The Eastern Shore’s rich heritage is seen in its distinct communities inviting residents and visitors alike to explore the shore. Historic Blakeley, a peaceful, growing community, has a history marked by years of hardship. The oldest town in Baldwin County and one of the oldest in the State of Alabama, Blakeley reached its zenith in the 1820s with a population of nearly 4,000. While Blakeley once thrived, it is now considered to be “the South’s loveliest ghost town.”
Spanish Fort, located high on a hill overlooking the delta, is directly east across the bay from Mobile. The city’s name fits its history as it was occupied on two occasions by opposing armies during the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War.
Malbis was settled in the early 1900s by Greek immigrants who encouraged their fellow countrymen to join them in establishing a new community in America. Today, visitors can enjoy the community’s magnificent Greek Orthodox Church, a replica of a Byzantine church in Athens, with its wonderful mosaics and marble brought from the same quarries that provided stone for the ancient Parthenon.
During its early history, Daphne was home to the Spanish, the French and the British who claimed the city. In the early 1900's, Italian families settled in Daphne and brought with them great expertise in agriculture and a tradition of foods and wine, and that heritage is still celebrated. The historic district of Montrose (“Rose Hill”) and towering oak trees on Scenic Highway 98 invite a leisurely exploration. Montrose is home to Ecor Rouge, the highest point of land on saltwater from Maine to Mexico.
Fairhope, on its high bluff overlooking Mobile Bay, started as a dream for a group of individuals seeking their own utopia — the Single-Tax Colonists who adhered to the economic theories of Henry George an advocate of no taxes other than a single land tax. In 1908, the city of Fairhope was established and its 500 residents took over responsibility for all municipal services. In the 1930s, the city became the caretaker of Fairhope's greatest assets, the beachfront park, the park lands on the bluff above the beach, and the quarter-mile long pier. All of these were gifts of the Single Tax Colony which is actively involved in the city to this day.
The Eastern Shore’s westernmost point of land, Point Clear (“Punta Clara”) has the waters of Mobile Bay on both sides. Punta Clara was militarily strategic in its location between the northern delta and the southern passageway into the Gulf of Mexico — a fact the Spanish conquistadors recognized when they first settled in the region.
|
