A day late - for good reason!
Old Cahawba Bicentennial Celebration
I’m so sorry I’m a bit late with this week’s blog post, but I had a good reason for it. I usually type these out during the week and schedule them to post automatically on Friday mornings at 8AM, but this week I knew I had something cool going on (on Friday) that I wanted to talk about.
Yesterday morning I took the girls to school like usual, rushed home to change clothes and grab some bottles of water (and my hat), and Steve and I drove to Old Cahawba Archaeological Park for their bicentennial celebration.
But let me back up a bit and tell you what Old Cahawba is.
Alabama became a state in 1819 and from 1820-1826 the state capital was at Cahawba - a brand new town at the confluence of the Cahaba and Alabama rivers. There was a small lull right after the capital moved in 1826, but then Cahawba’s economy boomed as a cotton steamboat landing town and remained that way through Reconstruction. Then in the late 1800’s, people started to move away and the town fell into disrepair. By the early 1900’s, most of the buildings had burned, fallen down, or were dismantled. 200 years later, the town of Cahawba is an archaeological park and recreation area. The state of Alabama has used historical resources to go back and mark Cahawba’s streets and working with nonprofit partners, nearly all the property that once was Cahawba has been consolidated and recovered.
Original map of Cahawba from 1819-1820
Courtesy Alabama Department of Archives and History
Courtesy Alabama Department of Archives and History
Today much of Cahawba has been reclaimed by nature and very few buildings remain, but historians and archaeologists are working hard to uncover the capital city’s past. Current resources have been devoted to discovering the exact location and foundation of Alabama’s first Capitol building. In fact, 3 years ago I was able to go work at Cahawba during a public archeological dig.
Living out my childhood dreams of being a female Indiana Jones.
Side note: that was probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever had the opportunity to do.
Since that day 3 years ago, state archaeologists have continued to excavate the foundation and have discovered the exact footprint of that historic structure. Yesterday’s bicentennial celebration included a groundbreaking for a ghost structure which will stand over top of the original Capitol’s location.
From left to right: Walter Givhan (Chairman of the Alabama Historical Commission), Menzo Driskell (Chairman of the Cahawba Advisory Committee), Jay Lamar (Executive Director Alabama Bicentennial Commission), Lisa Jones (Executive Director Alabama Historical Commission), and my husband Steve Murray (Director Alabama Department of Archives and History)
The above photos are (from left to right) of the proposed ghost structure, the excavated foundation of the original state Capitol, and 200 year old cat paw prints in a handmade brick excavated from the Capitol site.
Old Cahawba is open to the public daily from 9am to 5pm and the visitor’s center is open Thursday through Monday, 12pm to 5pm. I highly recommend taking a day trip to meander the city streets, take in the beautiful ruins, and imagine what life was like in this booming community 200 years ago.
Below are some of the photos I’ve taken at Old Cahawba through the years.
It goes without saying that yesterday in Alabama was HOT. Steve and I probably drank a gallon of water (each) while we were at the celebration, but after we left we were HUNGRY, so we decided to stop at this roadside BBQ joint right outside Selma. We both had a traditional southern pork plate and it was fantastic!
After leaving Hancocks, we decided to drive through the country to The Barefoot Belle Market to pick up some fresh veggies. They had tons of gorgeous local fruits and vegetables, so we came home with a car load!! Among other things, we bought several different types of tomatoes for mater sammiches and some purple hull peas to put up for Thanksgiving.
If you’re ever headed south on 31 or 65 to the beach or you just want to take a scenic trip through the country just south of Montgomery, I highly recommend you stop at The Barefoot Belle. They are open Thursday through Saturday 12pm to 5pm from spring through Christmas. You’ll find some lovely Alabama gifts (and my book, Amazing Alabama) and Sabrina and Greg will make you feel like you’re part of the family.
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