MOBILE, Ala. — Bellingrath Gardens is a treasure in Mobile, a jewel that Hurricane Frederic nearly stole from the community.
Category 4 Hurricane Frederic made landfall on the evening of Sept. 12, 1979, with winds topping 130 mph. As the sun rose the next morning, it became clear the gardens were no match for the storm’s fury.
“It was a terrible hit for the gardens. The gardens prepared as best they could, but they weren’t ready for what happened. I don’t think Mobile was ready for what happened,” said Tom McGehee, museum home director.
“It completely changed the character of the gardens,” said Dr. Bill Barrick, executive director.
Thousands of trees — pines, oaks and others — fell and splintered, landing on azaleas and camellias and burying the flower beds in debris. The tree canopy was gone.
The devastation was felt far and wide, but just as across the Gulf Coast, those at Bellingrath began sifting through the debris. Barrick said the first task was clearing the wreckage, then the replanting began.
A process made possible by the generosity of Mobilians determined to see the garden bloom again. Residents offered prized azaleas from their own yards; local nurseries across Mobile and Baldwin counties donated thousands more.
“Since 1979, there’s an amazing amount of regrowth,” Barrick said. “Hundreds of thousands of azaleas were replanted, thousands of trees were planted, then you also had natural regeneration.”
The visitor who comes to the garden now would have no idea that Hurricane Frederic virtually destroyed it, he said. The gardens survived and are as beautiful as ever.