Pirates Cove matriarch Eileen Mueller leaves behind a lasting legacy

Pirates Cove matriarch Eileen Mueller leaves behind a lasting legacy

By Fran Thompson

Lori Eubank Bennett’s found the perfect quote to leave on the Pirates Cove facebook page after the passing of the Josephine landmark’s matriarch, Eileen Mueller, on July 4. It was one of the hundreds of heartfelt posts on the page and it was perfect. Eileen passed away peacefully at home surrounded by loved ones.
“You just can’t be very stuck on yourself if you come here. You have to just accept the whole world as it is,” said Eileen in a Breck Pappas story Bennett found about the beach bar located where Robert’s Bayou meets Arnica Bay.
Revered for as a haven for dogs, great bushwackers, music, sunsets, cheeseburgers, self described “riff-raff” and the exact laid back attitude Eileen referenced above, Pirates Cove was purchased by the Mueller family in December of 1956.
Over the years, the family has transformed the hidden gem into a popular destination loved by locals, tourists, boaters, and basically everybody. On summer weekend days, the bistro will serve 3,000 bushwackers. It is certainly not a little hole-in-the-wall dive bar any more.
After the passing of her husband Paul, Eileen dedicated herself to maintaining Pirates Cove along with sons Paul and Karl. She was also preceeded in death by her daughter Lynn.
The first in her family of eight to earn a college degree (Auburn), the native of Michigan worked as a medical tech for 38 years.
Also a devoted community leader, her kindness, strength, commanding presence and mentorships touched countless lives and changed the course for many of the teenagers she hired to work at the Pirates Cove.
Co-founder of the Perdido Wood Boat Association, Eileen orchestrated wood boat shows at Pirates Cove until 2021. She also served on the Cindy Haber Center Board of Directors, advocating for individuals with disabilities.
She was a founding member of the Elberta Public Library. And in lieu of flowers, those who wish to do so can send donations to the Elberta Library, PO Box 277, Elberta, AL 3653.
The original Pirates Cove building was constructed in the 1930s as part of the Intracoastal Waterway project. It served as a bunkhouse for Civilian Conservation Corps workers and the camp included a general store.
The legend is that the area around Pirates Cove, particularly Robert’s Bayou, served as a hiding spot for Civil War-era privateers, including Admiral Raphael Semmes. Pirates used the bayou’s shallow waters and hidden inlets to evade larger ships, especially before the Intracoastal Waterway was established.
“I have to say, the reason this place is here is because of the stubbornness of my mother-in-law Elsa because they moved down here in the winter of ’56 and her husband died either in January or February, six or eight weeks after they moved here. And so she had it by herself with a 14-year-old boy, and she kept it together, and it was nothing like this,’’ Eileen told Brecht. “There were no people here. She was a very determined woman.’’
It goes without saying that another reason Pirates Cove is a local institution will be greatly missed.