports activities. An annual bene t Gala is held each year in Mobile, with exciting keynote speakers, allowing the Foundation to change countless lives.
Teammates at Hargrove are dedicated to being the Right People in the Right Place at the Right Time, not only for their clients, but for their communities. For more information about Hargrove, The Hargrove Foundation, or for career opportunities, please visit www.hargrove-epc.com.
HARGROVE
20 S. Royal Street | 251-476-0605
hargrove-epc.com info@hargrove-epc.com
“WE SHOW UP FOR OUR CLIENTS AND COMMUNITIES EVERY SINGLE DAY – WHAT WE BUILD BEST ARE RELATIONSHIPS.”
– Ralph A. Hargrove, President & CEOPhoto by Chad Riley
Ashton and Company, Inc. was formed to match the nation’s best labor and processes with our world class customers. We are one of the only woman-owned, union contractors in south Alabama that specializes in the power industry, providing employment to, at times, over 250 local craftsmen.
From craft labor through the executive levels, returning our workforce home safely is a core value at Ashton. Our target is zero, meaning zero harm to the employee, the environment and our customers’ facilities. We believe our employees are our most valuable asset, therefore we invest time and training to ensure all employees are thinking, planning and working safely.
As a local company, Ashton is dedicated and passionate about giving back to the community. Not only do we strive to keep jobs in the local area so that residents can use their skill set and grow within our
organization, we also provide support to many local area non-pro t organizations, both with donations and our time. Ashton and Company supports many local programs, such as People for Care and Learning, FCA, Breast Cancer Awareness, Whatever Ministry and also partners with local churches and schools.
At Ashton we value relationships, both with our employees and customers. Our mission is to perform for our customers the highest level of safe, quality construction services at fair and market competitive prices.
ASHTON AND COMPANY
1200-B Radcli Road, Creola | 251-410-5600 AshtonAndCo.com
Ashton and Company is a woman-owned, union, direct hire contractor focusing on the demands of the heavy industrial environment.
The Radcli Project Team completed the new Gulf Shores Elementary School STEAM Wing in late July of 2022, on-time for students going back to school in August. e New Classroom addition was designed by e Walcott Adams Verneuille and Goodwyn Mills Cawood Design Team. e school’s new addition is sized at 12,500 SF and will serve grades K-2 through 5th. e addition is designed with collaborative learning in mind. Included are six classrooms with roll up glass doors, two large STEAM Labs split by operable marker board walls and 14’ long sliding glass doors and a STEAM Tech lab. In addition to the classrooms, the project also consists of a collaborative presentation area with decorative lighting installed to represent an osprey nest, and a courtyard rubber surface with the map of e Northern Gulf of Mexico, bays and barrier islands.
Highlighting the school’s motto “Make Waves” the building boasts alternating wave themes throughout the walls, oors, paint, and millwork. To add to the interactive learning features of the space, the WAV/GMC Design Team added three aquariums to the project. One large 910-gallon saltwater aquarium for regional sh species as well as two 210-gallon tanks for brackish and fresh water. Many thanks to Gulf Shores Elementary School, e Design Team, our Vendors/Subcontractors, and e Radcli Team for making this project a reality.
BEN M. RADCLIFF CONTRACTOR, INC.
3456 Halls Mill Road | 251-666-7252
BenRadcli .com
G.A. West & Co., Inc. is a full-service construction company, founded in 1987 to meet the demand for exible, cost-e ective construction, fabrication and maintenance service operations. We specialize in heavy industrial projects where commitment to safety, on-time completion and highquality products are the standard.
With a yearly average of over 1,100 employees, our company is one of the top 10 employers in the Mobile area and is the largest direct-hire contractor in the southern part of the state. G.A. West has three locations in Mobile County, encompassing 147 acres of land and over 250,000 square feet of warehouses, fabrication shops, docks, roll-o platforms, laydown yards and o ce space.
