Historic Preservation Month 2024
During the month of May, we celebrate Historic Preservation Month. This year's theme is #PeopleSavingPlaces! There are educational events, tours, and activities on the schedule that will highlight the importance of preservation in Mobile.
Boyington Oak Festival
May 4 & 5
1:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Historic Oakleigh House
Purchase tickets here
The Boyington Oak Festival is an annual event hosted by the Boyington Oak Society and the Historic Mobile Preservation Society. This year the event will be held May 4 & 5 at the Historic Oakleigh House located in Midtown Mobile. Featured in the event is the play “The Truth is in the Tree,” which tells the true story of Charles Boyington. Journeyman printer, poet, and musician, Charles Boyington, was hanged for the murder of his critically ill best friend. As he predicted would happen to prove his innocence, an oak tree grew from his gravesite in Mobile, Alabama. It still stands almost 200 years later. Tickets to the event are $55 and include the play, a tour of Historic Oakleigh, a trolley tour titled “Footsteps of Boyington,” and a signed copy of Boyington Oak: A Grave Injustice by Mary S. Palmer.
Church Street Graveyard Tours
May 119am & 11am
Church Street Graveyard (Scott Street Entrance)
$10 cash, collected at the gate (proceeds will go toward the HMPS Church Street Grave Yard maintenance fund)
Architectural Historian Meredith Wilson will lead walking tours of the historic Church Street Grave Yard, Mobile’s oldest surviving burial ground.
Lost Architecture of Springhill Avenue
May 9
5:30 PM
Bragg-Mitchell Mansion
Purchase tickets here
Be part of an enlightening discussion with Tom McGehee as he unravels the mysteries surrounding the missing homes and buildings along Springhill Avenue. Delve into the history and architectural secrets during this captivating talk on the Lost Architecture of Springhill Avenue. Be prepared for an engaging exploration of the past that has shaped the landscape of Springhill Avenue.
Historic Preservation Month Proclamation
May 14
10:30 AM
City Council
Mobile is fortunate to have its history reflected in the preservation efforts and restoration of a vast collection of historic homes and buildings that represent our heritage and define the character of our beautiful city. On May 14th, Councilor William Carroll will officially proclaim the month of May “Historic Preservation Month."
Happy Hour Hard Hat Tour
May 15
4pm - 6pm
553 Dauphin Street
Purchase tickets here
The Historic Preservation Month Happy Hour Hard Hat Tour will explore six Downtown Mobile projects currently undergoing renovation. Attendees will board a trolley to visit the sites where they’ll hear from developers and get a "behind-the-scenes" look at the redevelopment process. The tour ends with a reception with hors d'oeuvres and beverages. We will board the trolleys at 553 Dauphin Street, next to Chuck's Fish.
“Grand Dames, Artists, Activists, and Professionals: A History of Women in Historic Preservation in Mobile, Alabama” with Cart Blackwell
May 16
6:00 PM
Historic Oakleigh House
Purchase tickets here / Free for members
While the impactful role women have played in the historic preservation movement in the United States is very well documented, the subject more than warrants continued study. From the creation of the Mount Vernon Ladies Association in 1853 to the present, women have championed “why this place matters” long before that expression became a slogan. Women spearheaded historic preservation in Mobile, Alabama, from the movement’s beginning and play a leading role to this very day. Highlighting over one-hundred-and-sixty years of historic preservation in one of the oldest cities in the United States through a study of nineteen preservation-minded ladies, this presentation examines how a discipline of international scope played out on the local level.
Gardens & Galleries
May 18
11 AM - 4 PM
Washington Square | 251 Chatham St
Purchase tickets here
Tour a private home, a gallery and over 10 gardens - many featuring local artists. Plus, enjoy exclusive access to the MOT House. The tour will conclude in Washington Square with an after-party where you can visit with the artists, enjoy a complimentary glass of wine, and win prizes.
Historic Preservation 101 for Alabama Realtors (in partnership with Mobile Area Association of Realtors)
May 23
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Mobile Area Association of Realtors | 2827 Airport Blvd
Cost TBA
Architectural Historian Meredith Wilson will present an educational course for realtors who work or are interested in working in Mobile’s historic neighborhoods. Topics covered will include the benefits and challenges of historic property ownership; best practices for maintaining your historic home or business; and tips for working with the Architectural Review Board and the Mobile Historic Development Department. The course will focus primarily on Mobile’s 7 locally designated historic districts: Ashland Place, De Tonti Square, Church Street East, Leinkauf, Lower Dauphin, Oakleigh Garden, and Old Dauphin Way.
Pints for Preservation
May 23
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Braided River Brewing Company
Free / Donations encouraged at the door
Celebrate Historic Preservation Month at Braided River, which is located in one of our downtown buildings saved as part of a preservation effort, where a percentage of each beer purchased goes toward Restore Mobile. Don’t miss some good eats from the Arepas Truck and music by DJ Wildlife!
Volunteer Day at Plateau Cemetery in Africatown (in partnership with the USA Archaeology Museum)
May 25
10:00 AM
Location TBA
Free
Participants will assist in an ongoing project to map historic Plateau Cemetery in Africatown, the final resting place of many Clotilda survivors and their descendants.
