Tuscumbia in Colbert County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Jackson's Military Road
Photographed by Sandra Hughes, July 22, 2009
1. Jackson's Military Road Marker
Inscription.
Jackson's Military Road. . After the Battle of New Orleans in 1815, General Andrew Jackson proposed this road as a shorter and improved route for military movements between Nashville and New Orleans. The U.S. War Department authorized Jackson to appoint an engineer and procure equipment on August 15, 1816 and Congress appropriated $5,000 to begin construction. The Military Road was built by about 300 American soldiers over a three-year period at a construction cost of $300,000. When completed on May 17, 1820, the new road was 483 miles long and 200 miles shorter than the old Natchez Trace route. Crossing the Tennessee River at Florence, it entered Sheffield (first known as York Bluff) at “Jackson Hollow.” The road then passed near Atlanta and Columbia Avenues as it moved southwest. The Military Road entered Tuscumbia on Dickson Street and passed near this site. , From this location, the Military Road continues south and crossed Spring Creek, then ascended Colbert Mountain, and passed just west of present-day Littleville. It proceeded to Good Spring in Franklin County, and on through Russellville. Jackson Highway (old U. S. No. 43), built in the 1920s, following the same basic route. The nearby single-pen hewn-log cabin is a vestige of Tuscumbia's pioneer period. It originally stood on the opposite side of the street and reputedly served as a stagecoach stop on the Military Road. Dickson Street was named for early Tuscumbia settler Michael Dickson. A U. S. Mail line was established and John Donley Sr. of Tuscumbia was given the contract for carrying the mail. Stagecoaches could travel the Military Road in 17 days and stands were built along the way to accommodate travelers. The road became the route over which pioneers poured into northwest Alabama and Mississippi.
After the Battle of New Orleans in 1815, General Andrew Jackson proposed this road as a shorter and improved route for military movements between Nashville and New Orleans. The U.S. War Department authorized Jackson to appoint an engineer and procure equipment on August 15, 1816 and Congress appropriated $5,000 to begin construction. The Military Road was built by about 300 American soldiers over a three-year period at a construction cost of $300,000. When completed on May 17, 1820, the new road was 483 miles long and 200 miles shorter than the old Natchez Trace route. Crossing the Tennessee River at Florence, it entered Sheffield (first known as York Bluff) at “Jackson Hollow.” The road then passed near Atlanta and Columbia Avenues as it moved southwest. The Military Road entered Tuscumbia on Dickson Street and passed near this site.
From this location, the Military Road continues south and crossed Spring Creek, then ascended Colbert Mountain, and passed just west of present-day Littleville. It proceeded to Good Spring in Franklin County, and on through Russellville. Jackson Highway (old U. S. No. 43), built in the 1920s, following the same basic route. The nearby single-pen hewn-log cabin is a vestige of Tuscumbia's pioneer period. It originally stood on the opposite side of the street and reputedly served as
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a stagecoach stop on the Military Road. Dickson Street was named for early Tuscumbia settler Michael Dickson. A U. S. Mail line was established and John Donley Sr. of Tuscumbia was given the contract for carrying the mail. Stagecoaches could travel the Military Road in 17 days and stands were built along the way to accommodate travelers. The road became the route over which pioneers poured into northwest Alabama and Mississippi.
Erected by Sponsored by Colbert County Historical Landmark Foundation and Cemetery Restoration Alabama Historical Association.
Location. 34° 43.807′ N, 87° 42.139′ W. Marker is in Tuscumbia, Alabama, in Colbert County. It is at the intersection of South Dickson Street and East 7th Street, on the right when traveling south on South Dickson Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Tuscumbia AL 35674, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in North Alabama and in the Shoals. 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 World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, February 13, 2022
3. Jackson's Military Road Marker
Photographed by Sandra Hughes, July 22, 2009
4. Stagecoach Stop Museum
Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2022. It was originally submitted on March 13, 2010, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 4,345 times since then and 100 times this year. Last updated on May 18, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos:1, 2. submitted on March 13, 2010, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. 3. submitted on February 15, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 4. submitted on March 13, 2010, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
