Southern Living magazine is turning to the public for help tracking down a piece of its own history, and the trail leads straight to Mobile. The Birmingham-based publication is searching for the owners, past or present, of a brick home with a sprawling, manicured lawn that appeared on its debut cover in February 1966.
The magazine shared an image of that first cover on social media, reigniting interest in the property nearly five decades later. Back then, the publication was still finding its identity as an offshoot of The Progressive Farmer and sold for just 25 cents an issue. Southern Living has since grown into one of the most recognized lifestyle magazines in the region, but its very first cover image has apparently gone unidentified for years.
The photo shows a lush, green front yard bordered by tall pine trees and rows of azaleas in full bloom, a scene instantly familiar to anyone who has spent a spring in coastal Alabama. Two young girls pose on a bicycle built for two while a dog stands watch near a pair of white wrought-iron chairs. The rear end of a vintage Cadillac peeks out from what appears to be a one-car carport or garage along the side of the home.
Since the image resurfaced, longtime Mobile residents and magazine fans have floated several guesses about where the home might be located. Names that have come up include the Spring Hill area near the Country Club of Mobile, the Skyline neighborhood near Government Boulevard and Azalea Road, and the Delwood subdivision near Airport Boulevard and Florida Street. All three are established, tree-lined Mobile neighborhoods known for exactly the kind of landscaping featured in the photo.
The cover itself is something of a time capsule for the era, touting a feature on the 1,000-Mile Azalea Trail, a regional promotional route that once wound through Mobile and other Gulf Coast communities famous for their spring blooms. Other cover teasers point to stories on Southern furniture makers, lawn fertilizer tips, and a recipe feature on chicken, party style, giving a glimpse of the magazine’s early focus on Southern home life and hospitality.
Southern Living has asked anyone with information about the home’s location or its original owners to reach out directly to the magazine. For longtime Mobile residents, the search offers a chance to help solve a small mystery tied to the city’s landscaping history and, potentially, to see a piece of local architecture recognized on a national stage nearly 60 years after it first appeared in print.