Cahaba's "New" Cemetery

Cahaba's "New" Cemetery. . , Created by the Legislature , This cemetery was created by an act of Alabama's Legislature on January 31, 1852. Cahaba's town council selected this spot, but the Legislature had to confirm their choice because all public land within Cahaba - the town created to be Alabama's first capital - was still owned by the state. In 1820, an earlier cemetery in town was also created by legislative act.

Originally, this newer cemetery was surrounded by both a deep ditch and a hedge to protect the graves from wandering livestock. The current fence line was installed in 1929 by a group of well-meaning individuals, long after the cemetery had been abandoned. The location of this fence may bear little resemblance to the actual historic boundaries of the cemetery.

The self-guiding walking tour brochure will introduce you to some of Cahaba's perpetual residents. There are more people buried here that you might suspect. Ground penetrating radar has detected 294 unmarked graves.

Cahaba Breaks with Tradition , Tradtional [sic] Christian burials are oriented east to west, based on the belief that on judgement day, Jesus will appear in the east. That way, true believers will rise from their graves facing east toward Jesus, the rising sun, and Jerusalem. However, in this cemetery, the alignment of the graves was shifted 21 degrees away from a true east-west line. This angle matches the alignment of the town's street grid. In Cahaba, death, as well as life, had to conform to a plan designed by Alabama's first governor, William Wyatt Bibb, in 1819.

Destroyed by Heartless Vandals , In the 1950s, the skull of a young girl was found stuck on the top of a crowbar in this historic cemetery. Graves were repeatedly opened, monuments damaged, and iron cemetery gates stolen. One June night in 1960, S. E. Fisher, a man who operated a hamburger stand nearby, heard loud noises coming from the cemetery. When he came to investigate, a car sped out of the cemetery, almost running him down. When the dust cleared, Mr. Fisher discovered that nearly every monument had been smashed with a sledge hammer.

The culprits were never caught. To help protect the site, a gate was then installed and a caretaker was hired. In 201 Alabama's bicentennial year, the Alabama Historical Commission repaired many of these monuments.