UA archeologists continue work to piece together Old Cahawba

Imagine putting together a jigsaw puzzle with hundreds of pieces, but none have regular shapes, many pieces are missing and there is no picture to guide you. 

That is what Leslie Mashburn from The University of Alabama Office of Archaeological Research is doing at Old Cahawba Archaeological Park. But the puzzle he is putting together is a piece of a much larger puzzle called the history of Alabama.

For the last 13 weeks, Mashburn has been restoring the headstones and monuments in the cemeteries at Old Cahawba. As the cemetery restoration project comes to an end, Mashburn is cataloging pieces of box monuments that will be stored away for now. Mashburn said there is no way to tell what graves these pieces were originally associated with, and most are not complete enough to restore the box monuments anyway. Over the years, these pieces have been moved from one place to another in the cemeteries and piled one on top of the other. Some have been buried. Many have been uncovered, but there’s no telling how many are still buried. And people have taken some as souvenirs. 

That plea for pictures and information is still valid. If you have any family members buried at Old Cahawba, and you have pictures or family stories or heirlooms that could help complete the jigsaw puzzle that is the history of the state’s first capitol, please call the park. They can be reached at 334-872-8058 and Fax 334-877-4253.    

You can also email Site Director Linda Derry at cahawba@bellsouth.netor Assistant Director Jonathan Matthews at cahawbam@bellsouth.net. The Old Cahawba Facebook page has lots of information on upcoming events at https://www.facebook.com/OldCahawba/

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