Off the Gulf Coast of Alabama is an island steeped in history.Â
Dauphin Island is a typical barrier island in the Gulf Coast. It has resorts, gift shops, and a very long beach. The island also has a fort and a nature preserve. You probably can guess what I visited.
The French landed on Dauphin Island on January 31, 1699, right at the beginning of French colonialism on the Gulf Coast. They originally named the island, Massacre Island. The explorer, Pierre Le Moyne, sieur d’Iberville, saw a bunch of skeletons and figured something really bad happened. In actuality, a Mississippian culture burial mound was damaged during a hurricane. D’Iberville would go on to establish a port and small town on the island to facilitate trade and shipping. Goods heading to Mobile would be offloaded ocean going ships and loaded onto shallow water ships at this port. That included human beings, both African and French. Not much remains of the French period on the island, though. So lets move forward to the American period.
Fort Gaines was one of the many fortifications built after the War of 1812. The United States realized that its ports were horribly protected from a sea invasion. The burning of Washington, D.C. solidified the decision that they needed some new forts. Fort Gaines and Fort Morgan were built on either side of the entrance to Mobile Bay. Even though they are within eyesight, those forts are not close by road.
Construction of Fort Gaines started in 1821. It was built in the same style as many of the other forts of this period, referred to as the Third System of Fortifications. All the bricks had to be shipped in, over 3 million. It was never used to deter a invasion by a foreign country. Rather, the fort saw its only battle during the Civil War.
Fort Gaines from the air.
Jana Irving The sun was not corroborating for this picture.
Jana Irving Not the tallest fort but it would do.
Jana Irving The parade ground of the fort.
Jana Irving Casemates could have been used for not just cannons, but also storage rooms, bunkrooms, etc.
Jana Irving Ooft.
Jana Irving Guarding the bay.
Jana Irving After the Civil War, they would modify the old, outdated fort for new powerful guns.
Jana Irving I’m not sure if the fort originally had a moat or not.
Jana Irving Heading to the magazine, which is down a long tunnel.
Jana Irving The magazine held the powder, shells and shots during the Civil War.
Jana Irving The bakery ovens are so creepy.
Jana Irving The Latrine. It would be flushed by the tide coming in and flushing it out.
Jana Irving A ship rudder from a ship wreck. It was from a sailing ship built between 1800 and 1850.
Jana Irving This modern battery, Battery Stanton, was constructed between 1898 and 1903 as part of the modernization of the fort.
Now for the Audubon Bird Sanctuary. Parking for this place is a nightmare. The parking lot is a dirt patch surrounded by woods. My car only fit because its a subcompact.
Jana Irving I really enjoyed my visit though.
Jana Irving Who couldn’t love this?
Jana Irving A small fresh water pond.
Jana Irving While everyone else at the pond was looking at birds, I found a turtle.
Jana Irving Well, there’s a bird. According to Google Lens, that is a Great Blue Heron.
Jana Irving There is beach access from the preserve. I tried to walk out there but the sand was so loose that I couldn’t walk in it.
Jana Irving A couple of gorgeous Live Oaks.
Before leaving Dauphin Island, I stopped by another little park which had some shell mounds. The island was settled by a Mississippian Culture (1100-1550). They seasonally came to harvest the nearby oysters. The mounds are also made up of a various rubbish, like broken pottery, bones, and charcoal, as well.
Jana Irving You can’t really tell that there are shell middens here, but the park was gorgeous.
Jana Irving Gulf Fritillary Butterfly. There were a ton of butterflies flying around.
Jana Irving Vines, vines everywhere.
After visiting the park, I went souvenir shopping and looked at the beach, normal island activities. The island also hosts an Aquarium and a few resorts. It’s a nice little island, a nice place to visit.
Check out my next update where I will be exploring more Gulf islands!
or
Check out more nature and parks!
