It's INTERVIEWSDAY!

In this Interviewsday edition (Interview Tuesday) of Dauphin Island Diaries, I sit down with Jason Herrmann of the Alabama Marine Resources Division to explore one of the Gulf Coast's most valuable natural resources... oysters.

Jason serves as Alabama's Shellfish Aquaculture Program Coordinator and has spent years working to conserve, restore, and expand oyster resources in Alabama waters. His expertise helped provide much of the background research for our recent episode, "The World Is Your Oyster," and in this conversation he explains why oysters have been so important to the Gulf Coast's history, economy, and environment.

In this conversation, Jason discusses:

• Alabama's oyster industry, past and present
• Oyster reefs and their importance to coastal ecosystems
• Shellfish aquaculture and how oysters are raised today
• Challenges facing oyster populations in Mobile Bay and surrounding waters
• Conservation and restoration efforts along Alabama's coast
• Why oysters have played such an important role in the history of Dauphin Island and the Alabama Gulf Coast

Like many of our Interviewsday conversations, this episode provides the deeper background behind one of our historical stories. While "The World Is Your Oyster" explored the history of Alabama's oyster industry, this interview offers insight from someone who works every day to help ensure that tradition continues for future generations.

🎙️ Credits
Hosted by Big John Summers

Produced by Summers Media Enterprises

Foley/Sound effects recorded by Big John Summers

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Follow Dauphin Island Diaries on Facebook, Instagram, and X for additional content, including on-location videos, historical interpretation, and stories from across the Alabama Gulf Coast.

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If you enjoyed this episode, follow the show, share it with someone who loves history, and leave a review—it helps more folks discover the stories of Dauphin Island, Mobile Bay, and the Gulf Coast.

The Sand Island Lighthouse stands three miles south of Dauphin Island at the mouth of Mobile Bay. Today it sits alone on a small ring of granite rip rap, battered by storms, erosion, and time. But it wasn't always that way.

In this episode of Dauphin Island Diaries, we trace the remarkable history of Alabama's most iconic lighthouse, from its beginnings as an iron spindle placed on a shifting sand island to the towering brick sentinel that has watched over Mobile Bay for more than 150 years.

More than a lighthouse story, this is the story of man's attempt to build something permanent on land that never stopped moving.

Today, the Sand Island Lighthouse remains standing, but its future is uncertain. Whether it survives another century or falls in the next great storm, it continues to stand watch at the entrance to Mobile Bay, a silent witness to generations of Gulf Coast history.

Sources

Research for this episode was drawn primarily from:

• Sand Island Lighthouse Chronicles by Warren Lee

Additional information was drawn from:

• Lighthouse Friends
• Lighthouse Digest
• United States Coast Guard Historical Archives
• Encyclopedia of Alabama
• Alabama Heritage
• WKRG News 5
• The Lighthouse Hunters
• A History of Dauphin Island Under Five Flags by Frances Young
• Additional historical and archival resources used for fact-checking, chronology, and photographic research

Historic photographs and supporting documentation were consulted from multiple archival collections, including the United States Coast Guard and University of South Alabama archival materials referenced by the sources above.

🎙️ Credits

Hosted by Big John Summers

Produced by Summers Media Enterprises

Foley/Sound effects recorded by Big John Summers

📣 Follow & Support

Follow Dauphin Island Diaries on Facebook, Instagram, and X for additional content, including on-location videos, historical interpretation, and stories from across Dauphin Island and the Alabama Gulf Coast.

🔗 Links

🧢 Merch & Apparel:
https://www.summersmediaenterprises.com/merch

📘 Follow on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/DauphinIslandDiaries/

📘 Check out The Tennessee History Nerd:
https://www.summersmediaenterprises.com/podcasts/tthn

Check out the Dauphin Island Diaries Catalog!

Check out our merchandise on the SME Website. New bumper stickers available!

Check out The Tennessee History Nerd! https://www.summersmediaenterprises.com/podcasts/tthn

Advertise with us! John.summers@summersmediaenterprises.com

Take Dauphin Island Diaries with you wherever you go!

If you enjoyed this episode, follow the show, share it with someone who loves history, and leave a review—it helps more folks discover the stories of Dauphin Island, Mobile Bay, and the Gulf Coast.

In this Interviewsday edition of Dauphin Island Diaries, I sit down with longtime Dauphin Island resident Anita Phillips to talk about life on the island, how it has changed over the years, and some of the people and places that have helped shape its unique character.

Anita is a familiar face to many visitors. She has spent years serving as a docent at the Dauphin Island Welcome Center, helping residents and tourists alike learn more about the island's history, culture, and attractions. She is also the widow of the late architect and artist Gene Phillips, whose colorful condominium designs along LeMoyne Drive have become one of the island's most recognizable landmarks.

In this conversation, Anita shares memories of:

• First date on Dauphin Island

• The changes she has witnessed on the island over the decades

• Tourism and community life on Dauphin Island

• The work of the Dauphin Island Welcome Center

• Local traditions and island culture

• Her husband Bill Phillips and the story behind the colorful "birdhouse" condominiums on LeMoyne Drive

• Some of the people who have helped shape modern Dauphin Island

Like many of our Interviewsday conversations, this episode offers a personal perspective that complements the historical stories we tell on Dauphin Island Diaries. History is ultimately about people, and few people know the island and its community better than Anita Phillips.

🎙️ Credits

Hosted by Big John Summers

Produced by Summers Media Enterprises

Foley/Sound effects recorded by Big John Summers

📣 Follow & Support

Follow Dauphin Island Diaries on Facebook, Instagram, and X for additional content, including on-location videos, historical interpretation, and stories from across the Alabama Gulf Coast.

🔗 Links

🧢 Merch & Apparel:
https://www.summersmediaenterprises.com/merch

📘 Follow on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/DauphinIslandDiaries/

📘 Check out The Tennessee History Nerd:
https://www.summersmediaenterprises.com/podcasts/tthn

Check out the Dauphin Island Diaries Catalog!

Check out our merchandise on the SME Website. New bumper stickers available!

Check out The Tennessee History Nerd! https://www.summersmediaenterprises.com/podcasts/tthn

Advertise with us! John.summers@summersmediaenterprises.com

Take Dauphin Island Diaries with you wherever you go!

If you enjoyed this episode, follow the show, share it with someone who loves history, and leave a review—it helps more folks discover the stories of Dauphin Island, Mobile Bay, and the Gulf Coast.