Semmes in Mobile County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Blackwell House

EST 1951

— Mobile County —

Blackwell House Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, June 24, 2023

1. Blackwell House Marker

Inscription. Owen and Vivian Welch Blackwell founded Blackwell Nurseries, Inc. in 1938, and by the late 1960s the nursery became known as the largest azalea producer in the nation which helped earn the reputation of Semmes as the "Nursery Capital of the World." Owen Blackwell was an innovator in the industry, and by the mid-1990s, Blackwell Nurseries produced three million azaleas for the greenhouse and nursery trade. Blackwell Nurseries phased out its operation in 2003. Built by the Blackwells in 1951, the Blackwell House sits on four acres of shaded grounds and symbolizes the significance of Semmes as an agricultural and horticultural center. Members of the Blackwell family lived in the home until 2007. The historic landmark was purchased by the Mobile County Commission in 2011 and currently operates as the Semmes Senior Center.
Listed in the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage on July 15, 2021

Erected 2022 by the City of Semmes.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Horticulture & Forestry. A significant historical date for this entry is July 15, 2021.

Location. 30° 46.846′ N, 88° 16.232′ W. Marker is in Semmes, Alabama, in Mobile County. It is on Moffett Road (U.S. 98) 0.6 miles south of Snow Road North, on the right

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when traveling south. Located at the Semmes Senior Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9635 Moffett Rd, Semmes AL 36575, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Alabama’s Gulf Coast,

in Mobile Bay,

and in the Mobile Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and on the Gulf Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Semmes (approx. 0.7 miles away); Semmes First Baptist Church (approx. ¾ mile away); Semmes Heritage Park (approx. 0.9 miles away); Crawford Methodist Cemetery, Mobile County (approx. 3.7 miles away); New Hope Gardens (approx. 7.8 miles away); Miller Family Cemetery (approx. 8.9 miles away); Sand Town (approx. 9.3 miles away); St. Bridget's Catholic Church (approx. 9½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Semmes.

Blackwell House Marker at the now Semmes Senior Center. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, June 24, 2023

2. Blackwell House Marker at the now Semmes Senior Center.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 25, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 25, 2023, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 644 times since then and 58 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 25, 2023, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.