From Rome to Home: My life in Mobile, Alabama: Our Gulf Coast Cottage

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Our Gulf Coast Cottage

When my husband and I found the McGraw Cottage while home searching in 2004, we knew it was the right home for us. It perfectly blended the local vernacular architecture with the national trend for the greek revival. The home was built sometime before 1859 by Thomas McGraw, a steamboat engineer from Philadelphia, and his wife, a french creole named Marie Verneuille, whose family had fled France at the turn of the nineteenth century. We have furnished our home with family heirlooms and local pieces that we find while antique shopping or at estate sales.

7 comments:

DrickJuly 17, 2011 at 4:25 PM
not to mention it now houses a darling couple and a precious princess.... not talking about the cat Eleonora...
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SimonaJuly 17, 2011 at 6:38 PM
Thanks, Drick! Anche la principessa Eleonora ti ringrazia!
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l'angolo dellemargheriteJuly 18, 2011 at 7:42 AM
ciao piacere di conoscerti grazie della visita passerà anche questo..... complimenti x il blog un bacio
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SimonaJuly 18, 2011 at 7:58 AM
Grazie Anna, piacere mio! Molto bello anche il tuo blog! Un bacio anche a te
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TraicetrakJuly 21, 2011 at 12:55 PM
So glad to have stumbled across your blog! I'm a native Mobilian living in the Loop area, and lately doing a lot of research on Reconstruction era Mobile. Do you know when Washington Square itself was established? I know there are several antebellum homes around there.
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SimonaJuly 21, 2011 at 2:46 PM
Hello Tracie! I believe that Washington Square was established in 1850 by Archibald Gordon. The homes directly facing the square were post-war, predominately built between 1868 and 1880, but as you said, there are many homes in Oakleigh that pre-date the Civil War, especially east of George Street.
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TraicetrakJuly 21, 2011 at 7:05 PM
That's EXTREMELY helpful. Just what I needed. Thank you so much!
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Simona's Top 10 things to do while in Mobile, Alabama

#1 Take a walk Downtown on Dauphin Street. There's a lot of great architecture and places to eat. Don't miss the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and the Bishop Portier House. Bienville Books is one of my favorite haunts and dinner at Wintzell's Oyster House is a must before leaving Mobile.

#2 Tour Mobile's Greek Revival Public Buildings. Buildings of note include Barton Academy and the Presbyterian Church on Government Street and Christ Episcopal Church at the corner of St Emanuel and Church Street (near the Fort Conde Visitor Center). The Mobile City Hospital and Marine Hospital on St Anthony Street and the Washington Fire Station on Lawrence Street are also worth a visit for the architectural enthusiast or history buff.

#3 Walk through the De Tonti Square Historic District. This is one of Mobile's oldest neighborhoods and includes architecture ranging from raised Creole Cottages to brick Federal and Italianate Townhouses. Just outside De Tonti Square, monthly jazz jambalaya's are held by the Mystic Order of the Jazz Obsessed at the Old Gulf City Lodge.

#4 Tour the Oakleigh Garden District. Stops should include a tour of the Oakleigh House Museum, a stroll through the camelias and under the oak shaded canopy of Washington Square, and dining at Callaghan's Irish Bar. When you need a break, stop by the newly renovated Cream and Sugar Coffee House.

#5 Visit Spring Hill College. The architecture and landscape of the southeast's oldest catholic university provide for a pleasant stroll through the grounds. Stewartfield is an excellent example of an antebellum home that is on campus but don't miss other notable homes in the area including the Marshall-Eslava house on Tuthill Lane, the Gaillard House on Myrtlewood Lane, and Carolina Hall on Yester Place.

#6 Travel along the Old Dauphinway. On your return from Spring Hill, along Spring Hill Avenue, the Old Shell Road, and Dauphin Street you'll find many exceptional old homes. The Gates-Davy House on Dauphin, the Bragg-Mitchell Mansion on Spring Hill Avenue, and the Calef House on Old Shell Road are a few of my favorites. For a special treat, stop by the Visitation Monastery on Spring Hill Avenue where the nuns have been selling their delicious "Heavenly Hash" since the 1950's.

#7 Go back in time in Church Street East and Fort Conde Village. Back downtown, make sure to check out the on-going renovations in Fort Conde Village and visit the Conde-Charlotte House Museum. Church Street East has a range of architectural styles including many turn of the 20th century shotgun homes. The replica Fort Conde includes great colonial-era artifacts collected at the site and the nearby Museum of Mobile provides additional insite into Mobile's History. No visit to Mobile would be complete without visiting the Mardi Gras Museum on Government Street which celebrates Mobile's oldest tradition.

#8 Take a Cemetery Tour. Mobile has many old cemeteries and three of them should definately be on any travel itenerary. The Church Street Grave Yard dates to 1820 and includes separate sections for the interment of catholics, protestants, and strangers. Yellow fever quickly helped to fill up the Church Street Cemetery so Magnolia Cemetery, 1838, and the Catholic Cemetery, 1848, were created.

#9 Go for a Bike Ride. Mobile has a couple of very active bike groups with group rides available for the novice to the pro. The relatively mild weather through much of the year, flat terrain, street layout, and the many less travelled roads provide excellent biking opportunities. "Mobilians on Bikes" can be found on facebook and provides information on all the rides.

#10 Tour the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. The Mobile-Tensaw Delta is the second largest delta in the United States and provides many opportunities for boating, fishing, kayaking, and nature watching. Eagles, Osprey, and Alligators are some of my favorite sites. The Bottle Creek Indian Mound is a treasure hidden deep within the delta.