Alabama's capital has roots all over the state. It first emerged in St. Stephens in 1799, a small fort acquired from the Spanish atop a tall limestone bluff overlooking the Tombigbee River. Next came Huntsville in the Tennessee Valley, where the state constitution emerged. Cahawba was the capital to receive a visit from the Marquis de Lafayette, the last surviving general of the American Revolution. In 1826, Tuscaloosa took the reins for twenty years before the final move to Montgomery. Discover the leaders and events that established the state and the fates of each dynamic governmental center as author Jim Lewis traces the history of Alabama's lost capitals.
Herbert James "Jim" Lewis earned his BA in history and his law degree from the University of Alabama. He clerked for Associate Justice Robert B. Harwood of the Supreme Court of Alabama, served in the U.S. Air Force in the Judge Advocate General's Office and practiced law for twenty-six years in Birmingham. The Alabama Review published his article about one of Alabama's earliest attorneys, and he has contributed or edited numerous articles to the comprehensive Encyclopedia of Alabama.