Fort Gaines - Dauphin Island, AL - it took three decades to build and proved to be worth the wait

Mobile Bay and Dauphin Island were mapped by Alonzo Pineda as early as 1519. Pierre Le Moyne de'Iberville, a French explorer, gave it the name of "Massacre'' due to the large amount of human remains found here. In spite of the findings he decided that a colony should be placed here due to the areas reliable fresh water source, amazing harbor and available timber supply. The area became home to the French colonization headquarters on the Gulf Coast.

There were a number of private homes, warehouses owned by the government, a chapel and a fort that made up the colony. The name Dauphine was given to the island to honor the French throne heir during 1707. It was also the Louisiana Territory's capitol; the territory made up nearly 2/3rd's of the United States. The colony was rebuilt after a raid by pirates during 1711 but the settlement was nearly destroyed six years later by a hurricane.

Dauphin Island's control switched back and forth between nations over the next century and was even used to launch an attack on Mobile at one point. After the War of 1812 proved that there was a need to improve defenses along the American coast the building of a fort on land began during 1821. There were a number of problems with the project such as water coming into the fort during high tide because of its proximity to the water.

The fort went over budget and the army spent the next three decades trying to restart the building of the fort. Additional work was prevented by land disputes even after $20,000 was appropriated by Congress for the construction during 1845. In 1853 a clear title for the land was obtained by the army but the Chief Engineer Joseph G. Totten decided to stop building with the original plans and redesigned the fort from top to bottom.

The new designed was much better than the old one and actually protected the Mobile Bay from land and the water. The fort was named for Edmund Pendleton Gaines who had gained national recognition by leading the detachment that captured Vice-President Aaron Burr and had away during 1849 by Congress during 1853. By the year 1861 the majority of the work on the fort had been completed. The Confederate States of America had to finish the work when the Civil War began and Fort Gaines was completed by 1862.

Fort Gaines stood through the Civil War all the way through World War II and in 1926 the City of Mobile purchased it from the United States. The property was given to the Alabama Department of Conservation and then deeded to Dauphin Island Park and Beach Board.

Fort Gaines now serves as a base for the Coast Guard. The numerous fatalities at the fort and on the land that it occupies have lent it to rumors of haunting. Anyone interested in obtaining additional information about the fort and its diverse history should contact the Alabama Department of Conservation directly.