Government St., Mobile: A Great Historic Street (Pt. 2)

Barton Academy, 504 Government St. First Public School in Alabama

I've walked on Government Street in Mobile Alabama four separate times. The funny thing is, as I finished up seeing the sights that I came for, I kept discovering more. In other words, I loved it and looked forward to returning each time. As I've learned, it's a street that needs to walked to be fully appreciated.

Government Street Methodist Church-901 Government Street

In Part one, I looked at the historic mansions and some of the history of the street.

Today I'll concentrate on the the public buildings and churches .

All Saints Episcopal Church-151 S Ann St, Mobile, AL corner Government & S. Ann

( Photo taken from Government St)

In this piece, I've taken the liberty to also show two buildings that are on the corner of Government St. but with the other street as the actual address of the building (The History Museum of Mobile and All Saints Episcopal Church) Besides that little caveat, all the sights in this blog are on Government Street.

Marianne the 18-1/2 ft Terra Cotta statue sat atop the Mobile County Courthouse from 1889 to 1917

The History Museum of Mobile is a perfect place to get get acquainted with Mobile's 300 year History. It was free entry when I went because the Mayor wanted people to see the the Ark of India Exhibit so he waived admission. The museum does an outstanding job on their permanent displays and temporary exhibits. It showcases what Mobile is famous for- Ironwork, shipbuilding, architecture and art. It also shows the history of the Carnival celebrations, the slave trade and the Jim Crow Era South. It's even got a great miniature house display.

I was really impressed by the temporary Ark of India exhibit. It featured Alabama's artist Roderick Mackenzie's depiction of late 19th century-early 20th century India. Mackenzie spent over a decade in India.