Pegue’s Ghost in the Abandoned Antebellum Cahawba Town

The ghost town of Cahawba is a remnant of southern antebellum life that died with the Civil War. It is said that the former state capital still has some ghosts living in Cahawba Town the rest of the world abandoned.

Along the confluence of the Cahaba and Alabama rivers lies Cahawba, Alabama’s first state capital and one of its most haunted places if we are to believe the legends. Established in 1819 not far from Selma, Cahawba Town thrived as a bustling antebellum river town for years. Today it is a ghost town in what is called Old Cahawba Archaeological Park.

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Cahawba Town is listed on many most haunted lists, and they also provide haunted ghost tours around the place. But what are the haunted legends from the ghost town said to be one of the more haunted places in the country?

The History of Cahawba Town

Let’s first have a look at the history of the town and those who lived there. Cahawba Town or Cahaba as it is sometimes spelled, used to be fertile tallgrass prairies before the 1830s. Then, as mentioned, it was the first permanent capital of Alabama from 1820 to 1825 as well as being the country seat of Dallas Country until 1866.

This was during the wealthy antebellum years, based on cotton money, made on the back of slaves. Even though it was wealthy it still had a reputation of not being the best place to live because of the location. The floods were said to be big and happened too often. The very air was thought to be bad, as they believed that miasma in the air caused diseases like malaria, yellow fever and cholera. In reality it was the mosquitoes who carried the diseases.

By the time the Civil War started, the town had around 2000 residents, where around 64 percent of the population were the black slaves. The Civil War changed everything here though, and during it, the prison known as Castle Morgan held more than 3000 Union soldiers.

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Its prosperity was short-lived, however, as the Civil War and subsequent flooding led to Cahawba Towns abandonment because it lost the businesses and jobs that were associated with it being the county seat. Some say that the story about the flooding was exaggerated, or even a lie seeing that 1925 was a drought year by the media because of the competition of becoming the capital.

The Selma newspapers called ‘The Mecca of the Radical Republican Party,’ after the white residents left and more black communities started to grow in town. Although it became a popular place for the freed slaves after the war for a while, they too soon left for a better place in the Reconstruction Period.

Today, the Cahawba Town is a ghost town, its empty buildings, slave burial grounds, and eerie cemeteries providing a chilling backdrop for tales of the supernatural.

The Legend of Pegues’s Ghost

The ghost town of Cahawba is a remnant of southern antebellum life that died with the Civil War. It is said that the former state capital still has some ghosts living in Cahawba Town the rest of the world abandoned. — *Christopher Claudius Pegues*

Among the many haunted tales of Cahawba Town, the most famous is that of the luminous floating orb known as “Pegues’s Ghost.” Shortly after Colonel C.C. Pegues, who was the head of Alabama’s Fifth Rifle Regiment. He was killed in the Battle of the Seven Pines in Virginia on July 15th in 1862, witnesses reported seeing a mysterious glowing light appearing in the garden maze of his former home and favorite Magnolia trees.

When the news of his death reached the village, a slave boy rang a bell, walking from his house with the funeral notice as well as a black streamers known as ‘weepers’ from his shoulders, a custom now gone.

One evening in 1862 a young couple was walking close to the cedar maze. It was then they saw a white orb floating past them. When they tried to touch it, the ghostly orb vanished into the green, although it appeared again. Because of its timing, the strange orb was named after the colonel.

The maze is now gone, and so is the house that used to be located on a lot that occupied a block between Pine and Chestnut streets. The unexplained phenomenon of the Will’O’the’Wisp like light has captivated locals and visitors alike, with many seeking out the ghostly light that continues to manifest to this day.

The Haunted Cemeteries

But “Pegues’s Ghost” is not the only source of eerie activity in Cahawba Town. The cemeteries of Cahawba are another focal point for ghostly encounters, especially the one known as The New Cemetery.

Eerie whispers, phantom footsteps, and shadowy figures are frequently reported by those who dare to venture into these hallowed grounds after dark. Many believe that the souls of the town’s former residents remain tethered to this place, unable to find peace.

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It is especially around the burial grounds for the slaves many of the haunted reports come from. It was created in 1819 and many of the graves are unmarked and without headstones. It is said that the last burial was in 1957.

The abandoned streets and structures have given rise to numerous reports of ghostly apparitions and unexplained sounds. Visitors often speak of feeling a chilling presence while walking through the ruins of the once-grand statehouse and the numerous homes that have long since been vacated. The town’s slave burial ground is particularly noted for its paranormal occurrences, where the anguished spirits of those who suffered in life are said to roam.