Mobile in Mobile County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
How Big was the Original Fort Condé?
Photographed By Mark Hilton, July 26, 2015
1. How Big was the Original Fort Condé? Marker
Inscription.
How Big was the Original Fort Condé?. . Since colonial rulers were unable to attract large numbers of settlers to Mobile, the Port City’s population remained small and never grew above 500. Because the majority of Mobile’s population was military personnel, the city was built around the fort and it became the focal point or town center for the Greater Mobile Bay area. Differences and errors in some maps made in Europe during the three colonial periods make accurate measurements of the original fort difficult. However, a good estimate can be made using the 1763 British Pittman Map of Mobile. , Researchers believe that the Pittman Map remains one of the most accurate maps of the town and fort of Mobile. Sometimes referred to as a square, standard, or star design, Fort Condé measured about 90,000 square feet or 2 acres on the inside, and covered approximately 490,000 square feet or 11 acres of land on the outside if one includes the outer earthworks and defenses leading up to the fort structure. If the full size fort was present today, it would take up large sections of Church, Royal, Government, St. Emanuel, and Theatre Streets in downtown Mobile.
Since colonial rulers were unable to attract large numbers of settlers to Mobile, the Port City’s population remained small and never grew above 500. Because the majority of Mobile’s population was military personnel, the city was built around the fort and it became the focal point or town center for the Greater Mobile Bay area. Differences and errors in some maps made in Europe during the three colonial periods make accurate measurements of the original fort difficult. However, a good estimate can be made using the 1763 British Pittman Map of Mobile.
Researchers believe that the Pittman Map remains one of the most accurate maps of the town and fort of Mobile. Sometimes referred to as a square, standard, or star design, Fort Condé measured about 90,000 square feet or 2 acres on the inside, and covered approximately 490,000 square feet or 11 acres of land on the outside if one includes the outer earthworks and defenses leading up to the fort structure. If the full size fort was present today, it would take up large sections of Church, Royal, Government, St. Emanuel, and Theatre Streets in downtown Mobile.
30° 41.334′ N, 88° 2.389′ W. Marker is in Mobile, Alabama, in Mobile County. Marker is at the intersection of South Royal Street and Church Street, on the right when traveling south on South Royal Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 150 South Royal Street, Mobile AL 36602, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regarding How Big was the Original Fort Condé?. The current Fort Condé, about 1/3 of the original fort recreated in 4/5-scale, opened on July 4, 1976 as part of Mobile’s United States bicentennial celebration.
2. The Pittman Map superimposed over a modern map of Mobile.
2. Fort Condé Museum website. (Submitted on August 15, 2015, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)
Photographed By Mark Hilton, July 26, 2015
3. French Fort Condé reconstruction plaque.
Photographed By Mark Hilton, July 26, 2015
4. Model of Fort Condé.
Photographed By Mark Hilton, July 26, 2015
5. Period objects found around the fort.
Photographed By Mark Hilton, July 26, 2015
6. Spanish & British cannons located outside the fort.
Photographed By Mark Hilton, July 26, 2015
7. Walls inside the fort.
Photographed By Mark Hilton, July 26, 2015
8. Inside Fort Condé
Photographed By Mark Hilton, July 26, 2015
9. The Founder - Jean Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville
He supervised the construction of this fort.
Public Domain
10. A corner bastion sentry box, topped with fleur de lis.
Photographed By Brandon Fletcher, July 9, 2011
11. The Museum of Mobile- Fort Condé Model
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on August 15, 2015, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 859 times since then and 58 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. submitted on August 15, 2015, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 11. submitted on August 16, 2015, by Brandon Fletcher of Chattanooga, Tennessee.