County: Baldwin
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 30°44′32″N 87°55′27″W / 30.74222°N 87.92417°W / 30.74222 -87.92417
Elevation:
Time Zone: Central (CST) (UTC-6)
Established: 1813
Disestablished: 1865
Comments: Blakeley is a ghost town in Baldwin County, Alabama Ghost Townabama, United States. During the height of its existence, Blakeley was a thriving town that flourished as a competitor to its western neighbor, Mobile. Blakeley was the county seat for Baldwin County from 1810 until 1868, when the county government was moved south to Daphne. It was the location of a major fort during the Civil War. One of the last battles of the Civil War was fought here in April 1865, as Union soldiers overran Confederates. The town is now in an Alabama historic state park known as Historic Blakeley State Park, north of Spanish Fort. Blakeley had a “deep natural port, which was reachable by ships that could not cross the Dog River bar, a sandbar that sometimes impeded shipping access to Mobile.” For some years, Blakeley competed with Mobile to be the top port in what was then the Alabama Territory. A post office operated under the name “Blakeley” from 1826 to 1866. In 1974, the ghost town was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Remains: Before the town was established and populated by European settlers, Native Americans lived in the area. A burial mound was found near the site of the town and was excavated. Four skulls, various bones, and copper ornaments were found.
Current Status: Neglected
Remarks: Formercounty seat of Baldwin County
