Natchez Trace Parkway

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Natchez Trace Parkway

Natchez Trace Parkway highlighted in brown
Route information
Maintained by NPS
Length444 mi[1] (715 km)
ExistedMay 18, 1938 (1938-May-18)[2] –present
RestrictionsNo trucks
Major junctions
South endLiberty Road in Natchez, MS
Major intersections
North end SR 100 in Nashville, TN
Location
CountryUnited States
Highway system
  • Alabama State Highway System

The Natchez Trace Parkway is a national parkway in the southeastern United States that commemorates the historic Natchez Trace and preserves sections of that original trail. Its central feature is a two-lane road that extends 444 miles (715 km) from Natchez, Mississippi, to Nashville, Tennessee. Access to the parkway is limited, with more than fifty access points in the states of Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee. The southern end of the route is in Natchez at its intersection with Liberty Road, and the northern end is northeast of Fairview, Tennessee, in the suburban community of Pasquo, at an intersection with Tennessee State Route 100. In addition to Natchez and Nashville, larger cities along the route include Jackson and Tupelo, Mississippi, and Florence, Alabama.[3][4]

Maintenance

The road is maintained by the National Park Service and has been designated an All-American Road. Commercial traffic is prohibited along the entire route, and the speed limit is 50 miles per hour (80 km/h), except north of Leiper's Fork, Tennessee, and Ridgeland, Mississippi, where the speed limit is reduced to 40 miles per hour (64 km/h). The total area of the Parkway is 51,746.50 acres (209.4 km2), of which 51,680.64 acres (209.1 km2) are federal, and 65.86 acres (0.3 km2) are non-federal.

The Parkway is headquartered in Tupelo and has nine district offices: Leipers Fork, Meriwether Lewis, Cherokee, Tupelo, Dancy, Kosciusko, Ridgeland, Port Gibson, and Natchez. The Parkway also manages two battlefields: Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site and Tupelo National Battlefield.[5]

History

Footpath

Main article: Natchez Trace

The gentle sloping and curving alignment of the current route closely follows the original foot passage. Its design harkens back to the way the original interweaving trails aligned as an ancient salt-lick-to-grazing-pasture migratory route of the American bison and other game that moved between grazing the pastures of central and western Mississippi and the salt and other mineral surface deposits of the Cumberland Plateau. The route generally traverses the tops of the low hills and ridges of the watershed divides from northeast to southwest.

Native Americans, following the "traces" of bison and other game, further improved this walking trail for foot-borne commerce between major villages located in central Mississippi and middle Tennessee. The route is locally circuitous; however, by traversing this route the bison, and later humans, avoided the endless, energy-taxing climbing and descending of the many hills along the way. Also avoided was the danger to a herd (or groups of human travelers) of being caught en-masse at the bottom of a hollow or valley if attacked by predators. The nature of the route, to this day, affords good all-around visibility for those who travel it. At all times the road is on the high ground of the ridge dividing the watersheds and provides a view to either see or catch the scent of danger, from a distance great enough to afford the time to flee to safety, if necessary.

Old Natchez Trace sign southwest of Mathiston, Mississippi

By the time of European exploration and settlement, the route had become well known and established as the fastest means of communication between the Cumberland Plateau, the Mississippi River, and the Gulf of Mexico settlements of Pensacola, Mobile, and New Orleans. In the early post-American Revolutionary War period of America's (south) westward expansion, the Trace was the return route for American flat-boat commerce between the territories of the upper and lower Ohio, Tennessee, and Cumberland River valleys. The Americans constructed flat-boats, loaded their commerce therein, and drifted upon those rivers, one-way south-southwestward to New Orleans, Louisiana. They would then sell their goods (including the salvageable logs of the flat-boats and including enslaved people), and return home via the Trace (for the middle section of their return trip), to as far away as Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Improved communications (steam boats, stagecoach lines, and railroads) and the development of ports along the rivers named above (e.g., Natchez; Memphis, Tennessee; Paducah, Kentucky; Nashville, Tennessee; and Louisville, Kentucky) made the route obsolete as a means of passenger and freight commerce. As a result, no major population centers were born or developed along the Trace, because of its alignment, between its termini Nashville and Natchez. The two cities of note, near or on the Trace's alignment (Jackson, Mississippi and Tupelo, Mississippi), developed only as a result of their alignment along axes of communication different from the Trace.

