February 1, 1826

The state capital was relocated from Cahaba to Tuscaloosa. Located in Dallas County, Cahaba – originally known as Cahawba – was designated the future state’s permanent capital in 1818 when Gov. William Wyatt Bibb used his connections to arrange for a free land grant at the site from the federal government. At the Constitutional Convention in 1819, however, Cahaba’s detractors successfully passed a constitutional provision designating it as the capital only until 1825. That year, Tuscaloosa’s advocates narrowly succeeded in relocating the capital, citing frequent floods and health concerns in Cahaba. Tuscaloosa served as the capital until 1846, when the Legislature moved the capital to Montgomery to accommodate a population shift to the east.

Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.

Tuscaloosa served as the Alabama state capitol from 1826-1845, when the government was moved to Montgomery, in the central part of the state. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of Alabama Department of Archives and History)

Alabama state capitol, Tuscaloosa. (HABS, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)

Alabama state capitol, Tuscaloosa, c. 1880. (HABS, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)

Alabama state capitol, Tuscaloosa, c. 1890. (HABS, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)

House Chamber, Alabama state capitol, Tuscaloosa. (HABS, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)

For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.