This article is from the winter 2024 edition of Mobile Baykeeper’s print quarterly, CURRENTS. The magazine is mailed to active members who have given more than $50 in the past year. To get on the magazine’s mailing list, donate here.
By Susan Rouillier
If you drive south on the last remaining stretch of Bay Front Road, you will pass an extraordinarily beautiful home with an amazing history. It soars above the other homes with a roof like heron wings curving skyward. The historic house, which is known today as the Martin Lindsey — Tate House, was built five miles from Mobile in 1915 by Martin Lindsey, owner of the Lindsey Lumber and Export Company.
Lindsey had made his fortune from the expansive pine forests that surrounded Mobile, cutting deals that expanded his empire. Yet for all his business dealings, his true passion lay in something far more personal: the art of hunting ducks and turkeys and fishing for species like species like mullet, catfish, and trout. It was said that Lindsey spent more time in the woods than he did in his own mansion, and when the need for luxury in the wilderness called, he set about building something extraordinary — a private retreat on the shores of Mobile Bay.
In 1915, there were no roads to deliver wood to the property. In addition, because the Bay is very shallow, Lindsey built a 600-foot pier and ferried wood to it by barge and offloaded it onto the pier. From there it was brought to land on carts attached to trolley rails and rolled to the building site. Very shortly after the pier was completed in 1916, Lindsey famously said, “This is a wharf that even Jesus Christ himself couldn’t knock down.” But one of the largest and most crushing hurricanes did exactly that in June of 1916. At low tides, you can still see the remnants of the wharf poles in front of the house.
As the house rose from the ground, it became clear that this was more than a simple hunting lodge. It was a symbol of Lindsey’s legacy — his wealth, his status, and his connection to the land that had made him powerful. On this property’s 200 acres, five guest houses were also built, with two remaining today.
Life in Mobile in 1915
At the turn of the previous century, Mobile was slow and sweltering, with the weight of the summer air pressing down on everything. Some streets were dirt and dust, turning to thick mud when the rains came. The town smelled of saltwater and river mud, and sometimes you’d catch the scent of fresh-cut pine from the mills or the smoke from a steamboat down at the docks. People worked hard, because that’s what you did. You didn’t think about it much. You got up, you did what you had to do, and when the sun went down, you sat on the porch and let the night cool you off. With no air conditioning, homes were designed to promote air movement.
Elements of the French Creole Bay House
The Lindsey house, a one-story wood-frame structure known locally as a Bay House, blends elements of a bungalow design with the older French Creole Bay houses found along the Gulf Coast. This fusion of styles creates a home that not only reflects the area’s rich cultural heritage but is also practical for the region’s unique climate.
It is built on raised piers to prevent flooding and improve airflow beneath the house. An expansive wrap-around porch shades and cools outdoor living spaces and provides protection from rain. Instead of traditional windows, tall narrow multipaned French doors open directly onto the porch, allowing easy access and ventilation and a strong indoor-outdoor connection. Wide overhanging eaves redirect rainwater and provide extra shade to the porch. A hipped-roof aids in water runoff during heavy rain. High ceilings, transoms above doors, and strategically placed windows help to promote airflow, a crucial adaptation for the humid Gulf Coast environment.
Constructed of readily available wood, the house has been painted to protect it from the humid climate. The layout of the interior is a simple open plan for better air circulation with rooms on either side of a large central hallway. The home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
A Colorful 120-Year History
There are many stories about previous residents, including one about a woman in the 1960s who kept a horse in the room that is now the master bedroom, and fraternity brothers who called it home in the 1970s. One fraternity member confessed to riding his motorcycle down the central hallway. During Prohibition, several older local residents reported that the house served as a night club, where servicemen and women from Brookley Air Force Base during WWII could freely gamble and drink because the house was not in the Mobile city limits. Rosa Boone, age 97, lived in the home in the 1950s and brought each of her ten babies back to this home after their birth at a hospital. She also recalled talking to an aunt who visited the night club inside the house in the 1930s and remarked, “Oh, if these walls could talk!”
The Current Owners: Tim and Desiree Tate
The home’s current owners, Tim and Desiree Tate, purchased it in 2006. “We’re stewards of this house,” says Desiree. “It’s a privilege to live on Mobile Bay in a historic home. This house has weathered storms, offering shelter to many families over its 100-plus years. No matter life’s stresses, the moment we reach Bay Front Road, everything seems to melt away. It’s one of Mobile’s best-kept secrets, and we’re proud to call it home.”
The front porch, lined with rocking chairs and swings, overlooks Mobile Bay directly across Bay Front Road. Three hundred yards from the Tate’s front yard is the Mobile Aeroplex. They once watched Air Force One fly so low that they could see inside the plane, which was carrying President George W. Bush.
Tim and Desiree love to sit on the porch and watch the light change throughout the day. “In the afternoon, as the sun sets behind their house, ships moving up the Bay seem to be highlighted by the sunlight,” Tim says. He enjoys having a “front row seat” to watch thunderstorms develop, with clouds rolling in and lightning striking across the Bay in Baldwin County.
Even though the house feels secluded — at times, the only movement is that of pelicans and seagulls diving for fish — it’s just a 10-minute drive from downtown Mobile, which is visible in the distance from the end of their pier. “It’s almost like a secret that this street is there,” says Tim. “Most folks in town don’t even know about it.”
Today, as night falls, the cicadas’ song fills the air. People still sit on their porches, the stars bright above, the moon casting its reflection on the Bay. This place remains quiet, except for the sounds of insects and the occasional murmur of conversation. Life here is no longer as simple, but it’s beautiful, marked by the rhythm of the sun and the faint whistle of a distant train. While hunting and fishing may be rare in front of this grand old home, the views are still as breathtaking as ever.
