On Cahaba Road south of Capitol Street, on the right when traveling south.
St. Luke's Episcopal Church, completed
in 1854, was very different from the
other churches in Cahaba. Its Gothic
Revival style stood in stark contrast to
the fairly standard Greek Revival form
used by the Methodists and Baptists. . . . — — Map (db m274276) HM
On Capitol Street at Vine Street, on the right when traveling east on Capitol Street. Reported permanently removed.
Alabama's first statehouse stood on this lot, but no drawing by a person who actually saw it has been found. It was built in 1819 and destroyed in 1833, before the invention of photography. There are many drawings of the statehouse, but all are pure . . . — — Map (db m75908) HM
On Vine Street at Capitol Street, on the right when traveling south on Vine Street.
Shocking Bicentennial Discovery
As a Bicentennial project, the large steel
structure before you was constructed
to mark the location of Alabama's first
statehouse and to evoke its size and
shape. The same written instructions
that . . . — — Map (db m274606) HM
On Capitol Street at Cahaba Road, on the right when traveling east on Capitol Street. Reported permanently removed.
Waist-high grasses billowing in the
wind. Rolling prairie expanses. Most
people connect these images with the Midwest's Great Plains. But for
thousands of years, tallgrass
soils of Alabama's Black Belt. Along
prairie—25 miles across at its . . . — — Map (db m112692) HM
On Oak Street south of First Street South, on the right when traveling south.
Home site of the author of "Memories of Old Cahaba," whose family lived here from the Capital's earliest days as landowners and lawyers, giving her a rich legacy of town history. Married to a doctor, she moved to Galveston, Texas, and returned here . . . — — Map (db m112360) HM
On Oak Street north of Fifth North Street, on the left when traveling north. Reported permanently removed.
Two story brick slave quarters like the
one before you were not typical, but they
could be found in wealthy towns like
Cahawba.
Stephen Barker built these quarters in
1860 on the northern edge of town.
As you can see in the . . . — — Map (db m112472) HM
On Oak Street 0.2 miles 2nd Street North, on the left when traveling north.
Two-story brick slave quarters like the
one before you were not typical, but they
could be found in wealthy towns like
Cahaba.
Stephen Barker built these brick quarters
and a fine brick home for himself in
1861 on the northern edge of . . . — — Map (db m150865) HM
On Capitol Avenue at Cahaba Road, on the right when traveling east on Capitol Avenue.
Alabama's Black Belt region derives
its name from a narrow sash of
dark, fertile soil across the state's
midsection. Covering 1000 square
miles, the Black Belt occupies just 2%
of the state's landmass, but its history
and transformations . . . — — Map (db m112800) HM
On Vine Street near 2nd Street North, on the right when traveling north. Reported permanently removed.
The Cahaba Drug Store once covered this cellar hole. It was operated by Herbert Hudson and J. D. Craig.
On the same lot were T. L. Craig's large family grocery, Coleman's dry goods store, and Fellows' Jewelry.
All these men were related . . . — — Map (db m23008) HM
On Capitol Avenue near Vine Street, in the median.
This stone marks the site of Cahaba, selected November 21, 1818 as the first permanent capital of Alabama, the seat of government remaining here until removed to Tuscaloosa by the Legislature, January 1825.
On December 13, 1819, it was fixed . . . — — Map (db m266506) HM
On Oak Street 0.6 miles south of Capitol Avenue, on the right when traveling south.
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 . . . — — Map (db m150864) HM
Two Ghost Towns?
Long before Cahawba was built as
Alabama's first state capital, there was
another village at this location. Just like
Cahawba, it thrived for about 50 years,
then disappeared.
About the year 1500 a group of . . . — — Map (db m112450) HM
On Oak Street at Seven North Street, on the right when traveling north on Oak Street.
Three hundred feet ahead of you is the
entrance to one of Cahawba's oldest
cemeteries. On an 1883 map, it is
labeled "Negro burial ground." It also
appears, unlabeled, on the earliest Map
of the Town of Cahawba (circa 1819),
suggesting that . . . — — Map (db m274727) HM
On Capitol Street at Cahaba Road, on the right when traveling east on Capitol Street.
In 1818, Alabama's first governor
carved the capital city of Cahawba
out of the wilderness. In less than 50
years, Cahawba grew from a frontier
capital full of log cabins to one of
America's wealthiest communities,
with some of the . . . — — Map (db m112690) HM
Near Cahaba Road at Capitol Street, on the right when traveling north.