G.A. West has the ability to provide concise and responsible support on a timely basis due to our history of concentration in the heavy industrial sector. Our ability to self-perform all major components, and the quality and vetting of all suppliers and subcontractors allows us to meet and exceed safety, quality and schedule goals that are key to successfully completing projects with compressed schedules. Furthermore, as an extensive equipment owner ranked 63rd in U.S. crane ownership, G.A. West is better positioned to control a project’s nish date.
Throughout our extensive 34-year career within the diversi ed and everchanging construction/maintenance industry, we continue to maintain a competitive edge in providing services and products that will exceed our clients’ current and future needs.
G.A. West is also a community leader, working to raise breast cancer awareness and supporting local organizations such as FCA, Ronald McDonald House, Mission of Hope, Wings of Life Recovery and Penelope House. G.A. West has also donated time, labor and supervision building and working on projects at various churches in the community, including Pathway Church and Destination Church.
Headquartered in Mobile for over 75 years, Volkert is a nationally active, award-winning professional services rm, broadening its focus to encompass both the natural and built environments. Volkert o ers a full range of planning, engineering, and construction services to both public and private clients across a broad spectrum of industries and geographies. With over 1,200 employees, they consistently rank among the top 100 design rms in the nation.
Volkert is currently providing engineering and design services for Broad Street roadway reconstruction and complete streets project, including the roundabout at the Broad and Canal Street Intersection for the City of Mobile, in partnership with ALDOT.
Volkert is committed to providing clients with creative solutions for a sustainable environment, including improvements to infrastructure, the environment, and natural resources. And their mission has never changed: the commitment to serve, the drive to innovate, and the passion to excel.
This exhibit explores illusions and how they impact the perception of reality.
EXPLOREUM SCIENCE CENTER EXPLOREUM.COM
MOVIES IN THE PARK 6 p.m. Bring chairs, blankets and snacks as Movies in the Park presents free showings of old and new films.
VARIOUS MOBILE PARKS MOBILEPARKSANDREC.ORG
PARKER MCCOLLUM
7 – 11 p.m. See the singer-songwriter on tour with special guests Corey Smith and Frank Foster. Ticket prices vary.
THE WHARF AMPHITHEATER • ALWHARF.COM
FAIRHOPE FIRST FRIDAY ART WALK
6 – 8 p.m. Merchants and galleries in downtown Fairhope stay open late to highlight the local art community.
DOWNTOWN FAIRHOPE • ESARTCENTER.ORG
GULF COAST CLASSIC DOG SHOW
Watch the top dogs from around the country strut their stuff in this competition.
THE GROUNDS GULFCOASTCLASSICDOGSHOW.ORG
LODA ARTWALK
6 – 9 p.m. Get glam and zen out to celebrate National Beauty and Barber Week and National Yoga Month.
LOWER DAUPHIN ARTS DISTRICT MOBILEARTS.ORG
Spend family time exploring Dauphin Island during this overnight program. Tickets: $175 per participant.
DAUPHIN ISLAND SEA LAB • DISL.EDU
THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG
7 p.m. Misplaced props and forgotten lines abound in this comedy production. Showtimes and ticket prices vary.
CHICKASAW CIVIC THEATRE CCTSHOWS.COM
BLACKHAWK
7 p.m. See the country band at the Live at Five Concert Series. Ticket prices vary.
HALSTEAD AMPHITHEATER LIVEATFIVEFAIRHOPE.COM
A 1.5k swim in the Gulf of Mexico, a 40k bike ride through Gulf State Park and a 10k scenic run are the events in this triathlon. There is also a “Tri-it-on” for beginners, with a 300-yard swim, a 9-mile bike ride and a 2-mile run. Registration prices vary.
GULF SHORES MAIN PUBLIC BEACH GULFSHORES.COM7 p.m. Join the Grammy-nominated Christian country artist, along with special guest Ben Fuller, on his Fall 2022 tour.
SAENGER THEATER ASMGLOBALMOBILE.COMCHARITY GOLF CLASSIC
Golfers of all skill levels can enjoy a round of golf, refreshments and various prizes at this annual competition. Proceeds benefit Camp Bluebird, an adult camp for adults ages 18 or older who have been diagnosed or treated for cancer, and the Ascension Providence Cancer Center. Registration prices vary.
