ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: A debt of gratitude is owed to the very knowledgeable personnel of the Alabama Historical Commission employed at Cahaba. They were extremely helpful in telling me of Cahaba's history and guiding me to the various points of interest. Thank you for a great visit.- Wilson Jay

Cahaba, Alabama is located about ten miles south of the city of Selma, at the confluence of the Alabama and Cahaba Rivers. To reach Cahaba, travel southwest from Selma on Route 22 for about 9 miles, turn left on Dallas County road 9.

The Alabama territory was a part of Mississippi before reaching statehood. In 1818, a commission met at Saint Stephens, Alabama, the territorial capital, for the purpose of determining the location of the new state's capital. The area chosen was a wilderness on the Cahaba and Alabama Rivers. Therefore, a town had to be platted and a statehouse built before state business could be conducted there. State business was handled in Huntsville while the capital was being prepared.

Governor William Bibb announced in October, 1819 that the town had been planned and lots were to be auctioned to the highest bidders. The streets were laid out in a grid, with the streets running north and south named after trees. The streets running east and west were named after famous men. In 1820, the statehouse was completed and all functions of state government were centered in Cahaba.

Cahaba's location, near two rivers and having low elevation, gave it a reputation of being prone to flooding, plus it was said to be an unhealthy place to live. Unfortunately, in 1825 a severe flood occurred, destroying a part of the statehouse and adding fuel to the arguments of those who wanted the capital moved to Tuscaloosa. In January of 1826, the state legislature voted to move the capital from Cahaba to Tuscaloosa. However, it remained the seat of Dallas County.

During the Civil War, the railroad was seized by the Confederate government and the tracks were rerouted to points of military interest. In 1863, a large cotton warehouse, located on the river bank on Arch Street was converted into a military prison, known as Castle Morgan.

Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest met Union General James H. Wilson at the Crocheron mansion. At that time a prisoner exchange was arranged. The prisoners involved had been captured during the Battle of Selma.

In 1865, at the very end of the Civil War, a gaunt-looking, malnourished group of men arrived at Castle Morgan, a Civil War prison, located on the riverbank in Cahaba. These were survivors of Andersonville Prison in Georgia. They joined the prisoners of Castle Morgan and together were transported to Vicksburg, Mississippi to board a steamboat that would take them home to the north. The riverboat they sailed on was the Sultana! In the early hours of April 27, 1865, a boiler on the overloaded Sultana exploded a few miles north of Memphis, killing an estimated 1700 men, in America's worst maritime disaster.

In 1866, the county seat was moved to nearby Selma, within the decade following the move, there were few families left in Cahaba. In time, Freedmen (former slaves) moved into the vacant town and used the city blocks for farming. Cahaba became a community of former slaves, but eventually, these citizens relocated, too. Sometime during the late 1800s, a Freedman purchased the town for 500 dollars. He demolished the brick structures and sold the building materials to customers in Selma and downriver in Mobile. By 1900, there were few structures left standing and only a very few survived through the Depression Era.

The Crocheron mansion was destroyed by fire in the early 1900s. The Kirkpatrick mansion was destroyed by fire in 1935.