Coastal Strip Mobile Bay Gulf Coast

The southernmost coastal strip of Alabama around Mobile Bay and the Gulf Coast followed a distinct colonial trajectory from the rest of the state. The first permanent European settlement in the region was Mobile, established by the French in 1702. The area then came under Spanish control as part of Spanish West Florida from 1783, a province of the Spanish Empire. Unlike the interior of Alabama, which was incorporated into the Mississippi Territory from 1798, this coastal strip was not annexed by the United States until before or during the War of 1812. It was later included in the Alabama Territory (1817–1819) as a narrow strip to Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico coast, before Alabama achieved statehood on December 14, 1819. During the Civil War, Alabama's Gulf Coast ports remained open for nearly four years using blockade runners, guarded by forts Morgan and Gaines (seized by Governor Andrew B. Moore in January 1861), until the Battle of Mobile Bay in August 1864 and the Battle of Fort Blakeley in April 1865 forced Mobile to surrender as the last major Confederate port.

Pre-contact era

Inhabited by indigenous peoples for thousands of years. The Woodland period spanned from around 1000 BC to 1000 AD, marked by the development of the Eastern Agricultural Complex, followed by the Mississippian culture of Native Americans lasting to around 1600 AD.

Colonial history

Territorial period

The southernmost coastal strip including Mobile Bay and Gulf Coast was annexed by the United States either before or during the War of 1812, distinct from the rest of Alabama which was incorporated into the Mississippi Territory from 1798. The Mississippi Territory's eastern half was redesignated as the Alabama Territory on August 15, 1817, which included a narrow strip of land to the Mobile Bay and Gulf of Mexico coast. The Alabama Territory lasted until December 14, 1819.

Research the history of any US location

Aubrey searches federal archives, archaeological records, historic registers, and primary sources to build a full historical report for any address or place in the United States.