Thus the Trace and its alignment are today almost entirely undeveloped and unspoiled along its whole route. Many sections of the original footpath are visible today for observing and hiking the Parkway's right-of-way.

The Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail includes five sections of hiking and horse riding trails.

Civilian Conservation Corps

Entrance sign to the parkway near Natchez, Mississippi

Construction of the Parkway was begun by the federal government in the 1930s. The development of the modern roadway was one of the many projects of the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression. The road was the proposal of U.S. Congressman T. Jeff Busby of Mississippi, who proposed it as a way to give tribute to the original Natchez Trace. Inspired by the proposal, the Daughters of the American Revolution began planting markers and monuments along the Trace. In 1934, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt administration ordered a survey. President Roosevelt signed the legislation to create the parkway on May 18, 1938.[5] Construction on the Parkway began in 1939, and the route was to be overseen by the National Park Service. Its length includes more than 45,000 acres (182 km2) and the towering Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge in Williamson County, Tennessee, completed in 1994 and one of only two post-tensioned, segmental concrete arch bridges in the world.

The Emergency Appropriations Act of June 19, 1934, allocated initial construction funds and established it as a parkway under National Park Service by the act of May 18, 1938.

Gaps and completion

The Natchez Trace Parkway seen from Twentymile Bottom Overlook, milepost 278.4, about 20 miles northeast of Tupelo, MS.

For many years in the later 20th century, most of the trace had been complete but, owing to a lack of funds, two gaps remained, both in the state of Mississippi. One was a several-mile-long bypass of Jackson, between Interstate 55 at Ridgeland and Interstate 20 at Clinton. The other was between Liberty Road in the city of Natchez and U.S. Highway 61 near Washington. These final two segments were finally completed and opened on May 21, 2005.

In 2013 a new law required the National Park Service (NPS) to convey about 67 acres of property in the Natchez Trace Parkway to the State of Mississippi. It also adjusted the boundaries of the parkway to include 10 additional acres. The two pieces of land in question originally belonged to Mississippi and were donated to the National Park Service when the NPS was trying to determine where to end the Natchez Trace Parkway.[6][7][8]

Historical sites

Captain John Gordon's house on the site where the Natchez Trace crosses the Duck River. Originally a ferry operated by Gordon and Chickasaw Chief William Colbert was located here. Gordon and his wife built this Federal style plantation home which is one of the oldest structures along the trace.

There are numerous historical sites on the Parkway, including the Meriwether Lewis Museum, the refurbished Mount Locust stand, Historic French Camp, MS, and the Mississippi Craft Center in Ridgeland, Mississippi, which focuses on promoting Mississippi's native art. Between the Parkway and Old Port Gibson Road is the ghost town of Rocky Springs that thrived in the late 19th century. The old Rocky Springs Methodist Church, the cemetery, and several building sites still exist and are accessible from the Parkway. Cypress Swamp is located at Mile Post 122. There are also several cascading waterfalls to view; for access, some require a bit of hiking from the parkway. Besides, parts of the original trail are still accessible. The history of the Natchez Trace, including the Parkway, is summarized at the Natchez Trace Visitor Center in Tupelo, Mississippi.[9]

Emerald Mound, the second largest Native American ceremonial mound in the United States, is located just west of the Trace and north of Highway 61 near Natchez. It offers a unique look at the ingenuity and industry of native culture. Two smaller mounds rise from the top of the main mound and rise above treetops offering a wide view. Travelers can reach Emerald Mound with a five-minute detour from the main trace highway. Emerald Mound measures 770 feet (230 m) by 435 feet (133 m) at the base and is 35 feet (11 m) in height. The mound was built by depositing earth along the sides of a natural hill, thus reshaping it and creating an enormous artificial plateau.

