Mobile and the Eastern Shore

To say that Mobile has a rich history is like saying Nashville has a few musicians. The port city has a rich heritage dating back to the 1700's. The oldest city in Alabama, Mobile has seen the rule of the Spanish, the French, the British, the United States, the Confederacy, and the United States again. Mobile was celebrating Mardi Gras before New Orleans. Some of the last fighting of the Civil War took place on a hill outside the city, after Appomattox. Baseball stars Henry Aaron and Satchel Paige even played their first games of baseball in the sandlots here.

Mobile native Frye Gaillard, well-known author and Southern culture expert, along with his wife Nancy and daughter Tracy, has created a fascinating look at a city steeped in history. Using images form the University of South Alabama archives, the Historic Mobile Preservation Society, and the private collections of historic Mobile area families, the Gaillards capture the heritage and vitality of a city cultured enough to appreciate the past, and lively enough to enjoy the present. Whether one is new to the city on the bay, or a native with roots that reach back through the ages, Mobile and the Eastern Shore will interest every reader.