History museum takes over fort management

The History Museum of Mobile has taken over management of Colonial Fort Conde and admission to the structure will be included in the price of a museum ticket, the museum announced Monday morning.

“We are excited by the opportunities to serve the Mobile community through historical programming at Colonial Fort Condé,” museum Director Meg McCrummen Fowler said. “Colonial Fort Condé is a jewel of Mobile and an extraordinary place for history to come alive. We wish the Gulf Coast Ducks well at the beach and thank them for their management of the Fort. Now, we look forward to reintroducing the public to Fort Condé.”

The fort will be open seven days a week. When the History Museum of Mobile is free on the first Sunday of each month (thanks to a sponsorship from Wind Creek Hospitality), the Fort will also be free. “Visitors to the History Museum will now have the added benefit of admission to the Fort,” Fowler said.

Plans are still evolving for the programming at the Fort, Fowler said in a statement.

“Our vision is that Colonial Fort Condé would be a living history site, a thriving part of the downtown museum district and a place where locals and tourists alike come to experience Mobile’s colonial history,” she said. “Currently, museum exhibits inside the Fort explore the stories of Mobile under French, British, Spanish, and American rule. Future plans include a self-guided tours and regular demonstrations of colonial life from living history interpreters, including through colonial festivals.”

The facility will continue to be available for event rentals, such as weddings, parties, and corporate events.

The original Fort Condé was built in 1723 by French explorers. Under various colonial powers, it went by different names, including Fort Louis, Fort Charlotte, and Fuerta Carlota.

The extant remnants of the original fort, discovered during the construction of the Wallace Tunnel in 1966, may be seen in Mardi Gras Park, facing Church Street. The replica fort was opened in 1976, as part of the nation’s bicentennial celebration. About one-third of the Fort was reconstructed, and at a four-fifths scale.