Cahawba was the site of Alabama's first permanent capital from 1820 to 1826 and the county seat of Dallas County from 1820 to 1866. It later served as a prison for Union soldiers during the War Between the States from 1863 to 1865. Indians were the first inhabitants more than 4000 years ago, and their large fortified village could have been visited by DeSoto in 1540. The site is located 5½ miles south on the Alabama and Cahaba Rivers.