Only 50 miles west of Spanish Pensacola, the French built a huge brick and stone fortress in 1723 to protect their claim to Mobile Bay and its river system.
Determined to protect their lucrative Indian trade network from the nearby Spanish, the French built Fort Conde on Mobile Bay. The unique structure had brick walls 20 feet thick, set on huge sandstone foundations. Three of the walls had bomb-proofcannon enclosures and they were lined with rooms for the soldiers. A large stockade was also built around the fort and the town.
Less than a century after its construction, Fort Conde was sold by the U.S. government in 1818 and demolished by 1823. However, much remains buried under present-day downtown Mobile. Archaeologists have found and excavated the walls and foundations, the surrounding wide moat, the soldiers’ barracks, and a well. Thousands of artifacts have been recovered from cannons to hand weapons to wine bottles, giving us a good idea of life inside the fortress.
A large part of the fort and internal buildings have been reconstructed and it is open to the public.
Unearthing Florida is a project of WUWF Public Media, the Florida Public Archaeology Network(FPAN), and its founder, Dr. Judith Bense, since 1998. FPAN's Michael Thomin is a contributor to the program. WUWF's Sandra Averhart is the executive producer.
