While there are several examples which show that the colonial European inhabitants of the Mobile area were curious about the origin and nature of certain conspicuous aboriginal antiquities in the area, there was no real effort at systematic study until well into the nineteenth century. The most obvious of these remains were the extensive shell heaps composed of Rangia and oyster which existed at several points around the Bay margins, on Dauphin Island, and on Mississippi Sound. It is important to note that many of these sites had been extensively disturbed prior to their first description by the early antiquarians. The Dauphin Island shell banks, for example had been mined for lime even in the time of Cadillac (Rowland and Sanders 1929:165), later by De Vauxbercy in early American times (Owen 1922:3), and even more substantially in the preparation of lime for the construction of Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines (Knight 1976:17). Shell used as construction material in Mobile for roadways and embankments was similarly hauled from the nearest convenient sources, namely aboriginal sites (Mohr 1881).

Barkentine. A sail rig with three to six masts. The foremast carried square sails, the other masts carried fore-and-aft sails. Two wooden "* five-masted barkentines were built at Pascagoula for an Italian firm for carrying coal and lumber. The MONFALCONE, built in 1919 (the captain of which was a Canadian, J.D. Buffett), was 282.4 feet long, 45.8 feet wide with a depth of 23 feet. The MOLFETTA, built in 1920, was 284 feet long, 46.3 feet wide and 22.5 feet in depth. These were probably the last large sailing vessels built in this area (The Chronicle 1966, U.S. Bureau of Customs 1924).