This Southern Metropolis

This audiobook explores antebellum Mobile, Alabama, as depicted through the eyes of its visitors, capturing the city's transformation from a struggling outpost to a significant economic hub driven by the cotton trade and the labor of enslaved people. By the eve of the Civil War, Mobile became a prominent community in the Confederacy, distinguished by its remarkable architecture, cultural diversity, and vibrant social life. Home to the largest white population and notable free Black, foreign-born, and Creole communities in Alabama, Mobile also served as the state’s slave-trading center until the 1850s. This narrative uniquely centers on firsthand accounts from visitors, offering a fresh perspective on the city's rich history.