LAKEWOOD GOLF CLUB PROVIDENCEHOSPITALFOUNDATION.ORG6 - 9 p.m. Watch as five local competitors create original works of art at the Mobile Arts Council’s largest annual fundraising event. Artists have 90 minutes to create a piece from a table of mystery items. Other activities include live music and a silent auction of the art pieces. Proceeds go towards supporting Mobile’s arts community. Tickets: $35.
BATTLESHIP PARK MEDAL OF HONOR AIRCRAFT PAVILION • CITYOFMOBILE.ORG
15TH ANNUAL GO RUN
8 a.m. 5K. 9 a.m. 1-mile fun run. Proceeds from this annual run benefit gynecologic cancer research at the USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute. Registration: $30 for adults, $15 for children under 12. Virtual registration: $32.
HANCOCK WHITNEY STADIUM RUNSIGNUP.COM/GORUN22
35TH ANNUAL COASTAL CLEAN-UP
8 a.m. – Noon. Volunteers who sign up early receive a free T-shirt. Or sign in at the Fairhope Pier the day of the event.
FAIRHOPE MUNICIPAL PIER FAIRHOPEAL.GOV
MOBILE RIVER FOOD AND MUSIC FESTIVAL
2 – 7 p.m. Chefs from local restaurants and musical artists from the Bay area team up to host a good time for all. Tickets: $25 for adults, $10 for children ages 6 - 10.
COOPER RIVERSIDE PARK MOBILECOUNTYAL.GOV
BALDWIN COUNTY FAIR
Take the whole family to enjoy rides, fair food, games, animals and more. Admission: $20 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and free parking throughout the fair.
BALDWIN COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS BALDWINCOFAIR.COM
FAIRHOPE OUTDOOR FALL FARMERS MARKET
2 – 5 p.m. Shop for locally-grown produce, plants, baked goods and more at the Fairhope Public Library.
FAIRHOPE PUBLIC LIBRARY
FAIRHOPEAL.GOV
6:30 – 8 p.m. Guests will tour beautiful art galleries while enjoying hors d’oeuvres, cocktails and a presentation about Flourish, a community center for teen girls.
EASTERN SHORE ART CENTER FLOURISHAL.COM
SCHEHERAZADE
7:30 p.m. Sat. 2:30 p.m. Su. Catch the opener of Mobile Symphony Orchestra’s 2022-2023 season. This performance of the famous Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov symphonic suite features guest artist Jenny Grégoire. Ticket prices vary.
MOBILE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA MOBILESYMPHONY.ORG6 – 9 p.m. Spend an evening outdoors in downtown Mobile full of music, relaxation, sipping and painting! Registration: $25, covers the cost of painting supplies. Adult beverages will be available to purchase. Attendees must be 21 years old and older to participate.
MARDI GRAS PARK MOBILEPARKSANDREC.ORGTake a boat trip to iconic birdwatching locations across Mobile Bay and attend workshops at this four-day event. Registration prices vary.
MOBILE AND BALDWIN COUNTIES
SOUTHALABAMALANDTRUST.ORG
MOBILE POPS FALL CONCERT
7 p.m. Bring a chair and enjoy a free outdoor concert by the local nonprofit symphonic concert band, the Mobile Symphonic Pops Band.
MEDAL OF HONOR PARK THEMOBILEPOPS.COM
SEA LAB SCIENCE FRIDAY
9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Learn all about ocean animal biology in these three courses split up into two-hour increments. Suitable for ages 10 and up, or for all ages with an accompanying adult. Tickets: $10 per participant per class.
DAUPHIN ISLAND SEA LAB • DISL.EDU
Enjoy a car show, concerts, speakers, children’s activities and food, along with an appearance from Miss Alabama at this second annual beach bash.
