| Description |
| Dauphin Island, named after the son of Louis XIV, was an anchor for colonization of the New World. By 1717 the French had constructed a small wooden fort on the island. Over the next century, control of the island switched from France to Spain to Great Britain and back to Spain. In 1813 the U.S. seized the island and efforts to construct what became Fort Gaines began. Completed by 1861, the fort played an important role in the Battle of Mobile Bay, remained in service through WWI, and served as an Alabama National Guard camp during WWII. Today visitors can camp on the island, enjoy nature walks in a 150-acre Audubon bird sanctuary, and explore the battlements and tunnels of the fort.
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