Near Scottsboro in Jackson County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Cumberland Mountain Road

Photographed by Deborah Spencer, May 26, 2025

1. Cumberland Mountain Road Marker

Inscription. This critical five-mile road connected Cumberland Mountain to the river valleys of the Paint Rock and the Tennessee. A feat of engineering and determination, its construction was part of a New Deal-era project to aid Jackson County residents left unemployed and destitute by the effects of the Great Depression. Probate Judge James Morgan Money, chair of the Jackson County Relief Committee, envisioned the project. Five thousand people, all on the county's relief rolls, applied for jobs on the road project; 3,500 were hired.

Construction began in March 1933. For their labors the men were paid a dollar each day. No employee could work more than two ten-hour days per week, enabling the hiring of more workers. County leaders and local residents aided in the project. Judge Money purchased boots for the workers. Hal Cunningham, a farmer who lived near the base of Cumberland Mountain, supplied sweet potatoes to feed the men.

One thousand people attended the November 1, 1933 opening ceremony. Its completion made possible the 1934 creation of the 18,000-acre Cumberland Mountain Farms Project, later known as Skyline Farms. This

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experimental farming community was an initiative of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration. In operation until 1945, the farm left a legacy of self-reliance.

Erected 2020 by Jackson County Historical Association, Alabama Historical Association.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Charity & Public Work • Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1933.

Location. 34° 45.494′ N, 86° 5.855′ W. Marker is near Scottsboro, Alabama, in Jackson County. It is on County Route 21 one mile east of Alabama Route 79, on the right when traveling east. Marker is located on the south side of Jackson County Road 21 at the base of Cumberland Mountain where the road begins it climb up the hill. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Scottsboro AL 35768, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Alabama.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western

Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, 2022

2. Cumberland Mountain Road Marker

World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Skyline Farms (approx. 4.1 miles away); Skyline School (approx. 4.2 miles away); Scottsboro Railroad Depot (approx. 6.7 miles away); Union Civil War Encampment in Scottsboro (approx. 6.7 miles away); Cedar Hill Cemetery (approx. 6.7 miles away); Robert Thomas Scott (approx. 6.9 miles away); Gen. Andrew Jackson (approx. 6.9 miles away); Jackson County Courthouse And The Scottsboro Boys (approx. 7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Scottsboro.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 3, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 2, 2025, by Deborah Spencer of Huntsville, Alabama. This page has been viewed 250 times since then and 56 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on June 2, 2025, by Deborah Spencer of Huntsville, Alabama. 2. submitted on October 2, 2025, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.