The Ackia Battleground National Monument (established August 27, 1935 and now called Chickasaw Village) and Meriwether Lewis Park (proclaimed as Meriwether Lewis National Monument February 6, 1925 and transferred from the War Department August 10, 1933) were added to the parkway by the act of August 10, 1961.

Parkway highlights

Highlights include:

Natchez to Jackson

Jackson to Tupelo

Tupelo to Tennessee state line

Tennessee

  • Milepost 385.9 Meriwether Lewis Monument and Grave Site
  • 391.9 Fall Hallow Trail
  • 401.4 Tobacco Farm and Old Trace Drive
  • 404.7 Trail to Jackson Falls and Baker Bluff Overlook
  • 438 Bridge at Birdsong Hollow

Exit list

Mileage based on physical mileposts along the parkway.

StateCountyLocationmi[10]kmDestinations[10]Notes
MississippiAdamsNatchez00.0Liberty RoadSouthern terminus
​46.4Elizabeth Female Academy
​813 US 61 – Fayette, NatchezPartial cloverleaf interchange
​Old Trace Exhibit
​1016 MS 553 – Emerald Mound site, Natchez State ParkAt-grade intersection
Jefferson​1219Turpin Creek
​Loess Bluff
​1524Mount Locust
​1727Coles Creek
​1829Bullen Creek
​2032 MS 553 – Natchez Trace Trail (Potkopinu Section), FayetteOne-quadrant interchange
​Mud Island
​2337North Fork Coles Creek
​2743Coonbox
​3048 MS 552 – Windsor Ruins, Lorman, Alcorn State UniversityTwo-quadrant interchange
Claiborne​3760 US 61 – Port GibsonOne-quadrant interchange
​3963Port Gibson District Office
​4166 MS 18 – Port Gibson, Utica, Grand Gulf Military State ParkOne-quadrant interchange
​Sunken Trace
​4572Grindstone Ford and Mangum Mound
​5284Owens Creek Waterfall
​5487Rocky Springs
​5995Fisher Ferry Road – UticaOne-quadrant interchange
​6198Lower Choctaw Boundary
Hinds​66106 MS 27 – Utica, VicksburgOne-quadrant interchange
​73117Dean Stand Site
​78126Battle of Raymond
​ MS 467 – Raymond, EdwardsOne-quadrant interchange
​82132 Airport Road – John Bell Williams Airport
​86138Clinton Pullout
Clinton86–
87		138–
140		 I-20 – Vicksburg, Clinton, JacksonPartial cloverleaf interchange; I-20 exit 34
87140Cowles Mead Cemetery
88142Pinehaven Drive – City of Clinton Visitor CenterOne-quadrant interchange
89143Ridgeland Pullout
Jackson92–
93		148–
150		 US 49 – Flora, JacksonPartial cloverleaf interchange
93150Osburn Stand
MadisonRidgeland100160Choctaw Agency
101163 I-55 – Madison, JacksonPartial cloverleaf interchange; I-55 exit 105A
102164 US 51 – Parkway Information CabinOne-quadrant interchange
Ridgeland District Office
103166 Old Canton Road – Madison, Ridgeland, Bruce Campbell FieldPartial cloverleaf interchange
104167Old Trace and Brashears Stand Site
​105169Reservoir Overlook
​106171Boyd site
​107172West Florida Boundary
​114–
115		183–
185		 MS 43 – Canton, Pelahatchie, Ross Barnett ReservoirTwo-quadrant interchange
​122196Cypress Swamp
​River Bend
​128206Upper Choctaw Boundary
​130210Yockanookany
Leake​134–
135		216–
217		 MS 16 – Canton, CarthageTwo-quadrant interchange
​135217Robinson Road
​140230Red Dog Road
​145233Myrick Creek
​146235 MS 429 – ThomastownAt-grade intersection
Attala​154248Holly Hill
​159256Kosciusko District Office
​159–
160		256–
260		 MS 19 – Kosciusko, CarthageTwo-quadrant interchange
​Kosciusko Welcome Center
​164264Hurricane Creek
​165266 MS 12 – Ethel, KosciuskoTwo-quadrant interchange
​169272CR 2247 to CR 2101One-quadrant interchange
​175282Cole Creek
​176283Bethel Mission
ChoctawFrench Camp180290French Camp South

