BUCKET LIST UPDATE No. 146: Visit Old Cahawba

Old Cahawba's "Crocheron Columns"

Old Cahawba is one of those places that I’ve heard about for as long as I can remember, but for whatever reason I’d never been there before. I’ve had this place on my “bucket list” for several years, and I finally paid “Alabama’s Most Famous Ghost Town” a visit on Saturday. Old Cahawba more than lived up to its reputation, and I’d venture to say that it’s got to be one of the coolest places in the entire state.

Located between Orrville and Selma in Dallas County, Cahawba (also spelled "Cahaba") was the state capital of Alabama between 1820 and 1826. Located where the Alabama and Cahaba rivers meet, the town once had a population of over 3,000 residents. Today, it's a ghost town similar to St. Stephens in Washington County and Claiborne in Monroe County. The Alabama Historical Commission currently maintains Cahawba as a state historic site.

My son and I visited Old Cahawba Archeological Park Saturday morning to take part in the park’s Civil War walking tour. During the Civil War, Cahawba was the site of “Castle Morgan,” a prisoner of war camp that held several thousand Union prisoners. The prison operated from 1863 to 1865, but the landscape still bears the signs of the old prison's walls.

Saturday’s tour, which lasted about an hour, was led by Dr. Jack Bergstresser, who did a great job of telling us all about Cahawba’s Civil War history. In addition to telling us about the conditions at Castle Morgan, he also explained the impact that the town’s water supply had on living conditions inside and outside of the POW camp. He also discussed the numerous escape attempts made by Union prisoners, and, best of all, he led us over the actual ground where the prison was located, pointing out where walls once stood and where guards once roamed the perimeter. 

The Civil War tour was great, but I have to admit that I’ve also always wanted to visit Old Cahawba because of its mention in Kathryn Tucker Windham’s 1969 book, “13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey.” According to that book, in the chapter titled “Specter in the Maze at Cahaba,” witnesses over the years have reported seeing a ghostly orb floating near the location of an old garden maze. The maze, which is long gone, was located near the home of Confederate Colonel C.C. Pegues, the commanding officer of the Cahawba Rifles, who was mortally wounded at the Battle of Gaines’ Mill, Va. in 1862.

Of course, no trip to Old Cahawba would be complete without seeing the “Crocheron Columns.” These brick columns are all that remain of a mansion belonging to Richard Conner Crocheron, a prominent businessman from Cahawba's heyday. This mansion was built in 1843 and was destroyed by fire in the early 20th Century.

Geocachers in the reading audience will also be interested to learn that this park contains a number of geocaches. After Saturday’s Civil War tour, my son and I bagged five geocaches, which allowed us to see parts of the park we probably wouldn’t have seen otherwise. If you ever visit this park, you should definitely hunt for these caches if you enjoy geocaching.

In the end, how many of you have been to Old Cahawba? What did you think about it? Let us know in the comments section below.