The oldest structure on Dauphin Island and one of the oldest churches in Alabama, Saint Agnes Catholic Church was first constructed in 1709. The building was destroyed in 1740 by wars and storms.

The second church and rectory were built soon after from scavenged materials. Interior walls are odd sized tongue and groove hard woods of a miscellaneous nature. Nearly petrified beams within the existing walls and roof came from Grant's Pass Toll Booth which was once located on the intercoastal waterway between Dauphin Island and the mainland. In the early 1700's, Grant's Pass Toll Booth charged boats traveling from Mobile Bay to Mississippi. Exterior boards on the Church were made of cedar and resist painting to this day.

Once located two blocks away on Cadillac Street, this little Church was the focal point of marriages, births, prayers and bingo games by many of the local islanders.

In 1987, Saint Agnes, then known as Saint Edmunds By the Sea Catholic Church was scheduled for demolition. That same fall, over three hundred fifty local islanders signed a petition to allow the Church to be moved and to remain on a newly cleared central commercial site at the corner of Bienville Boulevard and Le Moyne. More concerned citizens signed the petition to keep this Church than voted for the incorporation of Dauphin Island as a town in 1988.

In the past few years the little Church has had extensive facelifts. Today it houses the "World Famous Treasure Trove". Thousands of Tourists and locals pass through its doors each year to purchase Souvenirs and 'in house' designed tee shirts. The little Church still survives as a true Treasure Trove to Dauphin Island's past.

Written by Lynn Wickman
Photograph by Lynn Wickman