THE WHARF, ORANGE BEACH
ORANGEBEACHAL.GOV
MOBILE BALLET 35TH ANNIVERSARY GALA
2:30 p.m. Alumni of the dance school return to their hometown stage with the Mobile Ballet Company in a one-time-only performance. Cocktail reception to follow. Ticket prices vary.
MOBILE CIVIC CENTER THEATER MOBILEBALLET.ORG
Stroll along Olde Towne Daphne and view the art, music and cuisine of more than 130 local and regional artists.
LOTT PARK, OLDE TOWNE DAPHNE THEJUBILEEFESTIVAL.COM
Explore rollercoasters, Ferris wheels, thrill rides, fair food, a petting zoo and more at this annual attraction.
THE GROUNDS
GREATERGULFSTATEFAIR.COM
Bring the kids in costume for a day of trickor-treating, pumpkin patches, food trucks and more. Tickets: $16 for adults, $10 for ages 5-12 and free for ages 4 and younger.
BELLINGRATH GARDENS AND HOME BELLINGRATH.ORG
* Check event websites for most current status.
With plenty of space for entertaining and for privacy, this distinctive home design was popular with Mobile’s oldest families.
text by CART BLACKWELLWith 300-plus years of history, popular perceptions of what defines Mobile run the gamut. Among the most pervasive architectural manifestations of the city is the side hall with wing residential compound. At one time, over 400 of these domestic ensembles lined Mobile’s fashionable thoroughfares. Sadly, less than 40 examples survive today. The side hall with wing was — and still remains —
the Port City’s equivalent to the Charleston single house and the New York City row house. Examining this property and the motivating factors behind its design, and spotlighting notable examples around the city, demonstrates the enduring appeal of this distinctive Mobile architectural idiom.
The moniker side hall with wing is no misnomer. The building is a multistory residence featuring a side hall with
• Built 1840-1870’s
• Housing type of choice of prominent Mobilians
• Multi-story houses with large service wings
• Generally made of brick
• Street-facing galleries
• Cast-iron fencing abutting the sidewalk
• Greek Revival and Italianate in style
rooms to one side and a wing or wings behind them. The house itself is part of a larger whole that starts from the front of a lot and goes to the back of it, often involving indoor and outdoor spaces. The experience of a side hall with wing property begins on the sidewalk. Castiron fences, with gates bearing the names of their occupants, invariably enclose the front lawn. Brick or marble paths lead the way to lacy iron galleries or columned porticos that extended the length of the side hall and the rooms to one side of it. Sometimes, the recessed wing is graced by a porch or bay window. Upon entering the hall, you encounter a staircase, often set behind an archway. Doors from the hall lead to “double parlors,” which are separated, yet connected, by pocket doors that slide into wall cavities. Rear parlors often functioned as formal dining rooms. A third, more family-attuned, room formed the front portion of the recessed wing. Bedrooms occupy the upper stories. Service wings extend from the rear of the house and were originally occupied by pantries, kitchens, laundries, privies, and lodging for staff. These spaces were also graced by galleries. Carriage drives provided access to the courtyards, which were often encircled by carriage houses, stables, garconniere, poultry houses and other buildings.
The earliest documented side hall with wing compounds date back to the late 1840s. They continued to be built well into the 1870s and were the house design of choice for Mobile’s civic, mercantile and social elite. Just what did the side hall with wing houses provide their owners?
The ensembles afforded maximum use of urban lots, air circulation, accommodation of grand entertainments and a balance of public and private spaces. Houses with this design were typically set back from the street, thereby providing distance from city noises and smells. Because they were free-standing compounds, these houses provided breaks from the fires that so often ravaged downtown Mobile dur-
The best known side hall with wing in Mobile, this museum house on North Joachim also has Mobile’s most important figural cast ironwork.
On account of its corner location, this house affords optimal vantage points by which to experience a side hall with wing property. Today the building is the headquarters of Distinguished Young Women. This photograph was taken as part of the Historic American Buildings Survey (Library of Congress) in 1933.
