The New York Times article “Amid the Ghosts of Alabama” on April 18 profiled three ghost towns that are within two hours’ drive of Mobile and Birmingham. The first town featured was Claiborne that was one of the last areas occupied by Union soldiers after the Civil War. Claiborne is in Monroe County 14 miles east of Monroeville- the setting for “To Kill a Mockingbird”. The second city featured is St. Stephens an hour’s drive northwest from Claiborne. St. Stephens served as the first capital of territorial Alabama. The abandoned town now lies within the Old St. Stephens Historical Park. Cahaba, the third city featured, was the first permanent state capital of Alabama from 1820 to 1825. Today Cahaba is an important archaeological site. For the complete article.