St. Elmo, Alabama
Encyclopedia
St. Elmo is an unincorporated community
in Mobile County
, Alabama
, United States
located approximately 7 miles due north of Bayou La Batre and the Mississippi Sound
and approximately 10 miles east of Grand Bay, Alabama
.
Most of the town lies along U.S. Highway 90 which runs along the coast from Florida to Texas.
It is rumored that Jesse James
and his gang once hid out in St. Elmo after one of his robberies, assuming different names while hiding out, but this rumor has yet to be confirmed, and likely will remain legend due to the passage of time and memory.
An airfield located just north of Highway 90 west of town was an outlying field of Brookley Air Force Base
in Mobile. It was used for training flights during WWII. The airfield is now owned by the State of Alabama.
St. Elmo High School was one of only two exclusively African American
high schools in Mobile County, Alabama
, prior to desegregation
of the public schools in the area. African American elementary students attended the Grand Bay Elementary School for Colored
, located west of town near Grand Bay. The high school was closed in 1970 when its students combined with the schools in Grand Bay, Alabama
. The St. Elmo school re-opened as an integrated public elementary school in 1987, and continues to operate today as St. Elmo Elementary School, under the Mobile County Public School System
.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Mobile County
Mobile County, Alabama
Mobile County[p] is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of a tribe of Indians, the Maubila tribe . As of 2011, its population was 415,704. Its county seat is Mobile, Alabama...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
located approximately 7 miles due north of Bayou La Batre and the Mississippi Sound
Mississippi Sound
The Mississippi Sound is a sound along the Gulf Coast of the United States. It runs east-west along the southern coasts of Mississippi and Alabama, from Waveland, Mississippi, to the Dauphin Island Bridge, a distance of about 145 kilometers...
and approximately 10 miles east of Grand Bay, Alabama
Grand Bay, Alabama
Grand Bay is a census-designated place in Mobile County, Alabama, United States. It is included in the Mobile metropolitan statistical area. The population was 3,918 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
.
Geography
St. Elmo is located at 30.504°N 88.254°W. The elevation is 135 feet (41 m).Most of the town lies along U.S. Highway 90 which runs along the coast from Florida to Texas.
History
Originally a farming community, the town was serviced by the L&N Railroad which provided passenger and freight depots. The town derives its name from the book of the same name, authored by Augusta Evans Wilson.It is rumored that Jesse James
Jesse James
Jesse Woodson James was an American outlaw, gang leader, bank robber, train robber, and murderer from the state of Missouri and the most famous member of the James-Younger Gang. He also faked his own death and was known as J.M James. Already a celebrity when he was alive, he became a legendary...
and his gang once hid out in St. Elmo after one of his robberies, assuming different names while hiding out, but this rumor has yet to be confirmed, and likely will remain legend due to the passage of time and memory.
An airfield located just north of Highway 90 west of town was an outlying field of Brookley Air Force Base
Brookley Air Force Base
Brookley Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located in Mobile, Alabama. After it closed in 1969, it became Mobile Downtown Airport.- History :...
in Mobile. It was used for training flights during WWII. The airfield is now owned by the State of Alabama.
St. Elmo High School was one of only two exclusively African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
high schools in Mobile County, Alabama
Mobile County, Alabama
Mobile County[p] is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of a tribe of Indians, the Maubila tribe . As of 2011, its population was 415,704. Its county seat is Mobile, Alabama...
, prior to desegregation
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
of the public schools in the area. African American elementary students attended the Grand Bay Elementary School for Colored
Grand Bay Elementary School for Colored
The Grand Bay Elementary School for Colored, also known simply as the Grand Bay School, was a racially segregated elementary school located midway between Grand Bay, Alabama and St. Elmo, Alabama along U.S. Route 90. The school was established in 1919 with support from the residents of the...
, located west of town near Grand Bay. The high school was closed in 1970 when its students combined with the schools in Grand Bay, Alabama
Grand Bay, Alabama
Grand Bay is a census-designated place in Mobile County, Alabama, United States. It is included in the Mobile metropolitan statistical area. The population was 3,918 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
. The St. Elmo school re-opened as an integrated public elementary school in 1987, and continues to operate today as St. Elmo Elementary School, under the Mobile County Public School System
Mobile County Public School System
Mobile County Public School System is a school district based in the Mobile County Public Schools Central Office Campus in an unincorporated area in Mobile County, Alabama United States....
.