The Hole That was Once a Row

We are back at Old Cahawba Archaeological Park at the site of the town's

 first "row" built in 1822. A row was a predecessor to the shopping center,

 and the big hole behind the sign was once the basement of a building

 that housed eight stores and offices. 

Built by the Crocheron brothers, merchants from Staten Island, N.Y.,

 the row was similar to those in New York City. But before the brothers

 built this "mall," they built Alabama's first statehouse in the center of town.

 This building later became known as "the Old Brick Store."

 Store owners from Cahawba purchased their merchandise from New York

 and traveled to market via the Alabama River to Mobile,

 then by steamship to Cuba and north to New York. 

The Crocheron Columns (all that is left of the brothers' house)

 can be seen in the background along with a more modern river house. 

Linking to Signs, Signs