Mobile Carnival Museum

The Mobile Carnival Museum highlights the history of Mardi Gras in its true birthplace - Mobile Alabama.

♦ Immerse yourself in the rich history and traditions of carnival.
♦ See firsthand the intricate designs and artistry of majestic crowns, scepters and robes of Mardi Gras monarchs.
♦ Discover the art of costume design and float construction.
♦ View videos of parades and balls.
♦ Witness the pomp and pageantry of past coronations.
♦ Browse a pictorial gallery of historical photographs dating back to 1886.
♦ Experience a behind the mask view of the street party by climbing aboard a rocking float.
♦ Become a costumed youth rider in the Little Mystics Den.

About the Museum

General Information

Admission:
Adults: $5.00
Children 12 and under: $2.00
Under age 3: No charge

Accessibility:
The museum is wheelchair accessible on 2 of the 3 levels.

Hours:
Open: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday
9:00 am to 4:00 pm
(Last tour begins at 3:00 pm)

Closed: Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday
(*Private tours of 50 or more may be accommodated with advance arrangements.)
Holiday Hours 2009: The museum will be closed Memorial Day (May 25), Independence Day (July 4), Labor Day (September 7), Christmas (December 25-26), and New Years (December 31 and January 1).

Parking:
Complimentary parking at the on-site lot

Group Tours:
Group tours are welcome. Reservations are requested for groups of 10 or more. Groups can explore the museum at their leisure or opt for a docent guided tour.

School Tours:
School tours are tailored to the age of the students and to a particular area of study upon request. The Mobile Carnival Museum is located in the historic Bernstein-Bush house, and the mystical Den is the former carriage room of the house.

©2008 Mobile Carnival Museum - All Rights Reserved
355 Government Street - Mobile, Alabama - Telephone 251-432-3324

Text from http://www.mobilecarnivalmuseum.com/

Cathedral Square Downtown Mobile Historical

Cathedral Square is a municipal park in Mobile, Alabama. It is bordered by the streets of North Claiborne, Dauphin, North Jackson, and Conti.

History

At one time what is now Cathedral Square was part of Mobile's 18th century Catholic cemetery, the Campo Santo. The Campo Santo was roughly 400 feet (120 m) long by 300 feet (91 m) wide and filled portions of what are now several city blocks between Joachim, Dauphin, Franklin, and Conti Streets. Most of the burials were moved to the new Church Street Graveyard in 1819 as Mobile's city boundary expanded. A few graves continued to be accidentally unearthed along Conti Street as late as the 1890s, however.

The area that is now Cathedral Square quickly became a commercial block filled with buildings after the relocation of the cemetery. The buildings were then demolished in 1979 to create a public park facing the Cathedral. The current park layout was implemented in 1996.

Features

The park features a layout that mirrors the neighboring Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The brick sidewalks mirror the walls and nave of the cathedral while a semicircular colonnade featuring fountains mirrors the apse.

Text from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral_Square,_Mobile,_Alabama

Pictures taken locally on Sept 2, 2009

Bienville Square Downtown Mobile Historical

Bienville Square is a historic city park in the center of downtown Mobile, Alabama. Bienville Square was named for Mobile’s founder, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville. It takes up the entire block bordered by the streets of Dauphin, Saint Joseph, Saint Francis, and North Conception.

History

Bienville Square had its beginnings as a public park in 1824 when the United States Congress passed an act that transferred a large plot of land to the city of Mobile and specified that the property be forever used as a city park. This plot was the site of the old Spanish Hospital on the southwestern corner of the block, at the corner of Dauphin Street and North Conception Street. The city began buying the other lots in the block in 1834 and by 1849 held title to the entire block. The square was a primary gathering place for residents of the city from the 1850s to the 1940s. The late 1960s saw Bienville Square in its most run-down condition as people moved away from downtown to the suburbs. The revival of downtown starting in the 1980s saw the popularity of the park increase and its upkeep resumed.

Notable events

Theodore Roosevelt spoke in the square in 1905 about the importance of the Panama Canal to the port of Mobile. It was the site of many mass meetings by shipyard workers from Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Company during World War II as the company experienced labor disputes.

In the 1850s walkways, a now removed cast iron fence, benches, and live oak trees were added. The large cast iron fountain with an acanthus leaf motif was added to the center of the square in the 1890s. A new bandstand was added to the park in 1941 to replace one from the Victorian era.

The square is used for many of the city's cultural functions:

Jazz in Bienville by the Gulf Coast Ethnic and Heritage Jazz Festival.

The annual Lighting of the Trees celebration and the lighting of Mobile's official Christmas tree.

Kids Day in Bienville Square.

The square is the epicenter for Mobile's annual Bayfest Music Festival.

Text from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bienville_Square