OLD CAHAWBA'S MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR CIVIL WAR POWs

04/10/17

For Immediate Release
April 10, 2017
 
Memorial Service for Civil War P.O.W.s
Saturday, April 22
2:00 pm
Old Cahawba Archaeological Park, Orrville (near Selma)

Memorial Service for Civil War Prisoners of War will be held at Old Cahawba.

The Cahawba Advisory Committee and the April 1865 Society invite everyone to Old Cahawba Archaeological Park Saturday, April 22, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. for this special commemoration.  

The service will be held at Cahawba on the site of a Civil War prison where captured Union soldiers were held.  The organizers are expanding the ceremony this year by having reenactors read actual letters written from the prison.  Women in period dress will lay a wreath upon the grave of an unknown soldier, and a hymn from that era will be sung.  Salutes will be fired, and retired Master Sergeant, Jesse Sanchez will play “Taps.”

 “The Alabama Historical Commission is very pleased to host this memorial service at Old Cahawba and to help the April 1865 Society sustain the Battle of Selma’s 30 years of momentum” said Site Director, Linda Derry when asked about the event.  “The reenactment will serve as a solemn reminder of the seriousness of any war, and of the many lives that were lost on both sides of that conflict.”  
 
Directions: From downtown Selma, take Highway 22 (Dallas Avenue) west 8.6 miles. Cross over the Cahaba River and turn left onto County Road 9 and follow this 3.3 miles until it dead ends. Turn left onto County Road 2 and follow this 1.5 miles until you see the Visitor Center on the right. Visitor Center Address: 9518 Cahaba Road, Orrville, AL 36767.

Fee: FREE

For more information contact Bruce Lipscombe at CahawbaBruce@bellsouth.net or call the park at 334-872-8058.

Old Cahawba lies at the confluence of the Alabama and Cahaba Rivers, and from 1819 to 1826 it served as Alabama’s first capital. Today, the Alabama Historical Commission owns and operates this significant archaeological site.

Find Old Cahawba on Facebook or visit http://ahc.alabama.gov/

About the Alabama Historical Commission
Located in historic downtown Montgomery at 468 S. Perry Street, the Alabama Historical Commission is the state historic preservation agency for Alabama. The agency was created by an act of the state legislature in 1966 with a mission to protect, preserve and interpret Alabama’s historic places. AHC works to accomplish its mission through two fields of endeavor: Preservation and promotion of state-owned historic sites as public attractions; and, statewide programs to assist people, groups, towns, and cities with local preservation activities. For a complete list of programs and properties owned and operated by the AHC, hours of operation, and admission fees please visit http://ahc.alabama.gov/  



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