Historic Blakeley State Park Just Gets Better and Better

Several people have mentioned how much they love going to Blakeley Park, and how it’s thriving under the leadership of Mike Bunn. While I’ve visited Blakeley Park on several occasions, I’ve never taken full advantage of all it has to offer. We have noticed the many Delta and Mobile Bay tours they offer each week, and try to include many in Tidbits and Best Bets in the newsletter.

I stopped by a couple of weeks ago to learn more from Mike, who has been at Blakeley Park since 2015. Mike is the epitome of a director of a park that is so rich with history that its importance has been pivotal in shaping the Scenic 98 Coastal area. Mike became a history buff at an early age and it’s carried him to many historic places as a curator of history. But he is much, much more than a historian. He’s a visionary.

His formal education includes two Masters degrees, one in History and one in Higher Education Administration. “History is my thing,” he tells me. After earning his Master’s Degrees from the University of Alabama, he spent four years with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. There, he developed programming and curated permanent exhibits and short-term exhibits.

Mike was recruited to his hometown of Columbus, GA as the Curator of History at the Columbus Museum. Seven years later, he became the Director of the Chattahoochee River Commission in Eufaula, AL, one of only two Bi-State Commissions residing in two states in the country at the time. He remained there for four years until he was recruited to Blakeley Park by its former director.

Mike’s grandmothers fostered his lifelong interest in history. “I wanted to hear their stories,” he says. “I was unusually interested. Their lives seemed so different from my own.” He goes on to say that events of the past seemed ancient to him, but while listening to his grandmothers, he realized that events like the Great Depression, World War II, and even the Civil War occurred within a couple of generations. “My grandparents knew people who had connections to the Civil War who actually  lived through some of the events I read about in history books.”

He remembers seeing tintype photographs hanging on the walls at his grandmother’s house that dated back to the mid-1800s. In the 1950s, an uncle he never met was serving in the Navy when a military plane he was on disappeared and was never found. The mystery continues to resonate in the family, the event was rendered even more poignant by the way his grandmother described learning of the tragedy. 

She woke to a terrible dream of a coffin sitting on her front porch, having no knowledge of her son’s whereabouts. Later that morning, the Navy showed up to report her son’s plane missing and he was presumed dead but a search involving naval ships and aircraft had been launched.

“That story really made me realize how individual stories impact people over the years and in a strange way reinforced my love of history, It helped me realize the past is essentially a collection of stories of individual experience, and each matters to someone.”

As a curator, Mike is interested in artifacts that have connections to specific events. But historic sites have always been his real passion. The area surrounding Blakeley Park is full of history, so when he had the opportunity to work with the former park director on some lobbying efforts, she suggested he consider coming to run the Park. “She was planning to retire. The Park was relatively undeveloped as an educational and recreational facility and had many possibilities, so I came on board.”

Two years later, in 2017, Mike was named Director. “I recognized that this was a facility with amazing potential, and if we applied ourselves with a plan, we could transform Blakeley Park into a top-notch attraction and educational resource.” He set out to reinvent every aspect of the Park; more programming, better visitor experiences, a concerted effort to make it an educational resource, and hiring hard-working people who shared his vision for what the park could become.

There’s a distinction between Blakeley Park and State Parks administered by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. “We are an independent state agency, not under the jurisdiction of any other department. We are not the only historic site run in this way; the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park is a peer institution as well as several other historic sites.” Blakeley didn’t have to close during the pandemic, in fact, it was a record year.

Along the way, Mike has developed new amenities with cabins and camping areas. The Park is home to the largest Civil War battlefield in Alabama and contains a designated USCT Heritage Trail. (United States Colored Troops) “There were more African American troops positioned here than almost any other battlefield during the Civil War.” 

He goes on to explain that the Battle of Mobile Bay in the summer of 1864, closed the port of Mobile, but didn’t capture the city. “The Battle of Blakeley ended on April 9, 1865, the same date that Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox and effectively closed the combined forces campaign to capture Mobile.” The battle led directly to Mobile’s surrender to the Northern Army on April 12, 1865, the last major Southern city to do so.

Blakeley Park holds a Civil War reenactment every other year and it’s the most popular event they host. They also have Civil War Living History events every year which depict a soldier's life, firing muskets and cannons, and such. But there is so much to see and do at Blakley Park.

They have over 30 different boat tours throughout the year. These guided tours are offered every week and include the Mobile Tensaw Delta, Mobile Bay, and the Mobile River, to name a few. Tours depart from the Blakeley Dock at the Park as well as Five Rivers Delta Center, Cooper Riverside Park, and Live Oak Landing in Stockton. Many sell out, so plan ahead if you’d like to go. 

Boat tours are also available for private charter for up to 49 passengers and can be customized to suit any occasion. “We’ve utilized the boat cruises to extend the Park presence throughout the area.” They even have a lunch cruise to the Bluegill Restaurant on the Causeway and a dinner cruise that docks at the Original Oyster House.

“Our sunset cruises sell out. Our Bottle Creek Indian Mounds tours are among our most popular. John Sledge, a local historian and author, provides a great experience on the historic aspect of Mobile Bay and the Mobile River. We have birding cruises, animal ambassador cruises, and a trip to Middle Bay Lighthouse.” Mike tells me these programs have given the Park more variety and visibility throughout the seasons.

The park has over 2,000 acres to explore and 30 miles of hiking, biking, and horseback riding trails. It has a dedicated  area of mountain bike trails called “the  Cannonball Run.” These are a series of interconnected trails that biking volunteers have developed. “The biking groups are very supportive,” says Mike. The Park has also become a destination for low-cost weddings. They currently have four cabins that are in high demand and stay booked up several months in advance.

Annual visitors to the Park are over 50,000, double what was just a few short years ago. Mike credits the various programs they now offer and the hard work of staff to provide a great experience. Special programs include lectures and guided walking tours for naturalists, and Auburn University has added a raptor program. The Park’s Alabama Author Day events are also very popular. The park has several self-guided touring options, as well as cell phone tours with short video clips that guide you through the park.

One Friday a month in the Fall and Spring, Blakeley Park hosts a music series with local bands from 6:30 until 8:30 with food trucks to feed visitors. “Every week we have something going on. Everything we do is on our website or posted on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.” Mike says that what they are offering is extremely rare.  “We are a special historic site and unique natural habitat providing outstanding recreational opportunities. We don’t take that for granted.”

“We are just getting started,” he tells me. “We are constantly looking to improve and expand.”  There are plans for an interpretive center to be built on-site with a museum, an educational center, and staff offices. Much of the operating cost is self-generated through park fees and public and private grants. 

Blakeley Park offers family and corporate memberships which help support facilities and programs. “It’s an investment in the community,” says Mike. “We want to tell the story of Blakeley Park in several ways, add more lodging and camping sites while being very aware that this is a sensitive environmental area that must be preserved and protected.”

Mike and his family live in Daphne. I asked him how he had adapted to living in the Scenic 98 Coastal area. “It’s home. It’s growing and it’s a great place to raise kids. For me, as a historian, I find this area particularly fascinating. It has a  rich cultural heritage that is rare.,

Take some time and plan a day visiting Historic Blakeley State Park and, better yet, become a supporting member. There is so much to see and do! Thanks, Mike. Follow Blakely State Park on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.