1953 Map of Mobile

About this map

The Gulf Coast coastline from New Orleans to Mobile reveals an era of significant federal and industrial expansion during the mid-20th century. Large-scale government installations like the Mississippi Test Facility (NASA) and the Michoud Assembly Facility (NASA) underscore the region's importance to the space race. The landscape is defined by the complex waterways of the Mississippi Sound and Mobile Bay, protected by a chain of barrier islands including Cat Island, Ship Island, and Dauphin Island. Inland, the De Soto National Forest covers much of the northern terrain, while the coastal economy is bridged by the Gulf Mobile & Ohio and Louisville & Nashville railroads. This survey provides a look at the established fishing communities and port towns like Bayou La Batre and Pascagoula before modern coastal development reshaped the shoreline.