"Cahawba's magnificent churches,
splendid mansions and business houses
will become the habitations of owls and
bats," predicted a concerned citizen
in a letter to the editor of the Dallas
Gazette in February of 1857. He
warned . . . — — Map (db m245237) HM
In 1862 the Confederacy used one of
Cahawba's brick cotton warehouses to
temporarily house men captured at the
Battle of Shiloh. In 1863, they officially
converted the warehouse into a military
prison. The inmates called it "Castle . . . — — Map (db m112528) HM
The Union soldiers held captive in Cahaba's Civil War Prison, called the place Castle Morgan in honor of a daring Confederate raider. In 1888 Jesse Hawes published a book about his imprisonment in Castle Morgan. He drew this diagram from memory. . . . — — Map (db m22668) HM
Factory or Palace?
In 1852, Joel E. Mathews, a wealthy
planter, began to build a cotton mill
here at the foot of Vine Street, but he
never completed the project. Instead,
merchant Edward M. Perine purchased
the unfinished factory in 1856 . . . — — Map (db m274289) HM
On First North Street east of Ash Street, on the left when traveling east.
The Unusual Home
of Christopher Claudius Pegues and his
beautiful wife Caroline was the center of
social life in Cahaba. The brick structure
had been built as a jail in 1823, but
was remodeled into one of the loveliest
homes in town. . . . — — Map (db m274553) HM
In 1858, the railroad company graded away an Indian mound that stood here. A brick warehouse was built in its place. From 1863 - 1865 the Confederate government used this warehouse to hold captured Federal Soldiers. You are standing on a pile of . . . — — Map (db m22666) HM
On Vine Street, on the right when traveling north. Reported permanently removed.
This cellar was under Joseph Babcock's brick store. During the Civil War the building was used as a commissary.
Babcock's warehouse and cotton shed were located to your right on the bluff overlooking the river. The family home, kitchen, and . . . — — Map (db m23287) HM
On Vine Street at 1st Street North, on the right when traveling north on Vine Street. Reported permanently removed.
Prior to 1905, workmen in search of
salvageable bricks dismantled the old
Dallas County Courthouse (pictured
here). The grassy mound before you
contains the damaged bricks the
workmen left behind.
Cahawba was the county seat from . . . — — Map (db m112559) HM
On Vine Street south of 1st Street North, on the left when traveling south.
Cahawba was the county seat from
1818 until 1866. This structure was
built in 1834, after an earlier courthouse
collapsed.
The courthouse was the heart of the
town, so when the county seat was
moved to Selma after the Civil War,
most of . . . — — Map (db m274282) HM
Near 2nd Street North. Reported permanently removed.
The Crocherons were from Staten Island, New York. Richard Conner Crocheron arrived in town about 1837 to help run the family store. He traveled north for his bride in 1843 after building her this brick home. The back wall adjoined the brick store . . . — — Map (db m22870) HM
Near 2nd Street North near Vine Street. Reported permanently removed.
A "row" was a 19th century shopping mall. The word was used when a building or block had several similar storefronts arranged in a straight line or row.
This cellar marks the spot where David and Nicholas Crocheron built a large 2 story brick . . . — — Map (db m83509) HM
On Vine Street, on the right when traveling north. Reported permanently removed.
The grassed over mound of brick before you was once Dallas County's courthouse. This courthouse was built in 1834. It was dismantled prior to 1905 by brick salvagers.
Cahawba was the county seat from 1818 to 1866. This brought a lot of people, . . . — — Map (db m23010) HM
On Second Street North at Vine Street, on the left when traveling west on Second Street North.
On a May afternoon in 1856, an angry
John A. Bell rounded this corner
carrying a large hickory stick. He passed
by Edward Perine's fine brick store, and
continued south down the sidewalk.
Under his coat, he carried two pistols
and a . . . — — Map (db m112527) HM
On Mulberry Street south of 1st Street South, on the right when traveling south.
St. Paul's African Methodist
Episcopal Church, like many
late 19th and early 20th century
churches, often established
societies and schools to help
African-Americans pull together
to cope with the challenges of
segregation.
Burial . . . — — Map (db m274590) HM
On Vine Street south of 2nd Street North, on the right when traveling north.
The Drug Store
This hole was once the cellar beneath a
drug store operated by Herbert Hudson
& James D. Craig. They sold medicines,
chemicals, paints, perfumes, and cigars.
On the same lot was Thomas L. Craig's
large family . . . — — Map (db m150849) HM
On Oak Street near 2nd Street North, on the left when traveling north. Reported permanently removed.
In 1889, Samuel and Sarah Kirkpatrick moved to Selma, leaving their farm and house in the capable hands of their son Clifton (1863-1930). He turned the abandoned remains of Alabama's first capital into a showcase farm of diversified, scientific . . . — — Map (db m23005) HM
On Oak Street north of Fifth North Street, on the left when traveling north.