Now headquarters for the Mobile Carnival Museum, this home was built as a residence in the 1870s. This rendering of the large dwelling was executed by local artist Marian Acker Macpherson and is included in her “Glimpses of Old Mobile.”
ing the 19th century. Ceilings as high as 14 feet and rooms featuring windows on multiple walls allowed heat to rise and exit the house. Halls and pocket doors served to better the flow of air and people, with the doors also providing separation. Jib windows, which have a casement opening in their lower portions that swings outward and sashes above that rise into the wall cavity, allowed for entry to and exit from rooms to galleries. Located on the upper floors, bedrooms were afforded a measure of privacy. Service wings located to the rear of the main block removed cooking and preparation of food from the main body of the house but still kept them within close reach.
Even though less than 40 of these iconic properties survive in Mobile, those still standing are some of the best known in the Port City. The Richards (DAR) House, Bernstein-Bush House, which is now the Mobile Carnival Museum, and Gilmore-Gaines-Quigley House, now Distinguished Young Women headquarters, are three of the most readily accessible to the public. Privately and institutional-owned instances of this design include the St. John-Rutherford House on North Conception Street, Hamilton-Snider House on Church Street and Bush-Mohr House on St. Anthony Street.
The amazing pictorial archives of the Historic American Building Survey, Carnegie Survey of the Architecture of the South, and the Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Collection hold hundreds of pictures of side hall with wings. Writers such as Eugene Walter and Julian Rayford used the compounds as settings for their writings. Artists, including Marian Acker Macpherson and John Augustus Walker, captured the properties in etchings and oils. A visit downtown provides a firsthand experience of these iconic Mobile landmarks. MB
For writer Audrey McDonald Atkins, spider lilies are reminders of her childhood home and growing up.
MCDONALD ATKINS
It rained the day I was born. And it has rained most every year on my birthday since then. That’s what you get when you have a late September birthday. Rain. What else do you get? Spider lilies. The more rain, the more spider lilies. As a child, I spent many an hour swinging by myself on the swing set in the yard of our big old rambling house. I would sing and swing, and sing and swing some more. Then I would pick flowers for a while. Then I would sing and swing some more. My favorite flowers were the spider lilies that would spring up every fall seemingly from nowhere. Not a bush, not a twig, not a bunch of leaves. Nothing to hint at the beauties to come. Just a green stalk shooting out of the ground crowned with a beautifully wild red frill.
I thought my house was named for the spider lilies that grew so abundantly because it was known as the Lilly House, but it was actually named for Leo and Millicent Lilly, who came to Citronelle, Alabama, in the mid-1880s.
The Lillys established a dairy and raised chickens and sold eggs. By 1886, they had built the home that was ultimately ours — four rooms with a porch and a milk house on the back. The milk house later became our kitchen, and sometime along the way a bathroom was added too. Mrs. Lilly must have been an avid gardener because some 90 years later when we lived on that corner, there was still a field of narcissi, some asparagus that continued to come up behind the barn, and, of course, the spider lilies.
Japanese folklore says that if you encounter someone along the way whom you will never see again, spider lilies will bloom where you passed. Maybe that’s why the spider lilies were so abundant at the Lilly House. With every autumn, with every birthday, with every song, with every swing, I was passing the little girl I was, and, from that moment on, would never be again, and slowly growing into the woman I am today.
A woman who still loves to swing and sing and pick spider lilies. MB
Born and raised in Citronelle, Atkins shares stories about growing up and living in the South in her book, “They Call Me Orange Juice,” and at her blog folkwaysnowadays.com.
That designated district, located south of Government Street, is named for the historic public school located on Church Street. Leinkauf is the oldest continuously operating elementary school in Alabama and originally opened its doors in 1903.
The new school was named to honor Hungarian-born William Herman Leinkauf, who had served on the local school board for 30 years and presided over it for 20. He had died just two years earlier and was president at the time.
William Leinkauf arrived in Mobile at the age of 21 in 1848 and married Caroline Bloch six years later. He established a “variety store” with two Dauphin Street locations by the outbreak of the Civil War. In the early 1870s, he was operating a dry goods emporium at 35 Dauphin Street and joined forces with Bavarian-born Leopold Strauss to form a wholesale dry goods firm by 1876.
