Alabama Counties: Mobile County
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Mobile County was created by proclamation of Gov. Holmes of the Mississippi Territory on 1812 Dec. 18. Mobile County is located in the southwestern corner of the State of Alabama, and is bordered by the State of Mississippi on the west, Washington County on the north, Baldwin County and Mobile Bay on the east, and the Gulf of Mexico on the south. It encompasses 1,238 square miles.
The city of Mobile is the county seat. Both the city and the county derive their name from Fort Louis de la Mobile, a French fortification erected near Mount Vernon in 1702. The word Mobile is believed to come from a Choctaw Indian word for "paddlers." The area was occupied by the French from 1702-63, by the British from 1763-80, and by the Spanish from 1780-1813. Courthouse fires occurred in 1823, 1840, and 1872. Other towns and communities include Citronelle, Bayou LeBatre, and Theodore.
Owen, Thomas McAdory. History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography. Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1921.
Updated: November 20, 2009