The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-09-05
JACKSON HIGHWAY !. RESULT OF WORK IF ALABAMA WOMEN Mrs. A. o. Lane First to Sug- gest This Is Suitable
 Name for Route FOLLOW THE TRAIL
 BLAZED BY HERO Mrs. Sharp, Miss Rittenberry and Others Have Been Especially
 Active in Promoting This
 Great Project
By ELLIS c. ROLLINS

By ELLIS c. HOLLUMs
 At the present time much agitation
 ln favor of a great interstate road to be known as the Jackson highway is
 under way. and in this connection 1t is
 interesting to note that the construc-
 tion of a great highway through the
 south to be called the Jackson high
 way first was suggested by a woman
 Mrs A. O. Lane.
 Mrs Lanes idea in the construction
 ot the Jackson highway was to build
 the road as nearly as possible along the route taken by General Andrew Jack son in his march to the coast She first preached the matter to the Ala l bama Good Roads association at it's
 meeting in Birmingham in 1909. The | following year she appeared before the meeting of the National Good Roads association in Birmingham and read a paper advocating the construction of tine highway. Mrs. Lane was ably sec onded in both of the named instances by Mrs. c. J. Sharp, who was regent of the General Sumter chapter. D. A. R., and who was greatly interested in the work Mrs. Lane was doing. Mrs.
 
 Historic Roads association of the | Daughters of the American Revolution, and it was her purpose in advocating a Jackson highway to perpetuate the memory of this great American In the form of highway which would be a lasting monument to him.
 | However. Mrs. Lane was unable to secure the full cooperation of the D. l A. R. in Alabama in her project It l hat m harc o ba cf ta | body thought 1t best to erect a stone | monument to the memory of Jeffer- son county revolutionary soldiers. l They feared 1t would cost too much to l branch off into road building, not withstanding Mrs. Lane did not intend | for the D. A. R. to actually pay for I tie building of the road but to create favorable sentiment throughout the states through which it would pass, and in this way have the road con structed by the people of these states.
 To Daughters of 1872
 | The state vice president of the D. | A. R. thought that work of perpetual 1 Ing the memory of Andrew Jackso | properly belonged to the Daughters of 1 1872, and suggested that it be turned | over to them. Mrs Lane objected to l this, but nevertheless the work was turned over to the local chapter of 1 1912, and Miss Alma Rittenberry car ried the work into many states in the union.
 At the present time the national Jackson Highway association formed in Birmingham in July is working for l the highway, and the sentiment in fla vor of it is gaining in volume daily. The road eventually will be constructed and the credit for it properly belongs to Mrs A. O. Lane. who was the first to suggest it in concrete form to the | Good Roads association Others. doubt. 1 less thought 1t would be a good thing to have. but Mrs. Lane went further | nan merely thinking about the mat | ter=she acted
 Mrs Lane is an enthusiastic believer | in good roads. She thinks there should l DC a network of highways throughout | tine country. It is her belief that these roads should be named for Americans who have made history. and thus per petuate their memory for all time. 1 In addition to her activity in favor | of good roads. Mrs. Lane Is at present chairman of the committee of the D. A. R. to prevent the dissertation of the l flag. A law has passed both houses of | the legislature. aimed at those who desecrate the flag. and is awaiting the governors signature.
 Comment By Register
 l In its issue of August IA. the Mo- l editorial page on good roads work in which Mrs. Lane's work is mentioned. . "It is proposed that the Andrew Jackson Highway shall he a part Of | the national system. and be built in honor of the great warrior and states man, who. in his early struggles, 1 planted freedom in southern Alabama, as well as in the nation, in repelling l aliens.
 At the annual meeting of the Ala bama Good Roads association in 1910, | held in Birmingham, Mrs. A. o. Lane, 1 Chairman of the Historic Roads asso- citation of the Daughters of the Amer | ican Revolution. read an interesting paper on behalf of the Daughters of the l Revolution to preserve the historic events and exploits of Andrew Jackson | and his heroes, and advised that a monument be erected to their memory
 in the shape of a practical highway, coming from the Hermitage and Nash vile down through Alabama to Mobile. and thence along the Mississippi gulf coast to New Orleans. At the same meeting, Mrs. c. l. Sharp. regent of | the Sumter chapter of the Daughters 1 of the Revolution, addressed the asso- citation. urging that the highway from Tennessee to the gulf be named for General Jackson Senators Johnston and Bankhead, as members of the Ma bana Good Roads association. pledged this patriotic woman that they would slve their hearty cooperation. and tllat the government when 8 policy had been adopted to build federal roads. would have the Andrew Jackson as part of the national system of roads, and in April. 1911 Miss Alma Ritten- berry. chairman of the Daughters of l 1912, addressed the good roads conven- | ton in Birmingham, advocating that the Andrew Jackson memorial road be constructed as a fitting tribute and | practical monument to the valOr of Andrew Jackson and his heroes. She | has been nntiring In this work. If we do not have good l means of transportation. that is. good duceme ents-because roads to be advan- l tageous must start somewhere and end l somewhere, in order to economize | tlme
 l We have an all year climate with no such objectionable features as snow or crossing the arid desert. We are closer 10 the center of population, and only 1 recently at a conference in Birming- ! ham of the Jackson Highway associa- tion. on July 30, was transformed into ! national organization. with tempo rarv officers. including prominent citi- l zcns from Kentucky. Tennessee. Ala 1 bama. Louisiana and Mississippi, whose 1 purpose 1t is to promote the extension l of the Jackson highway from the Greet Lakes via Louisville, Indian | apolis. Nashville. Hiintsvilles BirminE- | ham. Montgomery. Selma. Mobile. on | to the NIississi,lni roa ef. thence to New