Spring Hill Neighborhood in Mobile in Mobile County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Wilmer Hall Children's Home

Photographed by Jim Ellis, September 13, 2026

1. Wilmer Hall Children's Home Marker

Inscription.
Founded in 1864 by Bishop Richard Hooker Wilmer of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama Wilmer Hall (originally the Church Home for Orphans) was established to care for children and widows devastated by war, poverty, and disease in: Tuscaloosa. The orphanage relocated to downtown Mobile in 1866. In 1916 it moved to its current location on Old Shell Road in Mobile's Spring Hill neighborhood. John A. Wetzel, charter member of the Alabama Institute of Architects, designed the earliest buildings as Tudor, Revival with American Craftsman elements. In 1948, the name was formalized as Wilmer Hall Children's Home.

For more than 160 years, Wilmer Hall has empowered children and young adults to become capable, independent members of the community. In the twenty-first century, this nonprofit, faith-based organization ministers to at-risk youth through a wide-ranging mission that includes safe housing, academic enrichment, emotional and spiritual care, and food security. Wilmer Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2025.

Erected 2026 by Alabama Historical Association.

Topics. This historical marker

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Charity & Public Work • Education • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1864.

Location. 30° 41.911′ N, 88° 7.928′ W. Marker is in Mobile, Alabama, in Mobile County. It is in the Spring Hill Neighborhood. It is at the intersection of Old Shell Road and Myrtlewood Lane, on the left when traveling west on Old Shell Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3811 Old Shell Road, Mobile AL 36608, 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 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 3 miles of this

View of marker when driving or walking west. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jim Ellis, September 13, 2026

2. View of marker when driving or walking west.

marker, measured as the crow flies: Spring Hill Graveyard (approx. half a mile away); Spring Hill (approx. 0.6 miles away); Sand Town (approx. ¾ mile away); Georgia Cottage (approx. 1.9 miles away); Miller Family Cemetery (approx. 2.1 miles away); Visitation Convent and Academy (approx. 2.3 miles away); The Mitchell Home (approx. 2.8 miles away); Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd / Founding Members (approx. 2.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mobile.

More about this marker. Text is the same on both sides of the marker. Old Shell Road is a heavily travelled road during weekdays as there are a number of schools as well as Springhill College (close by) and the University of South Alabama further west. The road also serves as a main "spoke" directly to the downtown Mobile area to the east. There is no on or off ramp from I-65 onto Old Shell Road.

Regarding Wilmer Hall Children's Home. Wilmer Hall received a Mobile Historic Development Commission banner and shield on December 4, 2017. This plaque serves as an award for excellence in restoration of a historic property and as a public education tool.

Wide angle of corner as on approach from the east. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jim Ellis, September 13, 2026

3. Wide angle of corner as on approach from the east.

The Historic Building Marker Program is one of the Mobile Historic Development Commission’s most visible and important programs. Each shield is emblazoned with the six flags that have flown over the city — Bourbon French, British, Spanish, Republic of Alabama, Confederate and American — while the ribbon-like banner positioned above it features the original and current owners’ names and the construction date.

Wilmer Hall Children's Home was also added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 1, 2025 (#100012074). The U.S. National Park Service "National Register of Historic Places" is the official list of the Nation's historic places worthy of preservation. https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/index.htm

View when approaching the intersection on Old Shell from the west. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jim Ellis, September 13, 2026

4. View when approaching the intersection on Old Shell from the west.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 14, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 13, 2026, by Jim Ellis of Theodore, Alabama. This page has been viewed 11 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 13, 2026, by Jim Ellis of Theodore, Alabama. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.