Pfau-Crichton Cottage, Historic Gulf Coast cottage in Mobile, Alabama.
Pfau-Crichton Cottage is a wood-frame residence located on a small property along Old Shell Road. The site includes a main house with rooms connected directly to each other without hallways, plus a detached kitchen and chapel linked by brick walkways.
The cottage was built in 1862 by the Pfau family and appeared on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. Its later connection to Anne Randolph Crichton, who served in the Navy during World War II, became an important part of its local story.
The property contains three distinct structures that show how Gulf Coast residents lived during the mid-1800s. The way rooms connect without hallways reflects the practical needs and daily rhythms of households from that era.
The property sits along Old Shell Road in a residential neighborhood that is easy to access from downtown Mobile. Visitors can view the exterior structures at any time, though the building remains a private residence with limited interior access.
Anne Randolph Crichton was the last direct descendant of Crichton Town's founder and meticulously documented her travels across Europe during the 1930s in personal scrapbooks. These handwritten collections offer a window into the life of someone deeply connected to the place's past.
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