On this day in Alabama history: Territorial Legislature met in St. Stephens
An artist's rendering of the first Alabama state capitol building in Cahaba, Dallas County. Cahaba was established as the first permanent capital of the state in 1820. It remained so until 1826, when the capital was moved to Tuscaloosa. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of Alabama Department of Archives and History)
November 2, 1818
The Alabama Territorial Legislature began meeting for the second and last time in St. Stephens. With 16 counties represented by 20 individuals, the Legislature revised boundaries and representation of the state’s existing counties, incorporated several towns and petitioned the U.S. Congress to allocate representation for Alabama’s first constitutional convention in preparation for statehood. Most notably, the Legislature directed Gov. William Wyatt Bibb to oversee the development of the state capital at Cahaba, including a survey of the town, the creation of maps to display to the public and fundraising to build a capitol.
Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.
William Wyatt Bibb (1781-1820) was a U.S. senator and member of the “Broad River Group,” wealthy Georgians who settled in what would become Alabama around the turn of the 19th century. Bibb was the first governor of the Alabama Territory and retained the governorship when Alabama became a state in 1819. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of Alabama Department of Archives and History)
For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.
