I-10 Mobile River Bridge Archaeology Project
Our current project, the I-10 Mobile River Bridge (MRB) Archaeology Project, is the biggest excavation we've ever done. This project investigates and promotes the archaeology and history of the I-10 Bridge area. From November 2021 to June 2023, our team excavated 15 sites in the right of way for the proposed I-10 Mobile Bridge and Bayway project. Work for this project is ongoing as we continue to process artifacts and analyze results from the excavations.
These 15 sites span the entire history of Mobile Bay. Archaeological evidence of past human life ranges from 2,000-year-old Native American pottery to 18th century colonial occupations, and continues up to the 1960s, when I-10 was constructed. Most of our sites are part of the Down the Bay neighborhood and tell us about turn of the century life in Mobile.
Down the Bay Oral History Project
As part of the I-10 MRB Archaeology Project, the McCall Library Oral History Team has recorded over 100 interviews about Down the Bay. You can listen to these interviews and read the transcripts on JagWorks, the University of South Alabama libraries digital repository.
If you have memories of Down the Bay, we want to add them to our archives. For more information, or to schedule an interview, call 251-341-3900 or email oralhistory@southalabama.edu. The oral history project is a partnership between the McCall Library, the African American Studies Program and the Center for Archaeological Studies.
Learn about Mobile Bay History
We’re sharing our work for the I-10 MRB Archaeology Project through educational resources, exhibits, lectures, and other events. Follow our Facebook and Instagram for updates, highlights, and ways to get involved! We also offer presentations and would be happy to present to community groups, classrooms, or at events. To request a speaker, or for more information, email the project Public Outreach Coordinator Rachel Hines at rhines@southalabama.edu.
Project Partners
The I-10 MRB Archaeology project is interdisciplinary and includes artists, educators, geographers, geologists, historians, oral historians, and others. Archaeologists from the Center for Archaeological Studies and Wiregrass Archaeological Consulting excavated the 15 sites in the field and continue to analyze artifacts in the lab. Our historical researchers are providing insights into past lifeways through maps, city directories, census data, and other documents. Oral historians from the Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library and the African-American Studies program conducted over 100 interviews with community members from Down the Bay to understand the recent history of the neighborhood.
The I-10 Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project is conducted by the Alabama Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Coast Guard. The project also involves input from Native American Tribes, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the Alabama Historical Commission, and local governments and historical organizations.