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| George 'Buster' Singleton |
(For decades, local historian and paranormal investigator
George “Buster” Singleton published a weekly newspaper column called “Somewhere
in Time.” The column below, which was titled “Cahaba is being restored – Why
not Claiborne?,” was originally published in the Oct. 7, 1993 edition of The
Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)
Tuesday, the 28th of September, I ventured forth and visited
the old town of Cahaba. I had received through the mail a pamphlet telling
about Archeaology Week at Cahaba and the guided tours of the old capital.
Eager to see all that I could in the one day that I was
going to be at Cahaba, I set out at an early hour to cover the 88 miles that
lay between.
As I proceeded toward Cahaba and the tours that awaited me
there on the banks of the Alabama and Cahaba rivers, I began to compare the two
old, early Alabama towns. With my interest in history, I certainly knew that
the old town of Claiborne, here within our county, had almost been selected for
the capital when it was moved from Cahaba to the town of Tuscaloosa.
Descending the long hill that leads down to the old town
site and the river bank, I was amazed to see the progress that had been made
since my last visit less than two years ago.
There, before my eyes, was an attractive visitors’ center.
This center had once been a home here in Cahaba. In the late 1800s, it had been
removed from its location here by the river and transported to Selma. Within
the past two years, the historical commission had been successful in getting
the house returned back to its original setting.
While I stared in amazement at the old building, I thought
of the visitors’ center at the old historical town of Claiborne. I couldn’t
remember a visitors’ center being there; in fact, I couldn’t remember anything being
there that might entice a visitor to stop and step back in history for a look
at yesterday. If I remembered correctly, Claiborne had a much larger population
than the capital of Cahaba. In fact, over 2,000 more.
Upon entering the visitors’ center, I was met by a very
knowledgeable guide of the area. I was given pamphlets about that which I was
about to see on the upcoming tour. I was asked to sign the visitor register. As
I quickly glanced over some of the names and places of those listed there, I saw
names from such places as Germany, Spain and several cities within the United
States – places from which these tourists had to travel a considerable distance
to get here.
I shuddered to think about a tourist from Germany trying to
find a tourist information center around our Claiborne town.
The area I was about to tour had been our state’s capital
from 1820 to 1826. It had also been a thriving antebellum town. During the
later days of the Civil War, the old town of Cahaba was to become a filthy and
lice-infested prison for over 3,000 captured Union soldiers.
These prisoners were held in a small, cramped area not much
larger than a small four-room house. Many held here would never leave the
dirty, filthy prison alive. Their final resting places continue to this day to
be a mystery; no one knows for sure just where they are buried.
In 1865, a flood of the Alabama and Cahaba rivers would have
a devastating effect on this town located here where the rivers join. In 1866,
the county seat was moved to Selma.
In less than 10 years, almost all of the houses had been
dismantled and moved. Those that were not dismantled and moved fell to the
torch and decay. Just as the town of Claiborne did, Cahaba was slowly slipping
into oblivion.
The abandoned courthouse became a meeting place for freed
slaves who were seeking new political power. Cahaba became the “Mecca of the
Radical…
[Editor’s Note: At this point in the Oct. 7, 1993 edition
of The Monroe Journal, Singleton’s column appears to end on the same page it
began on. There’s no “jump line” telling readers where to turn next for the
remaining portion of Singleton’s column. However, if you continue looking
through the paper, you’ll find it several pages later, but, as you’ll see below, a portion of the column
appears to be missing as it seems to pick up in the wrong place. What follows
is the rest of Singleton’s column as it appears on the “jump page.”]
…partly uncovered a portion of a heavy rock wall that some
believe surrounded three sides of the large ancient village. There are those who
believe that perhaps this early site might even be the ruins of Maubila.
Much is being done to excavate and restore the history of our
state’s first capital. There is much to be seen here on the banks of the two
rivers. I have never understood why we sit idle and twiddle our thumbs while
the historic locations within our county slowly disappear from the scene.
With very little effort, we too could have tourists from
Germany, Spain and many other places throughout the world flocking to Monroe
County. Each would bring tourist dollars that would be spent on guided tours of
the many historic locations within our boundaries.
It has been estimated that over 90 cents of every tourist
dollar remains within the area where it is spent. We are sleeping through a
critical time pertaining to the restoration of our historical locations. These
are just as much of historical importance as any other within our state.
So, sleep on Monroe County; the time is fast approaching when
our few historic locations that remain will have disappeared into oblivion. And
as we sink deeper into our world of fantasy and make believe, the ghosts from
the past cry out and beg to be remembered.
(Singleton, the author of the 1991 book “Of Foxfire and
Phantom Soldiers,” passed away at the age of 79 on July 19, 2007. A longtime
resident of Monroeville, he was born on Dec. 14, 1927 in Marengo County and
served as the administrator of the Monroeville National Guard unit from 1964 to
1987. He is buried in Pineville Cemetery in Monroeville. The column above and
all of Singleton’s other columns are available to the public through the
microfilm records at the Monroe County Public Library in Monroeville.
Singleton’s columns are presented here each week for research and scholarship
purposes and as part of an effort to keep his work and memory alive.)
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