About Us

Built in 1855 by Judge John Bragg, the Bragg-Mitchell Mansion is a 13,000 square foot Greek Revival facing Springhill Avenue in Mobile, Alabama. Judge Bragg built the home for his wife and family to enjoy Mobile’s social season, Thanksgiving through Mardi Gras. The Bragg family split their time between the Mansion and their cotton plantation in Lowndes County outside of Montgomery. Judge Bragg died in 1878, and four additional families have owned the home since his passing.

The last private owner of the Mansion was the A.S. Mitchell family who purchased the home and property in 1931 for $20,000. They occupied the Mansion until 1965 and took great care in maintaining the home. It was during this time that the Mansion became such an icon of the city of Mobile.

Bragg-Mitchell Mansion was generously donated to the Explore Center by the A.S. Mitchell foundation in the late 1970s to be the home of an interactive science museum. Instead of adapting the home for this purpose and potentially destroying the historic integrity of the Mansion, The Explore Center built a separate science museum, The Gulf Coast Exploreum, and began work to restore the Mansion to its antebellum grandeur.

Bragg-Mitchell Mansion was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. After $3 million in renovations, the home was opened to the public in 1987 and now serves as the preferred location for community wedding receptions, corporate dinners and historic home tours.

The long-term goal of the Bragg-Mitchell Mansion is to restore the building, grounds, and furnishings to reflect lifestyles of previous owners.

Our Mission

The mission of the Bragg-Mitchell Mansion is to inspire, to educate, and to facilitate historic and cultural preservation for our community and for its future generations through historical tours and elegant Southern entertaining.

BRAGG-MITCHELL MANSION IS A 501(C)3 NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION.

Operational support provided by: