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

Joe Cain

October 10, 1832-April 17, 1904

Photographed by Sandra Hughes Tidwell, October 5, 2023

1. Joe Cain Marker

Inscription. Joseph Stillwell Cain has become known as the patron saint of Mardi Gras in Mobile, credited with reviving Mardi Gras after the Civil War. He was the clerk of the Southern Market, a longtime volunteer with Washington Fire Company No. 8, and a founding member of TDS affectionately known as (Tea Drinkers Society) one of Mobile's original New Year's Eve mystic societies. After visiting New Orleans during Mardi Gras 1867, Cain returned to Mobile and determined that his hometown should publicly celebrate Shrove Tuesday as well. He formed a small group he named the Lost Cause Minstrels and he dubbed himself Chief Slacabamarinico of the Chickasaw. Together they rode through the streets of Mobile in a wagon on the afternoon of February 25, 1868. Since 1967, every Sunday before Fat Tuesday in Mobile has been known as Joe Cain Day, a tradition created by author Julian Lee "Judy" Rayford. The first Joe Cain Processions were meant to be something of a jazz festivities known as the People's Parade. In 1974 a small mystic society named Cain's Merry Widows was formed. The ladies arrived at the Graveyard every Joe Cain Day to mourn

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the passing of their beloved Joe. The legend of Joe Cain has grown much bigger than the real story ever could and the people of Mobile are proud of Ol' Slap. He is a larger-than-life, homegrown hero.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Entertainment. A significant historical year for this entry is 1832.

Location. 30° 41.588′ N, 88° 2.466′ W. Marker is in Mobile, Alabama, in Mobile County. It is in the Central Business District. It is at the intersection of North Royal Street and North Francis Street, on the right when traveling north on North Royal Street. This marker is located on the front of the building next to the Battle House Renaissance Hotel. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 26 N Royal Street, Mobile AL 36602, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Alabama’s Gulf Coast

and in the Mobile Bay 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

Joe Cain Cafe and The Battle House Reniassance Hotel image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sandra Hughes Tidwell, October 5, 2023

2. Joe Cain Cafe and The Battle House Reniassance Hotel

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 walking distance of this marker: John Forbes & Co. (within shouting distance of this marker); Merchants National Bank Building (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Site of Sixth Mobile Theatre (about 300 feet away); Mobile City Limits (about 300 feet away); Bienville Square (about 400 feet away); In Memory of the Battle of Mobile Bay (about 500 feet away); Old Slave Markets (about 700 feet away); Judge Virgil Pittman / Wiley L. Bolden, Sr. (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mobile.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Joe Cain (was here, next to this marker but has been permanently removed).

Additional commentary.
1. Replacement marker with different text & image.
This marker replaces similar marker # 86730.

— Submitted November 11, 2023, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 11, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 19, 2023, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 566 times since then and 81 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 19, 2023, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.