WEDNESDAY AND THE SUN IS OUT - HIP HIP HOORAY

We really explore today.  We are going downtown Mobile AL.  A big day today.  I am just afraid we will try to take on too much.
BRAGG-MITCHELL MANSION

We had fun going through the Mansion.  How exquisite it was.  They had so many chandliers and huge huge mirrors in each room.  The parlor had 4 giant mirrors and that would have been the room they had balls in.  The ceilings were 15 feet high and that was so in the summer the heat would rise and not be so bothersome.  
They also had many costumes of the day and lots of explinations on why they were made the way they were.  For instance so many times the skirts were layered and that was so they could pass them on down to individuals of different height.  The outfits were almost always two piece so they could just wash the top for instance and they would have the skirts in layers so they could change the look up.  It was fun to hear the history of why they dressed as they did.
The house was build in 1855 but when the war came they cut down all the trees because it became part of the war machine and they needed to be able to see a great distance.  It was also a hospital during the was.  There are very unique lights now upstairs.  They look like blown glass but the lady of the house didn't like them so put them in the attic and were found among the restoration and they look like blown glass.  They are just beautiful and were designed to be in the entry way.  What I love about them is they look like giant tear drops in an milky, amber glass.  

OK NEXT ADVENTURE:
The Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception and The Portier House.  Which is part of the whole church.  The Portier house is where the first Bishop of Mobile lived from 1834 to 1906. The house was name after the first Bishop.  The grounds were part of a Spanish land grant and formerly a burial ground.  

The Cathedral has a wonderful history.  Mobile was founded in 1702 to serve as the capital of Louisiana by the French and in 1703 the parish was founded by Bishop de la Croix of Quebec to serve the Mississippi Valley.
Construction on the Cathedral started in 1835 by Bishop Portier.  It was completed in 1850.  The bell tower, the stained glass windows and crypt chapel for deceased Bishops were all added later and received the distinction of Basilica in 1962 by Pope John XXIII.  The title Basilica is an honor given to a church because of it's significance.  It signifies that the Holy Father considers the church especially dear to him and has a certain precedence before other churches.  There are approximately 67 minor basilicas in the US.  There are 4 major basilicas and all are located in Rome.  I have been in two Cathedral-Basilica's, this one in Mobile and the one in St. Louis.
I love going through them.
I found out there was a major fire at the basilica in about 1965 when touring the Portier house, they even had pictures.  There was a homeless person living in the basement and started a fire under the altar.  The pictures were unreal.

 and in the Portier House I saw the most beautiful furniture that was donated.  I felt like I was on Atiques Road Show.

It said that this chair and sofa were from the Napolian area, the Egyptian period.





NEXT ADVENTURE:

The Mobile Botanical Gardens.  Not tons to see and very confusing.  They did have a pet station for drinking behind one of the buildings.  The dogs certainly had a good time coming with us.  There were so many Camellias in The WinterGarden.  Many colors ect.