Chickasaw Shipyard Village Historic District

The company town of Chickasaw was built and owned in the early 20th century by Chickasaw Shipbuilding. In addition to well-built and attractive houses, the town included amenities such as a multipurpose community center, school, health clinic, and stores) and utility services (a water purification plant, and sewage treatment plant). One exceptionally well-built building originally served as an ice house. Later it was adapted for use as offices and a hospital. Some of the streets in the town were sidewalks, necessitating use of alleys for vehicular traffic. Tennis courts and a golf course were also available in the town. When Chickasaw Shipbuilding closed its shipyard, many houses were moved or demolished.

Upon the purchase of the shipyard and town by Gulf Shipbuilding in 1940, the existing homes were repaired and modified. Additional city improvements (such as street paving) were made. The business block was a popular shopping area, consisting of numerous buildings connected by a covered concrete sidewalk which ran the length of the block (approximately 250 feet or 75 meters).{{cite book |last=Newton |first=Merlin Owen |title=Armed with the Constitution: Jehovah's Witnesses in Alabama and the U.S. Supreme Court, 1939-1946 |year=1995 |publisher=University of Alabama Press |isbn=978-0-8173-0736-3 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/armedwi_new_1995_00_5329 }} The establishments included a drugstore, a grocery store, a restaurant, and post office. By 1943, Gulf Shipbuilding had leased the remaining space to other businesses.

Many of the original homes still remain in Chickasaw and form the heart of a historic district. Primarily through the efforts of Gene Ford, an architectural historian from the University of Alabama, this area was documented and data was collected about its buildings and history. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.{{cite news |first=Jo Anne |last=McKnight |title=Architectural historian tours Chickasaw homes |url=http://www.al.com/news/mobileregister/neighbors.ssf?/base/community/1166005339307640.xml&coll=3&thispage=1 |work=Mobile Press-Register |date=2006-12-13 |accessdate=2007-06-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930030619/http://www.al.com/news/mobileregister/neighbors.ssf?%2Fbase%2Fcommunity%2F1166005339307640.xml&coll=3&thispage=1 |archive-date=2007-09-30 |url-status=dead }} The Chickasaw Historic Preservation Society has created a driving tour featuring the highlights of the area.{{cite web |url=http://www.preserveamerica.gov/PAcommunity-chickasawAL.html |title=Preserve America Community: Chickasaw |accessdate=2007-06-12 |work=Preserve America White House Initiative}}

Early in 1946, Leedy Investment Company purchased the entire company town for one million dollars.{{cite web |url=http://www.ci.chickasaw.al.us/content/history/index.htm |title=History of Chickasaw |accessdate=2007-06-12 |work=City of Chickasaw |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070607162123/http://ci.chickasaw.al.us/content/history/index.htm |archivedate=2007-06-07 }} Current occupants were given the option to purchase the homes they had been renting. Many prior residents also purchased homes and moved back to the town. The city of Chickasaw was incorporated on November 12, 1946.

In 1979, Halter Marine reactivated the shipbuilding facility to provide service vessels and tugboats to the booming offshore oil industry.{{cite web|url=http://www.coltoncompany.com/shipbldg/ussbldrs/postwwii/shipyards/inactive/gulf/halter-chickasaw.htm |title=Halter Marine - Chickasaw |accessdate=2007-06-12 |work=Maritime Business Strategies, LLC |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061216132122/http://www.coltoncompany.com/shipbldg/ussbldrs/postwwii/shipyards/inactive/gulf/halter-chickasaw.htm |archivedate=2006-12-16 |url-status=dead }} The resurgence was short-lived and the facility was closed again in 1983. The former shipyard now serves as a small general cargo facility.

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{{National Register of Historic Places}}

{{NRHP in Mobile County, Alabama}}

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• {{cite news |first=Nedra |last=Bloom |title=Chickasaw |url=http://www.concernedcitizensofchickasaw/id7.html |work=Mobile Bay Monthly Magazine |date=October 2006 |accessdate=2007-06-14 }}{{dead link|date=August 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
• {{cite web |url=http://cartweb.geography.ua.edu:9001/StyleServer/calcrgn?cat=North%20America%20and%20United%20States&item=States/Alabama/Counties/mobile/Mobile1930a.sid&wid=500&hei=400&props=item(Name,Description),cat(Name,Description)&style=simple/view-dhtml.xsl |title=Map Showing Chickasaw Subdivision and Vicinity (Chickasaw Land Company) |accessdate=2007-06-12 |work=Alabama Maps }}{{Dead link|date=October 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
• {{cite web |url=http://bama.ua.edu/~almaps/aerials/Counties/Mobile/Mobile_Chickasaw_1960.html |title=Aerial Map of Chickasaw in 1960 |accessdate=2007-06-12 |work=Alabama Maps |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526220249/http://bama.ua.edu/~almaps/aerials/Counties/Mobile/Mobile_Chickasaw_1960.html |archivedate=2011-05-26 }}

Category:History of Alabama

Category:Historic districts in Mobile County, Alabama

Category:National Register of Historic Places in Mobile County, Alabama

Category:Populated places established in 1917

Category:Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Alabama