Cahaba, Alabama facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Cahaba
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St. Lukes Episcopal Church, built 1854 at Cahaba; moved to Martin's Station in 1878; returned to Old Cahawba in 21st century
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 Location in Alabama
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Selma, Alabama |
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| Area | 853 acres (345 ha) |
| Built | 1818 |
| Architect | Multiple |
| NRHP reference No. | 73000341 |
| Added to NRHP | May 8, 1973 |
Cahaba (also spelled Cahawba) was Alabama's very first capital city. It was the capital from 1820 to 1825. Cahaba was also the main town (county seat) for Dallas County, Alabama until 1866. The town was built where the Alabama and Cahaba rivers meet. Because of this, it often had big floods.
The state government decided to move the capital to Tuscaloosa in 1826. After another huge flood in 1865, the county seat also moved. It went to Selma, which was a safer place.
When Cahaba lost its status as the county seat, many businesses and people left. The town quickly became empty. Even though it was once very rich, it became a ghost town. Today, Cahaba is a state historic site called the Old Cahawba Archeological Park. Groups are working to make it a full park where people can learn about its history. St. Luke's Episcopal Church has even been brought back to the site.
Contents
What was Cahaba like?
Cahawba was listed in the U.S. Census from 1860 to 1880. In 1860, about 1,920 people lived there. By 1870, only 431 people remained. Even though the town was officially a town until 1989, it didn't appear on the census after 1880.
Cahaba's History
Becoming the Capital City
Cahaba started as an empty piece of land where two rivers met. In 1818, a group chose Cahaba to be Alabama's new state capital. At that time, Alabama was still a territory. The choice was approved in November 1818. Since there were no buildings yet, Alabama's first government met in Huntsville.
In 1819, Governor William Wyatt Bibb announced that the town was planned. Land lots were sold to people who offered the most money. The town had a grid layout. Streets running north and south were named after trees. Streets running east and west were named after famous men. The new statehouse was a two-story brick building. It was 43 feet wide and 58 feet long. By 1820, Cahaba was officially the state capital.
Why the Capital Moved
Cahaba's location by two rivers meant it often flooded. People also thought the air was unhealthy, causing diseases like malaria. This was because of the many mosquitoes. People who didn't like Cahaba as the capital used these reasons to argue for a move. In January 1826, the government agreed to move the capital to Tuscaloosa. Later, in 1846, the capital moved again to Montgomery, Alabama, which was more central.
After the capital moved, Cahaba lost many government jobs and businesses. This made the town struggle.
Life Before the Civil War
Even after losing the capital, Cahaba remained the main town for Dallas County. It bounced back thanks to the cotton trade. Cahaba became a busy center for shipping cotton down the Alabama River to Mobile. Rich farmers and traders built large, fancy houses. St. Luke's Episcopal Church was built in 1854. A famous architect named Richard Upjohn designed it.
In 1859, a railroad line reached Cahaba. This led to a building boom. By 1860, just before the American Civil War, about 2,000 people lived in Cahaba. Most people in Dallas County were African Americans who were forced to work on cotton farms. In town, free African Americans ran many poultry businesses.
Cahaba During the Civil War
During the Civil War, the Confederate government took Cahaba's railroad tracks. They used the iron to build a more important military railroad nearby. They also built a prison called Castle Morgan. It was a stockade around a large cotton warehouse. Union soldiers captured during the war were held there from 1863 to 1865.
In February 1865, a huge flood hit Cahaba. This caused even more problems for the 3,000 Union soldiers in the prison and for the town's people. Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest and Union General James H. Wilson met in Cahaba. They talked about exchanging prisoners captured during the Battle of Selma.
After the Civil War
In 1866, the state government moved the county seat to nearby Selma. Businesses and people quickly followed. Within ten years, many houses and churches in Cahaba were taken apart and moved. St. Luke's Episcopal Church, for example, was moved in 1878.
Jeremiah Haralson was an important African American leader from Cahawba. He was elected to the State House, the State Senate, and the U.S. Congress. He was the only African American in Alabama to serve in all three during the Reconstruction era.
Most freed African Americans and a few white people left the declining town. By 1870, only 431 people lived there, with 302 being Black. During the Reconstruction, freed people met at the empty courthouse. They tried to keep their political gains. They also turned empty town blocks into farms and gardens. But soon, they also moved away.
Before the 1900s, an African American man bought most of the old town site for $500. He had the empty buildings torn down for their materials. These materials were shipped by steamboat to Mobile and Selma. By 1903, most of Cahawba's buildings were gone. Only a few structures remained after 1930.
Cahaba Today
Even though no one lives in Cahaba anymore, the Alabama Historical Commission takes care of the site. It's called Old Cahawba Archeological Park. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Visitors can explore the old streets, cemeteries, and ruins of this former capital city. A group called the Cahawba Advisory Committee helps support the park. They are raising money to restore St. Luke's Episcopal Church, which was moved back to Old Cahawba in the early 2000s.
Ghost Stories of Cahaba
Cahaba, and later its abandoned ruins, became famous for many ghost stories. One popular story tells of a glowing orb (a ball of light) in a garden maze. This maze was at the home of C. C. Pegues, which is now gone. The story was written down in a book called 13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey.
Notable People from Cahaba
- George Henry Craig: Born in Cahaba, he was a former U.S. Representative.
- Anderson Crenshaw: A former Alabama judge who served when Cahaba was the state capital.
- Jeremiah Haralson: Born in Dallas County, he was the only African American in Alabama elected to the State House, State Senate, and Congress during Reconstruction.
- Edward Martineau Perine: A merchant and farmer who owned the Perine Store and Mansion.
Gallery
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The Perine Store; photo likely taken in the last quarter of the 19th century.
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St. Luke's Episcopal Church at Martin's Station (approximately 15 miles (24 km) from Cahaba) in 1934.
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The Methodist Church in the 1930s, later destroyed by fire.
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Kirkpatrick mansion on Oak Street, burned in 1935. The two-story brick slave quarters at the rear remains intact.
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The Female Academy in 1903.
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The twenty-six room Perine mansion, built in the 1850s, later demolished.
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Another view of the Perine Mansion.
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Crocheron mansion, built 1843, destroyed by fire in the early 20th century.
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Castle Morgan, a Confederate prison camp on the Alabama River at Cahaba.
See also
In Spanish: Cahaba para niños
