There are a number of restored, historic houses in Mobile but the Bragg-Mitchell Mansion is the most spectacular Antebellum example in town. The mansion features double parlors, a lavish dining room, and grounds lush with live oaks and azaleas.
The Bragg-Mitchell Mansion is a 13,000 square foot, Greek Revival home, built in 1855 by Judge John Bragg. The mansion is located in the heart of Mobile's Oakleigh Garden District. Judge Bragg and his family used the home for to enjoy Mobile’s social season, Thanksgiving through Mardi Gras.
The house remained in the Bragg family until 1880, then passed through a variety of hands before the last private owner purchased it in 1931. This final family occupied the Mansion until 1965. It is very much due to their efforts that the mansion became an icon of Mobile.
In the late 1970's, the Bragg-Mitchell Mansion was donated as space for an interactive science museum. To their credit, the Explore Center built their interactive science museum elsewhere and set about renovating the Bragg-Mitchell Mansion to its antebellum grandeur.
The mansion reopened to the public in 1987 as a historic house museum and event center. It has since become one of the most photographed buildings in Mobile.
Guided tours of the Bragg-Mitchell Mansion are available on the hour, 10am to 3pm, Tuesdays through Fridays. Visitors will enjoy this rare opportunity to glimpse life as it was once upon a time in the Old South.
