cahawba chapter nsdar

Birmingham, Alabama

OLD CAHAWBA: FIRST CAPITAL OF ALABAMA​

When Cahawba Chapter was organized in 1945, the founders took its name from the first capital of the State of Alabama, located below Selma at the confluence of the Alabama and Cahaba Rivers. The name “Cahawba” comes from a Choctaw name meaning literally “waters above.” The Choctaw Indians who settled in the territory knew of the river’s rage. They call it “OKA UBA.” When white men heard the Indians say “OKA UBA,” they interpreted the words as “Cahawba.” It is possible that the name originated from a Creek word meaning “extensive canebrakes,” an apt description of the land bordering the Cahaba River.

Carved out of the wilderness in 1819, Cahawba, a fully functioning capital city by 1820, was visited by Lafayette in 1824. However, the city lost the designation as state capital when the state government was moved in 1826. The town continued to prosper and became the cultural and commercial center for central Alabama’s wealthiest cotton planters. 

Many gracious antebellum homes and businesses were built, only to be suddenly and mysteriously abandoned shortly after the Civil War. Once home to thousands, Cahawba is now a ghost town, a place of picturesque ruins, and an important archaeological site. Referred to as “Old Cahawba,” the site is managed by the Alabama Historical Commission and a park has been established to provide extensive research and restoration.

History of the Cahawba Chapter

In 1945, Nell Winston Fallaw saw the need for a group of women to form a chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR or DAR). This dream was organized by career women in Birmingham,  Alabama. Starting with a membership of twenty-nine, the chapter grew by attracting teachers and business women interested in high ideals, aims, and undertakings of the DAR.

Mrs. Fallaw’s hard work and great achievements included service as State Treasurer, State Regent, Vice President General and membership on the board of Trustees of Kate Duncan Smith School at Grant, Alabama. In Mrs. Fallaw’ s honor, Cahawba Chapter NSDAR established the Nell Fallaw Scholarship at Kate Duncan Smith School, provided a pew at Lane Chapel in her honor, and placed her portrait in the Nell Fallaw Farm Cottage.
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Over the years, many Cahawba Chapter members have provided service to NSDAR. Members have served the national and state societies as chairmen and vice-chairmen of various committees. In 2010, the chapter was honored when the chapter and state Outstanding Junior served as personal page to President General Linda Gist Calvin at both the state conference and Continental Congress. In addition to sponsoring the Alabama State Daughters of the American Revolution (ASDAR) Outstanding Junior in 2009 and 2010, the chapter also sponsored the ASDAR Outstanding Teacher of American History both years.

The chapter also participates in many other community and DAR activities. In recent years, Cahawba Chapter NSDAR has participated in the Birmingham Veterans Day Parade, participated in wreath laying, assisted with the American Village on Memorial Day, sponsored a classroom at KDS DAR School and provided Christmas gifts to veterans through the Veterans Administration (VA). As a result of the commitment to serving DAR and the community, the chapter consistently receives the highest levels of both the NSDAR Chapter Achievement Award and the State Standard of Excellence Award. In May of 2005, the chapter celebrated its 60th anniversary. Founding member, Eleanor Johns, attended the festivities and presented the chapter with an original chapter yearbook.

WHO IS A DAUGHTER OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION?

​For those whose roots date all the way back to the American Revolution, the historic war that earned the United States its independence from England, there is a special group that is dedicated to preserving and promoting the ideals that early Americans fought for -- the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution.
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Any woman 18 years or older who can prove lineal, bloodline descent from an ancestor who aided in achieving American independence is eligible to join the DAR. She must provide documentation for each statement of birth, marriage, and death, as well as of the Revolutionary War service of her patriot ancestor.

CHAPTER OBJECTIVES:

patriotism

 (1) To cherish, maintain, and extend the institutions of American freedom; to foster true patriotism and love of country, and to aid in securing for mankind all the blessings of liberty.

education

​(2)  To carry out the directive of Washington in his farewell address to the American people, “to promote, as an object of primary importance, institutions for the general diffusion of knowledge,” thus developing an enlightened public opinion, and affording to young and old such advantages as shall develop in them the largest capacity for performing the duties of American citizens.

historic preservation

(3) To perpetuate the memory and spirit of the men and women who achieved American independence, by the acquisition and protection of historical spots and the erection of monuments; by the encouragement of historical research in relation to the American Revolution and the publication of its results; by the preservation of documents and relics, and of the records of the individual services of Revolutionary War soldiers and patriots; and by the promotion of celebrations of all patriotic anniversaries.

The content contained herein does not necessarily represent the position of the NSDAR. Hyperlinks to other sites are not the responsibility of the NSDAR, the state organizations, or individual DAR chapters

Questions about membership? Please write to membership here.
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Email: Webmaster
Last Updated: 9 May 2019

​Photos courtesy of Cahawba Chapter NSDAR Members
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