Meaher State Park is a public recreation area located on Big Island,
[ an island at the north end of ]Mobile Bay
Mobile Bay ( ) is a shallow inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within the state of Alabama in the United States. Its mouth is formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the eastern side and Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side. T ...
that lies within the city limits of Spanish Fort, Alabama
Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
. The state park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...
occupies along the shoreline of Ducker Bay,[ It is surrounded by wetlands of the Mobile Bay ]estuary
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime enviro ...
. The park is accessed from Battleship Parkway
Battleship Parkway, commonly referred to locally and in the media as the "Causeway", is a long causeway that carries US 90 and US 98 eastbound across Mobile Bay from the Bankhead Tunnel on Blakeley Island in Mobile, Alabama to Spanish Fort, A ...
, known locally as the "Causeway
A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet T ...
," and is managed by Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) is the state agency responsible for the conservation and management of Alabama's natural resources including state parks, state lands, wildlife and aquatic resources. ADCNR al ...
.[
]
History
The park opened in 1989. The land was donated to the state for public recreational use by Augustine Meaher, for whom the park is named.[ Augustine Meaher was a descendant of ]Timothy Meaher
Timothy Meaher (1812 3 March 1892) was an American slave trader, son of an Irish immigrant father and an Anglo-Irish American mother. He was one of eight children and he was raised in rural Whitefield, Maine. In 1835, Timothy and his brother Jame ...
, who illegally smuggled 110 African men, women, and children into Mobile Bay on the schooner '' Clotilda'' in 1860. He was charged with smuggling but was not convicted.[
]
Awards
In September 2020, Meaher State Park was one of eleven Alabama state parks awarded Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor is an American company that operates online travel agency, travel agencies, comparison shopping websites, and mobile apps with user-generated content.
Its namesake brand, Tripadvisor.com, operates in 40 countries and 20 languages, and ...
’s Traveler’s Choice Award, which recognizes businesses and attractions that earn consistently high user reviews.
Activities and amenities
The park features an interpretive boardwalk through the wetlands, picnic area, boat ramp, fishing pier, two cabins, and a camping area with 56 individual campsites.[
]
References
External links
Meaher State Park
Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
{{authority control
State parks of Alabama
Protected areas of Baldwin County, Alabama
Mobile Bay
Protected areas established in 1989
1989 establishments in Alabama