The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1922-09-20

1924.
"There were on an average 800 men
continuously employed on the work,
including sawyers, carpenters, black
smiths, and so on, who were amply
furnished with oxen, travelling forges
and all tools and implements necess-
ry-to its perfect execution. THIRTY
five neat and substantial bridges, each
measuring from 60 to 200 feet, were
erected, and 1000 feet of causeway
laid. On a}calculation of the pay, pro-
visions and clothing for the soldiery
thus engaged, and makingra mod
crate allowance for the deterioration
and loss of public property, we find
THAT the general government disbursed
pm this occasion $3O0.OO0.'
The era Of early wars having end
ed and white settlements having gain
ed an independent footholds In Ala
baina, mississippi and Louisiana, but
little record is kept of the subsequent
value Of this long distance route. Lat
er came the railways and the non-use
Of dirt thoroughfares for long Jour
neys.
The Jackson Highway might have
passed into history and even oblivion
| had it not been for DR.. James Miner.
of Florence, Alabama. General Jack
son had helped to lay out Florence,
founded in 1918 contemporaneously
with the building of the road, and
which became the home of General
John Coffee, who, as second in COM
mand, shared the glories of victory
with "Old Hickory Dr.. Milncr IS
somewhat of an historian and about
III years ago he started ';e reat
l.al es and the Gulf Coast and taxi. q.
fr'mr Nashville south, the orig nal
route so that it would be permanent
memorial to Jackson's services to his
country. But while the sentiment of
memorial aroused the firts response
in the Tennessee Valley, Dr. Miners
purpose was also practical and utilitar
ian. He felt that the Central South
should be opened up and revealed to
the Central West by direct line and
that the old Jackson Road was the
line. He believed that northern peo-
pie should know and see something
Of the but little developed mineral re-
sources Of Tennessee and Northern
Alabama and the solid, splendid agri-
cultural possibilities of Mississippi
and Louisiana. It was his contention
also that such q highway, while bring
ing in new people and new capital.
capital, would be a chain to which
counties all along could attach links.
thus bringing permanent highway ia
cllitles to many isolated rural sections.
Other citizens of Florence took a
hand and this interest spread through
Alabama and Tennessee and then far
ther south into Mississippi and Louis
lana and northward through Western
Kentucky and into Indiana and Ilh-
nois. There was considerable contro-
versy over the route, some maintain
ing it should deviate from the original
direct survey so as to include more
town sand cities. But the originators
of the project held to the plan of max
ing it memorial in fact as we'll as in
name and bringing benefits to remote
rural rather than to few towns
Their arguments finally prevailed.
The northern section--that between
Nashville and Chicago-is, of course
without historical significance so far
as the name Of Jackson is concerned.
Not great deal Of work remains to
be done either north or south of the
OHIO River. Lon gago the Tennessee
River was bridged at Florence--just
short distance east of where Gen.
eral Jacksons' horses once swan this
turbulent stream. The Tombigbee
is bridged at Columbus, Mississippi,
and the Leaf River at Hattiesburp,
The Pearl River, northeast of New
Orleans, is water barrier vet to be
overcome.
One Of the most important, and pos
sibly the most interesting link in the
entire route is now being hard-sur-
faced-7o-that across the famed Muscle
Shoals District. Here the highway
crosses Florence hrfdoo o,,or ~