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HMPS appreciates the generous support of our Corporate Partners:
Blue Bell Creameries
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About Us Historic Mobile Preservation Society was founded in 1935 as a grassroots membership group dedicated to preserving the tangible links to the past for the benefit of present and future generations. HMPS's mission includes curating the Oakleigh Historic Complex, a 19th-century museum and archives campus in the heart of one of Mobile's most beautiful historic districts.
HMPS is a Forum member of the
National Trust for
Historic Preservation
. HMPS works closely with the
Mobile Area Chamber
of Commerce, which is a corporate member of HMPS, as
well as the Mobile Historic
Development Commission
and several of its board members also serve as commissioners
of that city department's advisory board. HMPS utilizes the
resources of the
Alabama Historical
Commission, the state agency charged with
oversight of state-owned historic properties and administration
of various state and federal grants and offers valuable
professional assistance. HMPS also relies on the excellent
resources available at the
Alabama Department of
Archives and History for research.
Year-round activities include field trips to
historic locations, guest speakers, workshops, parties, concerts
and social gatherings. Ongoing research and document and
material preservation are part of the organization's ongoing
work. HMPS members receive free admission to general tours of Oakleigh Historic Complex as well as free and reduced admission to selected activities throughout the year. Members also receive a subscription to Landmark Letter and qualify for discounted registration to the annual National Trust for Historic Preservation conference. HMPS holdings of historic materials include an impressive collection of 19th century art, including the magnificent Thomas K. Sully portrait of "Miss Walton of Florida," the formal debut portrait of Octavia Walton LeVert, once known as "the belle of the South." The Mitchell Archives serves as a research facility for historians, scholars, students, researchers, history buffs and the lovers of Southern literature and historic photography. The centerpiece of this collection is a 2,000-plus print of circa 1900 dry-plate glass negatives in the William E. Wilson Collection. At the top of this column is one of Wilson's Mardi Gras parade photographs circa 1902.
3. Membership Opportunities: HMPS is a member-driven organization. Members are invited to participate in a variety of activities: educational, social and civic. Year-round complimentary admission to Oakleigh Historic Complex, free and discounted admission to a HMPS-sponsored activities, and discounts in Oakleigh Gift Shop are among the benefits of membership. HMPS members receive a complimentary subscription to Landmark Letter and are eligible for discounted registration to the National Trust for Historic Preservation annual conference. For information, call 251.432.6161 or email hmps@bellsouth.net
4. Networking and Collaboration: HMPS frequently works in collaboration with other organizations on mutually beneficial and enjoyable projects. Mobile has a rich cultural community that encompasses visual and performing arts. Among those groups with which HMPS actively interacts are the City of Mobile Office of Special Events, Museum of Mobile, Mobile Museum of Art, Mobile Arts Council, Center for the Living Arts, Mobile Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau, Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, and Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel. For information about these and other worthwhile organizations, please contact HMPS by calling 251.432.6161 or email hmps@bellsouth.net. Mobile is a city on the move. Many historic properties are available for commercial and residential use. Development is more than a word in Mobile, it is a vibrant, ongoing activity. For information about exciting activities in Mobile's historic downtown, please visit the Downtown Mobile Alliance website. You may find your place in history with a historic property in downtown Mobile!
6. Exploring our historic treasures: HMPS conducts tours, upon request, of the Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, the Bishop Portier House, the City of Mobile Police Museum, the newly restored 1905 Battle House Hotel and Downtown Walking Tours that include art gallery and gift-shop stops. Mobile has wonderful historic sites that include unique and exquisite house museums. Aside from Oakleigh Historic Complex, managed by HMPS, we encourage you to visit the Conde'-Charlotte House Museum, Richards-DAR House Museum, Bragg-Mitchell Mansion and Fort Conde' Welcome Center. Right downtown you'll easily find the Gulf Coast Exploreum and IMAX Theater, the Museum of Mobile and the Mobile Carnival Museum. A short drive west Mobile takes you to Langan Park takes you to the magnificent Museum of Mobile -- the largest art museum between Miami and Houston -- and the Mobile Botanical Gardens.Take a pleasant drive west of Mobile to Theodore and experience Bellingrath Gardens and Home. One of the finest display gardens of the South is found at Bellingrath, offering year-round natural beauty and a fine 20th-century mansion designed by the esteemed architect George Rogers. Finally, no trip to Mobile is complete without a visit to the USS ALABAMA Battleship Park on Mobile Bay between Mobile and Baldwin counties. An easy exit from the Causeway heading east on I-10, the Battleship park pays trip to our servicemen and women who made (and make) America great. These are just a few don't-miss venues. For information about any of these opportunities, please call HMPS at 251.432.6161 or email hmps@bellsouth.net
7. Looking at the Past in a New Way: HMPS is fortunate to have an abundance of historic letters, official documents, public records, photographs, maps and books that are significant to Gulf Coast History. The Minnie Mitchell Archives, an impressive research repository, exists due in large part to the generosity of the A.S. Mitchell Foundation, patrons and other supporters. Among the articles exhibited in the archives is a 19th century U.S. flag with 34 stars. This flag, restored through a grant from the A.S. Mitchell Foundation, once flew on the Sarah E. Meaher, a commercial ship that was the first of U.S. ship of its kind to navigate the entirety of the Danube River. This ship transported the first shipment of rails to be installed in the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. The ship was seized when it entered the Port of New Orleans shortly after Louisiana had seceded from the Union. When Captain Ward Smith, a Union sympathizer, refused to lower the U.S. flag, the ship was seized and the captain and his flag -- the style of which was only flown during the presidency of Abraham Lincoln -- were expelled from Confederate territory. See a model of the Sarah E. Meaher and a miniature portrait of Captain Smith at the Minnie Mitchell Archives at Oakleigh Historic Complex. These, along with a collection of maritime paintings and original letters by Confederate war hero Admiral Raphael Semmes, are part of the collection. For information, call 251.432.6161 or email hmps@bellsouth.net
8. Extending the Archives to the Community: MINNIE MITCHELL ARCHIVES are open by appointment, by calling 251-432-6161 or email: hmpsarchives@bellsouth.net to schedule.