Look around you. There are hundreds of pecan trees growing nearby. All were planted by Clifton Kirkpatrick, a.k.a. The Duke of Cahaba." (Note: Cahawba lost its "w" by the late 19th century.)
In 1889 Samuel and Sarah Kirkpatrick moved to . . . — — Map (db m112473) HM
On Vine Street 0.1 miles south of Capitol Street, on the left when traveling south.
St. Luke's Episcopal Church was built at Cahawba in 1854 but was dismantled and moved sometime after 1884 but before 1888. It was reassembled fifteen miles away in a rural community called Martin's Station. The raised outline before you indicates . . . — — Map (db m83510) HM
On Second North Street east of Vine Street, on the left when traveling east.
On the morning of April 5, 1825,
General Lafayette, the hero of the American Revolution, walked up this road from the steamboat landing while a band played "Lafayette's March." Supported on the arm of Governor Pickens, the old General moved . . . — — Map (db m244890) HM
On 1st Street North west of Vine Street, on the left when traveling west.
[Newspaper notice]
Masonic,
The Regularly Constituted Lodges of Ancient York Masons, Chartered, Dispenced, or associated within the State of Alabama, are respectfully requested to meet, by their representatives, at the Town of Cahawba, . . . — — Map (db m217238) HM
On Capitol Street at Walnut Street, on the right when traveling east on Capitol Street.
In the early 1830s, when railroads
were new to America, the term "Hell
in Harness" was a widely accepted
description of the new steam-powered
locomotives that belched fire, steam, and
smoke. The earthen embankment before
you was built to . . . — — Map (db m274598) HM
1822 - Crocheron's Row
Cahawba's First Shopping Center
This large hole was dug in 1822 to be the
basement beneath Cahawba's first brick
store.
In the 19th century the word "row"
described a building that consisted of . . . — — Map (db m112577) HM
On Oak Street (County Road 155), on the left when traveling north. Reported permanently removed.
In 1866, shortly after the Civil War and a severe flood, the county seat was moved from Cahaba to Selma. Residents rapidly abandoned the town. Many homes were dismantled and reassembled elsewhere.
Despite this trend, returning Confederate . . . — — Map (db m83516) HM
On Cahaba Road 1.1 miles east of County Road 9, on the right when traveling north.
On April 5, 1825, General Lafayette was welcomed at the State House, visited Halo Masonic Lodge, and dined at Mr. White's Hotel. — — Map (db m244889) HM
On January 20th, 1865, Major Hanchett lead a daring, but unsuccessful escape from the military prison that was located on this spot.
He was then moved to the dungeon of the county jail, located on First North Street. In March the other Union . . . — — Map (db m22669) HM
These are not graves.
These are markers to memoralize
the Federal soldiers who died in the
Cahawba Military Prison during the
Civil War. The men within the prison
called it "Castle Morgan."
No one knows where in Cahawba these . . . — — Map (db m112409) HM
On Mulberry Street south of First South Street, on the left when traveling south.
These ruins were once a place of worship for members of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. Built in 1849, it was the first single denomination church in Cahawba. An earlier church for the common use of all denominations was erected about 1840. . . . — — Map (db m112410) HM
Near Cahaba Road at Capitol Street, on the right when traveling north. Reported permanently removed.
"We by-and-by discovered...a pair of those
splendid birds, the Ivory-billed Woodpeckers
(Picus principalis). They were engaged in
rapping some tall dead pines, in a dense part of
the forest, which rang with their loud notes." . . . — — Map (db m112801) HM
On Vine Street at Capitol Avenue, on the right when traveling north on Vine Street.
Between AD 1500 and 1600, the
indigenous inhabitants of the area around
the confluence of the Cahaba and
Alabama Rivers built a flat-topped mound
measuring about ½ acre in size. The
mound was the central feature of a
semicircular village . . . — — Map (db m150834) HM
Burials in this cemetery, which served Cahaba from 1848 to 1900, tell a story of the town in which many deaths resulted from diseases of infancy, childhood and early adult life, Yellow Fever being a large factor because of proximity to Gulf of . . . — — Map (db m23322) HM
Near 2nd Street North near Vine Street. Reported permanently removed.
By 1858 many brick stores had been built in Cahaba, so everyone called this the "old brick store." Merchant Sam M. Hill turned the building into one huge dry goods store where shoppers could buy just about anything!
Col. Hill, like most of the . . . — — Map (db m23242) HM
Near Cahaba Road, on the right when traveling north.
This site was set aside by the 1820 General Assembly, burials here date from 1818 to 1847. Interred are some of the state's earliest figures. There is no record of names, many handsome tombs have been destroyed, seven marked ones remaining, six are . . . — — Map (db m23355) HM
On 6th South Street. Reported permanently removed.
