Alabama became the 22^nd state Dec. 14, 1819, but prior to that date, Alabama had officially been a territory for two years with the territorial capital situated at St. Stephens near the Tombigbee River in present day Washington County.

During the first session of the Territorial Legislature, a committee was appointed to study and propose a location for a permanent capital site. There were contingents in the Legislature that desired placement of the capital at Tuscaloosa and lobbied for that designation. Nevertheless, Territorial Gov. William Wyatt Bibb sought to place the capital at a location where the Cahaba River flows into the Alabama River. 

Subsequently, Governor Bibb used his influence among landowners in the region to obtain a land grant in the place he desired. As a result, the opposition forces folded, for the time being, and the site for Cahawba was announced at the second session of the Territorial Legislature in November of 1818. The town, which had to be built, would be called Cahawba and would be carved from the wilderness.

Nevertheless, the story of the state’s first capital did not end there. In the summer of 1819, when the first convention was held to initiate work on the state constitution, the party favoring Tuscaloosa as state capital set about making their argument through legislation. They ensured that the Cahawba capital plan would only be temporary through two maneuvers at the Constitutional Convention.

First, they passed a provision within the Constitution that placed a time limit on the designation of the Cahawba site as the capital. It was set to expire in 1825, unless designated again by the Legislature. Their thought was that by 1825, they could muster the support to make the move and not have to fight Governor Bibb, who was much too strong a political opponent. Secondly, the Cahawba challengers in the Legislature only allocated $10,000 to erect a capital building at the newly established site. 

Despite the apparent temporary status, the new capital took shape quickly and grew in population and in the number of structures built. It has been estimated that by 1821, the population of Cahawba had reached 1,000, and the businesses included a state bank, numerous hotels, and a variety of stores. The new city was host to two ferries and saw the introduction of two of the state’s first steamboats, the Tensas and the Harriet.

While Cahawba’s reign was short, it was at least colorful. Many of the founding fathers of the state owned property in the capital, including Samuel Dale, William Rufus King, Thomas Bibb and Clement C. Clay, among others.

The high point for receiving dignitaries came in 1825 with the arrival of the Marquis de Lafayette, the well-known French hero of the American Revolution. Lafayette had travelled through the heart of the Territory along the Federal Road and had arrived in Cahawba via steamboat. The old hero was welcomed in grand style at the state capital with a lavish dinner and ball.

Unfortunately for Cahawba, the Lafayette visit marked the end of the city’s life. Not long after this monumental event, the capital moved to Tuscaloosa and the city of Cahawba began to fade into anonymity. The population shrank throughout the 19^th century, leaving very little of the remarkable site. Most recently it has become the mission of the Alabama Historical Commission to conserve the remaining structures and to conduct archaeological work to uncover a better understanding of Alabama’s first capital.