The preserved ruins of Alabama's first permanent capital city - Huntsville served as the first temporary capital in 1819 - can be toured at Old Cahawba Archaeological Site.

Cahaba, a town settled where the Cahaba and Alabama rivers meet, served as Alabama's first capital from 1820-1825 and remained the seat of Dallas County through the end of the Civil War.

Then there's Cahawba (or Cahaba), Alabama's first state capital and most famous ghost town. Today, it's known as Old Cahawba Archaeological Park, a fascinating place to roam around, photograph ...