Antebellum Mansion

The Bragg-Mitchell Mansion  is one of the grandest antebellum homes found on the gulf coast and it is right in downtown Mobile Alabama  in Springhill Avenue.

click on images for a better look

 

Built in 1855 by Judge John Bragg it served as the Bragg family's winter home and was the center of the lively social scene stretching from Thanksgiving through Mardi Gras.  The Bragg's primary residence was on their cotton plantation in Lowndes County near Montgomery.  

It sports a couple of massive parlors, a circular staircase and rooms constructed on a grand scale for a time in history when hospitality was a way of life.  An example of Greek Revival architecture the mansion's floor plan and details make it stand out among historic building in the area.  Judge Bragg died in 1878 and four other families have lived in the mansion since.  The last private owner was the A.S. Mitchell family who purchased in in 1931 for the princely sum of $20,000. 

During the war between the states the Confederate forces defending Mobile felled all of the stately live oak trees on the property so that artillery would have an unimpeded field of fire.  Bragg also arranged for all of the furnishings to be removed and taken to the family plantation for safekeeping.  Ironically, everything at the plantation was burned by Wilson's Raiders during the conflict and Mobile never suffered armed conflict.  The live oaks on the property today were sown by Judge Bragg from acorns collected from the original trees.

Notable is the local architect of the mansion - John's brother - Alexander J. Bragg.  Another brother - Braxton Bragg - served in both the United States Army and rose to the rank of general while charged with the conduct of military operations in the Army of the Confederacy.  Fort Bragg North Carolina memorializes Braxton and with 50,000 active duty personnel is the largest military installation in the world.  Another brother - Thomas - was Attorney General for the confederacy.  Overachievers the Bragg brothers were. 
Who says a road trip can't offer-up some interesting history.  Listed on the National Register of Historic Places you can learn more about the Bragg-Mitchell Mansion here.