From Boom to Bust: The Tragic Story of America’s Ghost Towns

Leigh T Harrell

Cahawba, Alabama

Cahaba, also spelled Cahawba, was the first permanent state capital of Alabama from 1820 to 1825. However, it suffered a major flood in 1865 and the state legislature was forced to move the county seat to Selma with businesses and families soon following. Within ten years, many of the homes were dismantled and moved away