DID Ep 7 - Ghost Town at the Top of the Bay

Send us Fan Mail (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2589837/fa...) 200 years ago, there was another city at the head of Mobile Bay. For a brief but remarkable time, Blakeley rivaled Mobile in size, commerce, and ambition. Founded by a Connecticut entrepreneur who believed there was room for another great port on the Gulf Coast, Blakeley seemed destined to become one of the most important cities in the young state of Alabama. But history had other plans. In this episode of Dauphin Island Diaries, we explore the rise and fall of the ghost town just above Mobile Bay. Along the way, we'll look at the optimism of the early American frontier, the opening of the Old Southwest, steamboats, yellow fever, land speculation, and the fierce economic rivalry between Blakeley and Mobile that ultimately shaped the future of Mobile Bay. Today, only the old courthouse foundations, a cemetery, and memories remain. Yet if you stand beneath the live oaks overlooking the Tensaw River, it's still almost  possible to imagine the bustling town that once stood there...and to wonder what might have been had history chosen a different path. Sources Research for this episode was drawn primarily from: • An on-site interview with Mike Bunn, Executive Director of Historic Blakeley State Park Additional information was drawn from: • Peter J. Hamilton, "Some Southern Yankees" (The American Historical Magazine, October 1898) • Story of the Tensaw, Blakely, Spanish Fort, Jackson Oaks, Fort Mims by Prescott A. Parker • Encyclopedia of Alabama • Voices from 1818 • ExploreSouthernHistory.com • UnitedStatesGhostTowns.com • Additional historical and archival resources used for fact-checking, chronology, and background research 🎙️ Credits Hosted by Big John Summers Produced by Summers Media Enterprises Foley/Sound Effects recorded by Big John Summers 📣 Follow & Support Follow Dauphin Island Diaries on Facebook, Instagram, and X for additional content, including on-location videos, historical interpretation, interviews, and stories from across Dauphin Island and the Alabama Gulf Coast. 🔗 Links 🧢 Merch & Apparel: https://www.summersmediaenterprises.c... 📘 Follow on Facebook:   / dauphinislanddiaries   📘 Check out The Tennessee History Nerd: https://www.summersmediaenterprises.c... Check out the Dauphin Island Diaries Catalog! Check out our merchandise on the SME Website.  New bumper stickers available! Check out The Tennessee History Nerd!   https://www.summersmediaenterprises.c... Advertise with us!  [email protected] Take Dauphin Island Diaries with you wherever you go! If you enjoyed this episode, follow the show, share it with someone who loves history, and leave a review—it helps more folks discover the stories of Dauphin Island, Mobile Bay, and the Gulf Coast.