FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Wendi Lewis, Marketing and Public Relations Manager
wendi.lewis@ahc.alabama.gov, 334-230-2680
June 2, 2021
(Montgomery,
AL) Visitors to Old Cahawba Archaeological Park, a historic property of the
Alabama Historical Commission, will enjoy free admission on Saturday, June 12, sponsored
by the Free and Accepted Masons of Alabama in celebration of their 200th
Birthday. It will highlight the role that Old Cahawba played in the earliest
years of Alabama statehood.
June 11 is the 200th anniversary of the founding of the
Masonic Grand Lodge in Alabama. During Alabama’s territorial period 18 lodges
in Alabama were created by six states. Nine of these lodges met in 1821 to
organize the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Alabama.
Activities on Saturday will include the unveiling of an
interpretive panel at 11 a.m. at the site of Halo Masonic Lodge. This lodge
hosted the 1821 convention of masons, and in 1825 hosted Marie-Joseph Paul Yves
Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de la Lafayette, the last surviving general of
the Revolutionary War. Remarks highlighting the fraternity’s members who helped
to establish Alabama as the 22nd State in the Union will be
presented along with the reading of a Proclamation from Governor Ivy declaring
June 12th as “Alabama Masonic Bicentennial Day.”
There will be guided tours of the Park during the day and food
trucks will be on site for lunch. Old Cahawba Archeological Park is open to the
public from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Information about the Masonic events may be
found at www.glofal.com.
Old
Cahawba lies at the confluence of the Alabama and Cahaba Rivers, and from 1819
to 1826 it served as Alabama’s first capital. 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.
Old Cahawba is a
historic property of the Alabama Historical Commission. To learn more about Old
Cahawba, or the Alabama Historical Commission, please visit www.ahc.alabama.gov.
About Old Cahawba
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.
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 ahc.alabama.gov
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