Current Exhibits
Mobile in Mourning: Death Practices in the Victorian EraOctober 17, 2025 - June 7, 2026
The History Museum of Mobile is excited to announce the next exhibition, Mobile in Mourning: Death Practices in the Victorian Era, opening October 17, 2025 and on view through June 7, 2026!
Mobile in Mourning delves into the rich history of the elaborate death practices that occurred during the Victorian Era and how they continued and evolved into the twentieth century. Drawing from our collection, the History Museum of Mobile has curated an exhibition exploring how and why these customs came to be. Artifacts highlighted in the exhibition include mourning gowns, jewelry, memento moris, coffins, and hair art to provide a window into the lives of nineteenth and twentieth-century Mobilians during times of mourning.
“This exhibit teaches visitors about how Victorians processed their grief and the rich history behind these traditions, both historically and today,” said Taylor Cox, Curator of Exhibits. “Additionally, it explores the science behind both the era’s higher death rates and how pioneers in medicine developed new, life-saving medical knowledge and techniques.”
“Everyone at some point or another will experience loss, making this exhibition relevant to all visitors,” said Jon Sexton, Director of The History Museum of Mobile. “The objects on display reveal the values, beliefs, and evolving medical knowledge that Victorian era Mobilians used to confront death. This allows visitors to reflect on the ways in which we deal with death and loss today, and how many of those traditions are still with us from the Victorian period.”
PRESS KIT
09/16/2025 Exhibition Announcement Press Release [download] PDF FILE
Mobile in Mourning Exhibition graphic (1920 X 1080) [download]
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Mobile in Mourning Exhibition square graphic (1920 X 1920) [download]
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Clotilda: The Exhibition at Africatown Heritage HouseJuly 08, 2023 - May 31, 2028
In March 2020, the History Museum of Mobile announced a partnership with the Alabama Historical Commission, Mobile County Commission, and the City of Mobile to create a landmark exhibition at the under-construction Africatown Heritage House. Located in the heart of historic Africatown, the Heritage House is adjacent to the Mobile County Training School and the Robert L. Hope Community Center. The History Museum of Mobile operates Africatown Heritage House as a fourth museum site, which is located at 2465 Winbush St. Mobile, AL 36610.
Clotilda: The Exhibition covers the story of the Clotilda with a special focus on the people of the story - their individuality, their perseverance, and the extraordinary community they established. The exhibition tells the story of the 110 remarkable men, women and children, from their West African beginnings, to their enslavement, to their settlement of Africatown, and finally the discovery of the sunken schooner, all through a combination of interpretive text panels, documents, and artifacts. The pieces of the Clotilda that have been recovered from the site of the wreck are on display in the exhibition, on loan from the Alabama Historical Commission. The exhibition was curated, developed, and designed in conjunction with the local community and the wider descendent community, and in consultation with experts around the country.
The exhibition itself –about 2,500 square feet – is a rich, multi-sensory space, dense with compelling stories and images. Woven into the larger story, visitors can expect to see and hear lots of primary source reports and stories of individuals: their histories, their families, their resilient spirit. Inside the exhibition, visitors can expect a dramatic space and a step-by-step chronology from the story’s West African origins through the founding and development of Africatown. Towards the end of the exhibition, visitors will emerge into a space that looks towards the future of Africatown and invites visitors to respond to what they have seen.
The Mobile County Commission and the City of Mobile have funded the construction of the Africatown Heritage House building, and the History Museum of Mobile curated, constructed, and funded the exhibition.