According to court records, Leinkauf and Strauss successfully sued the owners of the steamship Vidette when she sank with over $8,000 worth of merchandise (roughly $250,000 in today’s dollars) from New York bound for their store in Mobile in 1887. The wooden-hulled vessel took on water some 90 miles east of Dauphin Island and sank by the stern. The captain and the crew survived but the cargo sank to the bottom of the Gulf. The case was won when it was proved the vessel was not sea-worthy.
Leinkauf and Strauss advertised “Staple and Fancy Dry Goods, Notions and Hats” in 1888 and were operating at 9 and 11 North Water Street.
The end of the business came when their four-story building became engulfed in flames on a March evening in 1894. The fire quickly spread to three other buildings on the block and caused the evacuation of the Battle House Hotel to the west. Losses were estimated at $200,000 or nearly $7 million today. The hotel survived that fire but would not be as fortunate a decade later.
Two years later, the firm of Leinkauf and Strauss still appeared in the city directory, but its listing stated it to be “In Liquidation.” In 1897, Mr. Strauss died, and his widow went on to marry merchant Leopold Hammel whose name was synonymous with a fine department store in Mobile for decades.
Leinkauf left dry goods for banking, and established William H. Leinkauf & Son, a firm advertising itself as “a
general banking business able to draw bills of exchange, buy and sell foreign exchange, receive deposits and make collections in all part of the South.” The firm was located on St. Francis Street, east of Royal in a block lined with other commercial and savings banks.
In addition to running the bank, Leinkauf served on the school board and as vice consul for Denmark, Holland, Norway and Sweden. His wife was an accomplished singer and, in May 1897, was invited to participate in a special event at the new McGill Institute. According to a news account, she “sang the principal parts in ‘The Seven Last Words of Christ,’ and her voice was never heard to better advantage.” Interestingly, both Mr. and Mrs. Leinkauf were devout
Jews and pillars of the Jackson Street Temple.
Leinkauf died in 1901 at the age of 74. His will left money to several charities, including $500 each to “the Catholic Female Orphans Asylum on Conti Street and the Protestant Orphan’s Asylum on Dauphin Street.” That $500 bequest would be worth well over $17,000 today.
Two years later, the new elementary school in one of the fastest-growing residential districts in Mobile was named in Leinkauf’s memory.
The original structure was one story above a raised basement and contained just four classrooms. The building was enlarged in 1907 to two stories and a wing was added in 1911, all in a style “reminiscent of a Romanesque fortress.”
Exactly 90 years after its dedication to Mr. Leinkauf, a fire attributed to lightning left the historic structure a smoldering ruin. With support from many prominent alumni in the area, the school was rebuilt and enlarged with an exterior reminiscent of the original but with state-of-the-art interiors.
The popular district and the very historic school at its center are appropriately named for a man who was generous with his time and his money to make Mobile a better place. MB
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Later, grocers and other businesses installed streetside pumps for extra income, where cars lined up to refuel, causing traffic jams.
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By 1929, the US census counted 121,513 filling statons natonwide.
IN 1926, LOCAL ARCHITECT C. L. HUTCHISSON SR. designed a novel gas station for the northwest corner of Government Street and Dearborn, next to where the McDonald's sits today. Commissioned by the Huxford Oil Co. as its second location, this one was especially noteworthy with its ceramic tile shingles and upturned eaves. The spire appears more reminiscent of a Japanese pagoda, but nevertheless the building became known as the Chinese filling station. The striking edifice eventually became a tire store, lasting through the 1970s. By the 1980s, the adjacent McDonald's tore it down to make way for expanded parking. The number of gas statons 35$8&03(#$35$=>??6$@3-"$-"#$ #A2(&:3&5$&,$*/-&%&03(#$ traffic in that decade, the 5/%0#+$"*'$+3:#5$-&$BC$0)$ &5()$=>?D6
