Abilene in Taylor County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

The Bankhead Highway

By Duane Hall, July 9, 2017

1. The Bankhead Highway Marker

Inscription. The Bankhead National Highway, from Washington, D.C., to San Diego, California, was the nation’s first all-weather, coast-to-coast highway. The southern road skirted the western mountains and was largely free from ice and snow, so it could be used reliably year-round. It was named for Alabama Senator John H. Bankhead, author of the Federal Highway Act of 1916, which provided federal aid to states for highway construction.
     An “All Texas” route from Texarkana to El Paso was approved when the Bankhead Highway Association met at Mineral Wells in April, 1919. A few branches were also approved. The primary route coincided with Texas Highway No. 1. About 900 miles long, the Texas 1 Bankhead comprised nearly one-third of the total length of the national road.
     The Texas Bankhead became part of the route known as the “Broadway of America.” After numbers replaced names on national highways in 1926, the Bankhead route from Texarkana became part of US-67 to Dallas, where it joined US-80. Those federal highways were often realigned and by the 1960s gave way to Interstates 30 and 20 (which merged with I-10 in far West Texas).
     Despite the changes, most of the early Bankhead in Texas remains as state and county roads that connect the towns which the interstates by-passed. The Bankhead name lives on

By Duane Hall, July 9, 2017

2. The Bankhead Highway Marker

View to east across Cedar Street. Marker is on gate between the two buildings.

in public memory, as do miles of Bankhead pavement from the 1920s.

Erected by Bankhead Highway Association.

Location. 32° 26.995′ N, 99° 44.122′ W. Marker is in Abilene, Texas, in Taylor County. Marker is on Cedar Street north of N 1st Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Abilene TX 79601, United States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Hotel Grace (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Texas & Pacific Railroad Depot (about 400 feet away); Abilene Reporter-News (about 400 feet away); The Texas & Pacific Railway (about 600 feet away); First Presbyterian Church (about 700 feet away); Hotel Wooten (about 700 feet away); Site of Curfew by John J. Clinton (about 800 feet away); Pine Street Shootout (about 800 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Abilene.

Also see . . . Bankhead Highway. A website from the Texas Historical Commission. (Submitted on July 21, 2017.)

Categories. • Roads & Vehicles •

Cedar Street, the Alternate Northern Route from Albany image. Click for full size.

By Duane Hall, July 9, 2017

3. Cedar Street, the Alternate Northern Route from Albany

The alternate northern route connected to the main Bankhead Highway route at South 1st Street, on the other side of the railroad underpass

Credits. This page was last revised on July 21, 2017. This page originally submitted on July 21, 2017, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas. This page has been viewed 58 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 21, 2017, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas.