Old Agency Road

Old Agency Road. . , Named for the Choctaw Indian Agency once located in this area, Old Agency Road is a portion of the original road system that formed the old Natchez Trace. Its sunken roadbed and high earthen banks are evocative of the narrow road that linked Natchez to Nashville during the early days of our nation, once traveled by many early settlers and notable figures. , In 1801, the U.S. Army began widening the Agency Road, and in 1806, Congress appropriated funds to improve the Natchez Trace for use as a post or mail route. Many maps of this time period refer to this road as Post Road. Old Agency Road is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and was designated as a Mississippi Landmark in 1988. The road is considered a "canopy road" because of its unique natural beauty created by the trees that line both sides. Old Agency Road runs between I-55 and Livingston Road., The City of Ridgeland adopted the Old Agency Road Corridor (OARC) Preservation District on February 6, 2001. This district was established in order to preserve the historic character and natural beauty of Old Agency Road., [Inset] , "The postrider's job was a tough one indeed. The rider would leave Nashville at eight o'clock on Saturday night, and ten days and four hours later the mail was due in Natchez! The return trip required three weeks. The mail consisted of a few letters, some government dispatches, and several newspapers. For his own use the rider carried a blanket, a half bushel of corn, and a tin trumpet to sound his arrival." , - From The Natchez Trace: A Pictorial History (1985)