Mobile, Alabama

The traffic in Canton, MS, slowed me so that I didn't arrive on the Gulf at Biloxi, Mississippi, until after dark.  By the time I got settled in at a motel it was too late to have dinner at the Blow Fly Inn in Gulfport.  That was about the only disappointment of the trip.

The next morning I headed across the border into Alabama.  I quickly noticed that the "Heart of Dixie" has been discretely minimized on the license plates and a slogan with broader appeal is emblazoned on the bottom.


I had emailed the Mobile Public Library to inquire about the availability of any Citronelle newspapers or the Mobile Register for 1896 to 1900.  I soon learned that the Genealogy and local history works are actually kept in the modest building next door to the gleaming white library on Government Street.


Librarian Hesper Montfordhad a package of information waiting for me.  She had two small books on Citronelle ready and got me onto a digital microfilm reader/printer to run through the Mobile Register.


I soon located two articles on the death and funeral of William S. Burroughs and another on the subsequent re-marriage of his widow.  I was now ahead of schedule with a free afternoon ahead of me and only needed advice on where to find a good Red Beans and Rice lunch.





Before leaving the area, I strolled down Government Street to the Barton Academy where W.S. Burroughs' sons attended high school.  It is a very impressive building.