 MS 413 to MS 407		At-grade intersection
French Camp
181291French Camp North
​189304Byway Overlook
​190310 MS 415Northern terminus of MS 415
​193311Jeff Busby
​195314 MS 9 – Choctaw Lake Recreation Area, Eupora, AckermanOne-quadrant interchange
​198319Old Trace
​201323Ballard Creek
​203327Pigeon Roost
Webster​204328 US 82 – Eupora, MathistonPartial cloverleaf interchange
​210340
 MS 765 to MS 50		Western terminus of MS 765
​213343Line Creek
​214344 MS 15 – Maben, HoustonOne-quadrant interchange
​Dancy District Office
Clay​219352 MS 46 – Mantee, MontpelierOne-quadrant interchange
Chickasaw​221356Old Trace
​226364 MS 389 – Houston, MontpelierOne-quadrant interchange
​229369 MS 8 – Houston, AberdeenOne-quadrant interchange
​232373Bynum Mounds
​233375Witch Dance
​235378Old Fossils
​239385 MS 32 – Houston, OkolonaOne-quadrant interchange
​241388Chickasaw Agency
​243391 CR 413 – Owl Creek MoundsOne-quadrant interchange
​Hernando de Soto
​245394Monroe Mission
Pontotoc​246396 MS 41 – Pontotoc, OkolonaOne-quadrant interchange
​249401Tockshish
​251404Chickasaw Council House
Lee​Pontocola Road – Pontotoc, ShannonOne-quadrant interchange
​252406Black Belt Overlook
​255410Palmetto Road – Pontotoc, VeronaOne-quadrant interchange
​256412 US 278 / MS 6Partial cloverleaf interchange
Tupelo258415 Cliff Gookin Boulevard – Tupelo High SchoolTwo-quadrant interchange
259–
260		417–
420		Main Street – Tupelo, Pontotoc, Tupelo National BattlefieldTwo-quadrant interchange
261420Chickasaw Village Site
262422 MS 178 (McCullough Boulevard) – Elvis Presley BirthplaceTwo-quadrant interchange
263423 I-22 / US 78 – Tupelo, Fulton, New Albany, Tombigbee State Park, Elvis Presley LakePartial cloverleaf interchange; I-22 exit 85
Old Town Overlook
​265–
266		426–
428		Parkway Visitor Center
​266428 MS 145 – Tupelo, CorinthTwo-quadrant interchange
​269433Old Trace and Confederate Gravesites
​270430 MS 363 – Saltillo, MantachieTwo-quadrant intersection
​275443Dogwood Valley
​275–
276		443–
444		Friendship RoadOne-quadrant interchange
​278447Twentymile Bottom Overlook
Itawamba​281–
282		452–
454
 MS 371 to MS 370 – Marietta, Mantachie, Baldwyn		Two-quadrant interchange
​283455Donivan Slough
Prentiss​286460Browns Bottom
​Pharr Mounds
​288463Siloam Road – Whitten Lock and Dam, Bay Springs LakePartial cloverleaf interchange
Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway292470Jamie L. Whitten Bridge
Tishomingo​293472Tenn–Tom Waterway
​
 CR 1 to MS 4 – Fulton, Bay Springs Lake		One-quadrant interchange
​295475Jourdan Creek
​297478 MS 4 – Belmont, Booneville, Bay Springs LakeOne-quadrant interchange
​300480McDougal
​302–
303		486–
488		 MS 25 – Tishomingo, BelmontTwo-quadrant interchange
​303488 CR 90 – Tishomingo State ParkOne-quadrant interchange
​307494 MS 30 – BoonevilleOne-quadrant interchange
​308496Cave Spring
​Bear Creek Mound
AlabamaColbert​309497 CR 1 (Allsboro Road)One-quadrant interchange
​311501Rock Creek
​312502Bear Creek
​316509Freedom Hills Overlook
​320510 US 72 – Cherokee, IukaOne-quadrant interchange
​Buzzard Roost Spring
​323520Sinkhole
​326525 CR 21 (North Pike) – CherokeeOne-quadrant interchange
​327526Colbert Ferry
Tennessee River327–
328		526–
528		John Coffee Memorial Bridge
Lauderdale​328528Lauderdale
​329529 CR 2One-quadrant interchange
​330530Rock Spring
​331533 CR 14 – Florence, WaterlooOne-quadrant interchange
