Old Cahawba Archaeological Park is giving visitors a chance to dig deeper into the history of Alabama’s first state capitol.

The park will hold archaeological days on July 21-23 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. each day.

The three days of investigation, presentations and discovery are being sponsored by the Alabama Historic Commission and the University of Alabama’s Office of Archaeological Research.

All three days there will be daily tours of Old Cahawba starting at 8 a.m.

Each tour is $8 per person. The cost for general admission to Old Cahawba is $2 for adults and $1 for children.

Daily excavations will also be held at Old Cahawba’s state house lot from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Volunteer excavators will receive free admission.

The events will also include daily lectures taking place at 1 p.m. near the state house lot. Thomas Kaufmann, a historic architect with Tuskegee University, will lead a presentation Thursday, July 21 that will explore the origins of the architecture of the state house at Old Cahawba.

On Friday, July 22 Dr. Virgil Beasley, a cultural resources investigator from the University of Alabama’s Department of Anthropology, will discuss the remote sensing program being conducted at Old Cahawba and how ground penetrating radar is used in archaeology to conduct non-intrusive investigations.

On Saturday, July 23, Linda Derry, the site director at Old Cahawba, will talk about how archaeology has provided a look into the mind of Alabama’s first state governor, William Bibb.

There will also be an artifact display and children’s craft tables Saturday, July 23 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Lunch will be provided on Thursday and Saturday for anyone who preregisters, but participants are encouraged to bring snacks and water.

To pre-register, call (334) 230-2690. The Selma-Dallas County Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring Thursday’s lunch.

Old Cahawba served as Alabama’s first state capital from 1819 to 1826.

To get to Old Cahawba from downtown Selma, take Highway 22 8.6 miles before turning left onto County Road 9.

Follow County Road 9 3.3 miles until it dead-ends. From there, turn left onto County Road 2 and follow it 1.5 miles.

The address is 9518 Cahaba Road, Orrville AL, 36767.