Cahaba, Alabama
Cahaba, also spelled Cahawba, was the first permanent state capital of Alabama from 1820 to 1825, and the county seat of Dallas County, Alabama until 1866. Located at the confluence of the Alabama and Cahaba rivers, it suffered regular seasonal flooding.
Cahaba | |
St. Lukes Episcopal Church, built 1854 at Cahaba; moved to Martin's Station in 1878; returned to Old Cahawba in 21st century | |
| Nearest city | Selma, Alabama |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 32°19′01″N 87°06′05″W |
| Area | 853 acres (345 ha) |
| Built | 1818 |
| Architect | Multiple |
| NRHP reference No. | 73000341 |
| Added to NRHP | May 8, 1973 |
The state legislature moved the capital to Tuscaloosa in 1826. After the town suffered another major flood in 1865, the state legislature moved the county seat northeast to Selma, which was better situated.
The former settlement became defunct after it lost the county seat, although it had been quite wealthy during the antebellum years. It is now a ghost town and is preserved as a state historic site, the Old Cahawba Archeological Park. The state and associated citizens' groups are working to develop it as a full interpretive park St. Luke's Episcopal Church was returned to Old Cahawba, and a fundraising campaign is underway for its restoration.