​336541 SR 20 – FlorenceOne-quadrant interchange
TennesseeWayne​343552Cypress Creek
​346557Holly
​350560Sunken Trace
​ SR 13 – Florence, ALOne-quadrant interchange
​352566McGlamery Stand
Collinwood354570Broadway Street – Wayne County Welcome CenterOne-quadrant interchange
​363584Sweetwater Branch
​364586Glenrock Branch
​365587Upper Glenrock Branch
​367591Dogwood Mudhole
​369–
370		594–
600		 US 64 – Lawrenceburg, Waynesboro, David Crockett State ParkPartial cloverleaf interchange
​Trail of Tears Bell Route
Lawrence​372599Brush Creek Road – Laurel Hill LakeOne-quadrant interchange
​375604Old Trace Drive
Lewis​377607Jacks Branch RoadOne-quadrant interchange
​Jacks Branch
​380610 SR 241 (Napier Road)One-quadrant interchange
​381613Napier Mine
​382615Metal Ford
​385620 SR 20 (Summertown Highway) – Hohenwald, SummertownOne-quadrant interchange
​Meriwether Lewis, near Grinder's Stand
​386621English Creek Cascade
​390630Phosphate Mine
​391629 US 412 (Columbia Highway) – Columbia, HohenwaldOne-quadrant interchange
​Fall Hollow
​392631Swan View Overlook
​394634Devil's Backbone State Natural Area
​397639Old Trace
Hickman​400640Sheboss Place
Maury​401645Tobacco Farm and Old Trace
Hickman​403649Old Track Walk
​404650Jackson Falls
​405652Baker Bluff Overlook
Maury​407655Gordon House
Hickman​ SR 50 – Columbia, CentervilleOne-quadrant interchange
Maury​411661Water Valley Overlook
​415668 SR 7 – Columbia, DicksonOne-quadrant interchange
Williamson​423681Tennessee Valley Divide
​425684Burns Branch
​426686War of 1812
​427687Garrison Creek
​428689 SR 46 – Leiper's ForkOne-quadrant interchange
​435700Carroll
​437703Timberland Park
​ SR 96 – FranklinOne-quadrant interchange
​437–
438		703–
705		Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge
​438705Birdsong Hollow
​439707Bending Chestnut Overlook
​442711
 SR 100 to McCrory Lane / I-40		Modified trumpet interchange; northern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ^ "Natchez Trace Parkway". National Park Service. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
  2. ^ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named 52stat407
  3. ^ The National Parks: Index 2001-2003. Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior
  4. ^ National Park Service, Natchez Trace Parkway Fact Sheet, February 25, 2010
  5. ^ a b "Distribution of Administrative History, Natchez Trace Parkway" (PDF). National Park Service. p. 177. Archived from the original (Scanned into Adobe Acrobat (PDF)) on 2007-07-02. Retrieved 2007-08-10.
  6. ^ "House Republican Conference's Legislative Digest on S 304". House Republican Conference. Archived from the original on 7 January 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  7. ^ "Congress passes bill to give city 'bean field' property". Natchez Democrat. 11 September 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  8. ^ S. 304
  9. ^ Scott, David (2004). Guide to the National Park Areas Eastern States. Guilford, Conn: Globe Pequot Press. pp. 151–153. ISBN 0-7627-2988-0. OCLC 55075855.
  10. ^ a b "Maps - Natchez Trace Parkway (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. National Park Service. Retrieved July 2, 2021.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Natchez Trace Parkway.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Natchez Trace Parkway.
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