MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — A family in Mobile is trying to figure out how to save a historic home downtown. You’ve probably passed by this piece of history without even knowing it.
The faded yellow home on St. Francis Street in downtown Mobile has seen better days, but its legacy and meaning remain strong. Family members reminisce about what this decades-old home means to them.
“My ancestors built this house from scratch. And my ancestors lived in this house at one period of time. I lived in this house,” said Bettie Hunter Descendant Janice Reddick Morrison. It’s a pride that comes from having a historic marker outside. The marker tells the story of Bettie Hunter, a formerly enslaved woman who moved to Mobile after the Civil War. She and her brother built a successful business transporting goods from the port. In 1878, this home was built; Hunter died a year later, and the home has stayed in the family ever since.
“I promised my mother as she was dying that I wouldn’t sell it, number one. Number two, I treasure the story. I think that too much has been taken from black people without any recognition, as it is,” said Bettie Hunter Descendant Jamie Hobbs. Family members say they’ve gotten several offers over the years to sell this home. While that may be a simple solution to this issue, they say the family losing this home is out of the question…