Mt. Vernon in Mobile County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Old Military Road and Old Federal Road
— Mount Vernon History Trail —
Photographed By Mark Hilton, May 2, 2020
1. Old Military Road and Old Federal Road Marker
Inscription.
Old Military Road and Old Federal Road. . When the U.S. Army built Fort Stoddert here in 1799, one could travel by dugout canoe and flatboat on the water or by foot and horseback on the Indian trails that crisscrossed the landscape. There were, however, no roads wide enough for wagons or carriages, and the Army needed to move supplies of food and ammunition regularly to Fort Stoddert from Natchez, the closest American town. So soldiers were put to work, widening the Indian trails to create a broad road through the forest. Axe men cut down ancient trees, blazed the bark off of others to mark the road, built bridges across the largest streams, and laid logs across swamps so horses and travelers could find firm footing.
When they were finished, they had transformed an Indian path into an American road, which ran more or less straight east-west for 250 miles. In 1805 Congress officially designated this "Military Road" as a post road on which riders conveyed the mail from Fort Stoddert to Natchez and New Orleans.
But no road yet connected Fort Stoddert with the eastern states. The Creek Nation, millions of acres of land owned by the Creek Indians, lay between the Mobile-Tensaw delta and central Georgia. An 1805 treaty between the Creeks and Americans permitted a horsepath for U.S. postal riders across those intervening 400 miles of Indian country. With great difficulty, private contractors eventually opened the mail route by 1807.
In 1810, the U.S. War Department ordered Lt. James Luckett and a squad of soldiers from Fort Stoddert to widen that horsepath into a wagon road, but the Creeks objected and stopped the project midway. On July 11, 1811, Brigadier General Wade Hampton was directed to immediately begin construction of three wagon loads through the Creek Nation - the second of these roads became known as the Federal Road. Finally, in November 1811, after further negotiations with the Creeks, soldiers completed the Federal Road, which ran from Fort Stoddert to Milledgeville, Georgia's state capital.
Between 1811 and 1836 the Federal Road was the principal land route between the eastern states and Mobile, New Orleans, and points west. Dozens of forts, taverns, stands (the hotels of frontier America during the early Republic), post offices, and plantations grew up beside the road. Construction of the road across the Creek Nation created much discontent among the Creeks and it contributed to the outbreak of war in 1813. With the removal of most American Indians from the region in the 1830s, the Old Federal Road remained a principal conduit for immigrants entering Alabama and the lower South through the 1840s. Much of the Old Federal Road continued in use until the 1930s, when modern highway and bridge construction finally left most of the original route behind.
Captions: , [Top map] Detail of "Map of the United States, Exhibiting the Post-Roads," by Abraham Bradley Jr, 1812 (Courtesy of the David Rumsey Historical Map Collection) , [Bottom map] Detail of "A Map of the State of Louisiana with Part of the Mississippi Territory." by William Darby, 1816 (Courtesy of the David Rumsey. Historical Map Collection) , [Bottom right] Coach and Driver on the Federal Road, by Basil Hall, 1827-1828 (Courtesy of the Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana)
When the U.S. Army built Fort Stoddert here in 1799, one could
travel by dugout canoe and flatboat on the water or by foot and
horseback on the Indian trails that crisscrossed the landscape. There
were, however, no roads wide enough for wagons or carriages, and
the Army needed to move supplies of food and ammunition regularly
to Fort Stoddert from Natchez, the closest American town. So
soldiers were put to work, widening the Indian trails to create a broad
road through the forest. Axe men cut down ancient trees, blazed the
bark off of others to mark the road, built bridges across the largest
streams, and laid logs across swamps so horses and travelers could
find firm footing.
When they were finished, they had transformed an Indian path into an
American road, which ran more or less straight east-west for 250 miles. In
1805 Congress officially designated this "Military Road" as a post road on
which riders conveyed the mail from Fort Stoddert to Natchez and New
Orleans.
But no road yet connected Fort Stoddert with the eastern states. The
Creek Nation, millions of acres of land owned by the Creek Indians, lay
between the Mobile-Tensaw delta and central Georgia. An 1805 treaty
between the Creeks and Americans permitted a horsepath for U.S. postal
riders across those intervening 400 miles of Indian country. With
Click or scan to see this page online
great
difficulty, private contractors eventually opened the mail route by 1807.
In 1810, the U.S. War Department ordered Lt. James Luckett
and a squad of soldiers from Fort Stoddert to widen that
horsepath into a wagon road, but the Creeks objected and
stopped the project midway. On July 11, 1811, Brigadier General
Wade Hampton was directed to immediately begin construction of
three wagon loads through the Creek Nation - the second of
these roads became known as the Federal Road. Finally, in
November 1811, after further negotiations with the Creeks,
soldiers completed the Federal Road, which ran from Fort
Stoddert to Milledgeville, Georgia's state capital.
Between 1811 and 1836 the Federal Road was the principal
land route between the eastern states and Mobile, New Orleans,
and points west. Dozens of forts, taverns, stands (the hotels of
frontier America during the early Republic), post offices, and
plantations grew up beside the road. Construction of the road
across the Creek Nation created much discontent among the
Creeks and it contributed to the outbreak of war in 1813. With the
removal of most American Indians from the region in the 1830s,
the Old Federal Road remained a principal conduit for immigrants
entering Alabama and the lower South through the 1840s. Much
of the Old Federal Road continued in use until the 1930s, when
modern highway
Photographed By Mark Hilton
2. Looking west on Old Military Road with the marker on right.
and bridge construction finally left most of the
original route behind.
Captions:
[Top map] Detail of "Map of the United States, Exhibiting the Post-Roads," by Abraham Bradley Jr, 1812 (Courtesy of the David Rumsey Historical Map Collection)
[Bottom map] Detail of "A Map of the State of Louisiana with Part of the Mississippi Territory." by William Darby, 1816 (Courtesy of the David Rumsey. Historical Map Collection)
[Bottom right] Coach and Driver on the Federal Road, by Basil Hall, 1827-1828 (Courtesy of the Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana)
Erected by Town of Mount Vernon. (Marker Number 4.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical date for this entry is July 11, 1811.
Location. 31° 5.339′ N, 87° 59.649′ W. Marker is in Mt. Vernon, Alabama, in Mobile County. Marker is on Old Military Road, 0.1 miles west of Shepard Lake Road East, on the right when traveling west. Next to a fire hydrant. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Mount Vernon AL 36560, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. Marker describing the Mt. Vernon Federal Highway and the Old Federal Road.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 17, 2020. It was originally submitted on May 3, 2020, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 625 times since then and 99 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on May 3, 2020, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
