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Old Cahawba
Alabama's abandoned first capital
Cahawba (Cahaba) was the first permanent capital of Alabama, from 1820 to 1826, sited where the Cahaba River meets the Alabama River. Repeated flooding drove out the government, and after the Civil War the town was gradually abandoned. Now an archaeological park, its empty streets, cemeteries, and standing ruins sit among the trees where a small city once stood.