Fort Morgan National Historic Landmark is located at the entrance to Mobile Bay. The Fort Morgan site itself is not only in historically significant but also amazingly beautiful to see. The 500-acre Fort Morgan National Historic Landmark is at the end of a long narrow peninsula bounded by the Gulf of Mexico to the south and Mobile Bay to the north. It is accessible via either a drive from Gulf Shores or a pleasant ferry ride across the mouth of Mobile Bay from Dauphin Island to the west.
Fort Morgan is generally regarded as of the most historically significant places in Alabama. The fort played key and decisive roles in the outcomes of both the war of 1812 and the Civil War.
Fort Morgan and the surrounding grounds are open every day of the year except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. During the summer months, the Fort Morgan staff conducts living history programs daily and also holds candlelight tours.
How to get to and get more information about Fort Morgan
Fort Morgan is located 22 miles west of Gulf Shores on Ala. 180 West
51 Highway 180 West
Gulf Shores, Alabama 36542
Phone: 334-567-3002
Directions to and a map of Fort Morgan
Hours of operation:
Gates open to the public
June - September 8am to 7pm
October - February 8am to 5pm
March through May 8am to 6pm
The Fort Morgan Museum is open from 9am to 5pm every day of the week.
Admission:
Adults - $5
Children ages 6-18 - $3
Children under 6 - Free
Seniors - $4
History buffs will appreciate the important role Fort Morgan played in the Civil War:
Fort Morgan and the Battle of Mobile BayUnder the early light of dawn, Union Adm. David Farragut began his attack on Mobile Bay, Alabama. Aware of the danger near Fort Morgan, Farragut ordered his captains to stay to the "eastward of the easternmost buoy" because it was "understood that there are torpedoes and other obstructions between the buoys."¹ Unfortunately, the lead ironclad, the USS Tecumseh, unable to avoid the danger, struck a mine and sank into the oceans depths. Yet, against all odds, the seasoned admiral ordered his flagship, the Hartford, and his fleet to press forward through the underwater minefield and into Mobile Bay.
Although Farragut was a champion of the "wooden navy," he agreed to include four new ironclad ships modeled after the USS Monitor in his attack fleet. It was widely believed that these warships were unsinkable. But the Tecumseh indeed sank that summer morning, August 5, 1864, unexpectedly killing the majority of its crew and demonstrating the deadly effects of advances in technology such as the torpedo. For in the words of one Confederate soldier reminiscing on the ill-fated ship, "She careens, her bottom appears! Down, Down, Down she goes to the bottom of the channel, carrying 150 of her crew, confined within her ribs, to a watery grave."