Cahaba, Alabama
| Cahaba | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 St. Luke's Episcopal Church (2010) |
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| Location in Alabama | |||
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| Basic data | |||
| Foundation : | 1818 | ||
| State : | United States | ||
| State : | Alabama | ||
| County : | Dallas County | ||
| Coordinates : | 32 ° 19 ′ N , 87 ° 6 ′ W | ||
| Time zone : | Central ( UTC − 6 / −5 ) | ||
| Residents : | 0 (status:) | ||
Cahaba , also Cahawba , is a ghost town in Dallas County in the state of Alabama in the United States . It was the first permanent capital of Alabama.
geography
Cahaba is located in central Alabama in the southern United States and right on the Cahaba River .
Nearby places include Selma (7 km north), Sardis (10 km east) and Orrville (12 km west).
history
In 1818 a commission was formed to select a location for the new capital of Alabama. Until the first buildings were erected, the later urban area was in the wilderness. The city was deliberately designed in square blocks. As early as 1820, Cahaba was able to take up the function of State Capitol . Due to the unfavorable location between two rivers ( Cahaba River in the west, Alabama River in the east), the city was often flooded and an unhealthy, humid atmosphere developed. When in 1825 water masses partially damaged the government building and caused it to collapse, it was decided to relocate the seat of the government of Alabama to Tuscaloosa .
For a few decades, Cahaba remained at least the county seat of Dallas County . It developed into a trading center, especially in the cotton industry. The construction of a railway line in 1859 brought an additional boost. Before the Civil War , around 3,000 people lived here. During the war, however, the rails of the railway line were dismantled because they were needed elsewhere. Large department stores and shops were used as prisons.
In 1866, after the war, the county seat was relocated to nearby Selma , and numerous businesses and families followed. Most of the buildings were built within ten years. During the Reconstruction a new rural community was formed, consisting mostly of former slave families. The vacant areas were turned into farmland and gardens. Shortly afterwards, however, these families also moved to other cities. Most of the city center was later sold for $ 500, with the owner tearing down numerous buildings and shipping the materials to other locations. Most of the buildings were demolished in 1903, only a few were still standing after 1930.
The city has been on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) since May 8, 1973 . In addition, St. Luke's Episcopal Church has been listed as an independent property in the NRHP since March 1982.
traffic
Cahaba is 12 kilometers south of a shared route on US Highway 80 and Alabama State Route 8 .
Craig Field Airport is 9 kilometers east .
Personalities
- George Henry Craig (1845–1923), lawyer and politician
literature
- Anna M. Gayle Fry: Memories of Old Cahaba . Nashville, Tenn: Publishing House of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 1908.
- William Brantley, Jr .: Three Capitals: St. Stephens, Huntsville, and Cahawba, 1818-1826. University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa 2002, ISBN 978-0-8173-1249-7 .
- Daniel J. Meador: Riding Over the Past? Cahaba, 1936 , Virginia Quarterly Review, Winter 2002.
Web links
- Website (Engl.)
- Cahaba in the Encyclopedia of Alabama (Engl.)
Remarks
- ^ Cahaba in the National Register Information System. National Park Service , accessed October 24, 2019.
- ↑ St. Luke's Episcopal Church on the National Register Information System. National Park Service , accessed October 24, 2019.