Cahaba River - The Town of Cahawba

The Town of Cahawba

The Cahaba River ends at the site of the town Cahaba. The main attraction of the area to settlers was the cotton. People were at first skeptical to settle and try and harvest anything on these lands because of the lack of trees and lime in the water. Once it was discovered how rich the lands were for producing cotton, there was a Black Belt (region of Alabama) land rush. The town of Cahaba, Alabama, or Cahawba, acted as Alabama’s first seat of government from 1820 to 1825. As more people came, and once Cahawba was established as the capital, the town came to life with visitors, ferries, hotels, state buildings, court sessions, stores, ships, land sales, and even a local newspaper the Cahawba Press. William Wyatt Bibb, Alabama’s first governor, decided on Cahawba because of the scenery, fertile area, and navigable river ways. The final decision was to have Cahawba as the state capital only through 1825, and then a more permanent site could be decided on. Cahawba suffered harsh economic struggles and disease from 1819 to 1822. However, in 1821, Harriet, a steamboat, surpassed the Alabama River’s current and made it past Cahawba. This became a route of trade, and cotton trade caused the city to grow. As land was cleared for area to grow cotton on, erosion occurred and caused flooding. With all of the problems occurring around Cahawba, Tuscaloosa won by popular vote as the new state capital for Alabama in 1825.The county seat was also moved to Selma after the Civil War. People began leaving the town, and soon after, it became a site for hunting and fishing camps as well as freed slaves. Old Cahawba is now an abandoned town and a state historical site.