Tom McGehee
Ask McGehee: How has Santa Claus visited Mobile in the past?
Throughout the 19th century Santa developed from the Dutch tradition of a “jolly old elf” to the robust, bearded man described by political cartoonist Thomas Nast. And,...
Ask McGehee: Bankhead Tunnel
Ironically, the tunnel was named for a family that never lived in Mobile. And Tallulah had nothing to do with its construction. Mobile was honoring the actress’s...
Ask McGehee: Was there ever a hotel in Spring Hill?
Actually there were two. Spring Hill got its name from the numerous springs in the area. Between the good water supply and higher altitude, the locale was...
Ask McGehee: “Dixey” Shipwreck
“Dixey” is the correct spelling. It comes from an ill-fated clipper ship, the Robert H. Dixey, which was launched from Boston in 1855. The ship was...
Ask McGehee: Historic Marker at the southeast corner of Government and Warren streets
From 1907 until 1952, Alabama’s oldest Jewish congregation worshipped in a temple located at the southeast corner of Government and Warren streets. However, this was the congregation’s...
Ask McGehee: Magnolia Manor
In June 1931, the homeowner, local defense attorney Foster Kirksey Hale Jr., was gunned down by his former mistress in his St. Michael Street office. “Two...
Ask McGehee: 1116 Government St.
Coca-Cola bottler Walter Bellingrath had the structure built, but it was never part of his gardens on Fowl River.Bellingrath and his wife, Bessie, bought a 10-room...
Ask McGehee: Silver Collection at Museum of Mobile
Col. Edward Lafayette Russell came to Mobile in 1875 as a legal representative for the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, which was in bankruptcy. Within eight years of his...
Ask McGehee: What is the story behind Tuthill Lane in Spring Hill?
Tuthill Lane earned its name from George Augustus Tuthill who paid $500 for a 5-acre lot on the northwest corner of Old Shell Road in 1849.