9. Offering Fun and Unusual Activities: Sleepovers in the Oakleigh House Museum are available to Girl Scout groups, church youth groups and other children's groups for a fee. Boy Scouts and others are invited to camp out on the lawn for a fee. Re-enactors and other groups interested in a period-appropriate setting for their activities are invited to contact HMPS as well. For all requests, please call 251.432.6161 or email hmps@bellsouth.net . 10. Special Accommodations for those with physical challenges: Access to the Oakleigh Mansion requires climbing one flight of stairs. Those guests who are unable to participate in the upstairs portion of the tour are invited to enjoy a video presentation of the tour in the multi-purpose room of Oakleigh Museum. The room features a wide-screen TV and environmental shuttering provided courtesy of Simply Shutters. The Oakleigh tour and other educational and entertaining video presentations are available for viewing.
Does your group need help planning your visit? If your group is looking for a local receptive operator to assist in tours of Mobile and Baldwin counties, as well as the region, HMPS is happy to recommend Memorable Mobile Tours. Memorable Mobile Tours is the oldest step-on receptive guide service in Mobile. MMT owner Tenne Johnson and her gracious and knowledgeable staff will create a seamless experience for your group as you enjoy your time in the Mobile area. Contact Memorable Mobile Tours directly by calling 251.344.8687.
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The Oakleigh Historic Museum Hours of Operation
Friday: 10:00AM-4:00PM Saturday: 10:00AM-4:00PM Sunday: 1:00PM-4:00PM
Closed: Monday-Wednesday
Tours on the hour.
General Admission: $7 for adults $3 for children and students $5 per person for groups of 10 or more Discounts for Seniors, AAA, Veterans & Active Military
*Closed most holidays including:
New Year's Day, Easter, Memorial Day,
Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
Cleaning House Sale at Oakleigh
Directions:
Use MapQuest
HMPS Activities
Check Back Soon for Details.
October 22-24, 2009
Haunted Oakleigh,
6-9 p.m.
A cast of "ghostly" characters will
bring regional legends to life during this guided tour of the Oakleigh Historic
Complex. A family friendly atmosphere offers a Kiddies' Area with fun and no
fright for children under 8 whose parents take the tour. Admission: HMPS
members, FREE; general admission, $10 per adult; $5 per student and per person
in groups of 10 or more. For reservations call 432-1281.
Historic Mobile Preservation Society is a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation. It receives principal funding through memberships and fundraising. HMPS received funding for operations and/or special programs for the 2008 fiscal year from the following entities: The City of Mobile The J.L. Bedsole Foundation The Hearin-Chandler Foundation The A.S. Mitchell Foundation The Community Foundation of South Alabama: "Friends of Oakleigh" fund
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2.
Historic Documents: HMPS conducts ongoing work to
preserve and manage its archival collection of documents, maps,
photographs and other materials useful to researchers.
Click the link above to access our archives list or email the
archivist at 
5.
Conservation and Exhibition of the HMPS Art Collection:
HMPS
is the owner of an extensive collection of exquisite
19th-century decorative arts including portraits and other
period paintings, furniture, silver, porcelain and textiles.
This remarkable portrait of Octavia Walton, titled
"Miss Walton of Florida," by Thomas K. Sully, was
painted upon her debut in 1833. She would later be best known in
Mobile -- and the world -- as Madame Octavia Celestine
Valentine Walton LeVert. This most accomplished lady spoke
seven languages, was received by Queen Victoria and
Napoleon III and had an audience with Pope Piux IX. She
traveled extensively and wrote of her international journeys in
a two-volume set, Souvenirs of Travel, which went through five
printings in her lifetime. This portrait is found in the second
parlor of Oakleigh mansion and is one of the many
historic treasures in the HMPS collection. Hear her story and
that of many other Mobilians as part of the Oakleigh tour.