This artesian well was drilled to serve a factory which did not materialize. It was then used to water the grounds, a garden and pastures. In addition, by forcing water through pipes into his $50,000 home, E. M. Perine, a merchant prince, had the . . . — — Map (db m83518) HM
This engraving of the Union Prison at Cahaba was published in 1877 by Benson J. Lossing. The stockade had already been removed, so the details of the brick structure are visible.
The artist apparently was in a boat in the Alabama River, . . . — — Map (db m83506) HM
On Vine Street north of Capitol Avenue, on the right when traveling north.
Brick Store to Depot
In 1858, the Cahaba, Marion and Greensboro Railroad company laid train tracks down Capitol Street so bales of cotton could be transported from distant plantations to warehouses in Cahaba. From the warehouses, the cotton . . . — — Map (db m150848) HM
Near Second North Street east of Vine Street, on the left when traveling east.
The Cahaba River is the longest free-flowing stretch of river in Alabama. It
is 194 miles long and drains an area of
1,870 square miles. Recognized as one of
"Alabama's Ten Natural Wonders," the
Cahaba River has received attention . . . — — Map (db m274548) HM
On Vine Street, on the left when traveling south. Reported permanently removed.
St. Luke's was consecrated in 1854. It was an outstanding example of the Gothic Revival style, popular at the time. The contractor closely followed designs in a widely circulated book, Rural Architecture, published in 1852 by the celebrated . . . — — Map (db m75922) HM
On 1st Street North, on the left when traveling west. Reported permanently removed.
In the late 1850s, Cahaba experienced a building boom. Everyone expected the town to prosper because of the new railroad. One of the first large brick structures built in this prosperous period was completed in 1856 by Dr. Saltmarsh.
He . . . — — Map (db m23009) HM
On Vine Street at 1st Street North, on the right when traveling south on Vine Street.
In the late 1850s, Cahawba experienced
a building boom. Everyone expected
the town to prosper because of the new
railroad.
One of the first structures built during
this prosperous period was completed on
this corner in 1856 by Dr. . . . — — Map (db m150847) HM
On Capitol Street, on the right when traveling east. Reported permanently removed.
This structure collapsed in 1833 and its fallen remains were reportedly heaped into a railroad embankment. Consequently, we have no picture of the Statehouse that was drawn by someone who actually saw the building. Any modern picture you see of this . . . — — Map (db m75909) HM
On Vine Street at Capitol Avenue, on the right when traveling north on Vine Street. Reported permanently removed.
Vine Street was Cahawba's business district. Stores, offices and hotels were tightly packed together along these three blocks. Homes were scattered over an entire square mile. Nearly every house had a yard of one or two acres. — — Map (db m83520) HM
On Vine Street at Capitol Street, on the right when traveling north on Vine Street. Reported permanently removed.
Cahawba's homes were spread over an
entire square mile, many with yards of
one or two acres. That was not the case
here on Vine Street. Offices, stores and
hotels were tightly packed along this
main street. The steamboat landings on
the . . . — — Map (db m112560) HM
On Vine Street at Capitol Street, on the right when traveling north on Vine Street.
Offices, stores and hotels were tightly
packed along this main street. The
steamboat landings on the Alabama
River were just one block away, so this
was prime real estate.
Vine Street was 80 feet wide with brick
sidewalks. A town . . . — — Map (db m274486) HM
On Capitol Street east of Cahaba Road, on the right when traveling east.
Abandoned
Thousands of people once called Cahaba
home. Hundreds of fine homes, hotels,
churches, and businesses lined the streets.
Then came the Civil War (1861-1865).
No battle was fought here, but many
of the men that marched . . . — — Map (db m274732) HM
This house, the Fambro / Arthur home,
takes its name from two of its owners.
One was a judge, the other was a former
slave.
The Fambro Family
A. Judge W. W. Fambro built this house
in the early 1840s. He may have created . . . — — Map (db m112451) HM
Near Vine Street, on the right when traveling north.
In the early 20th century, at least two
small, temporary manufacturing centers
were established on the abandoned
townsite of Cahaba. One was a sawmill
and the other was a mussel harvesting
camp.
W. W. Fox Lumber Company
If you . . . — — Map (db m274847) HM
On Capitol Street at Walnut Street, on the right when traveling west on Capitol Street.
Walnut Street was the working
backside of the business district.
Cahaba's mechanics and enslaved
laborers knew this street well. It was a
place of livery stables, harness makers,
carriage makers, and blacksmiths. It
was a smelly, dirty . . . — — Map (db m150850) HM
A New York merchant, Richard Conner
Crocheron, built a magnificant mansion
on this spot. The adjacent photograph
captured the decayed splendor of this
home before it burned. Look closely
at the photograph. Try to identify the
columns . . . — — Map (db m112582) HM
