Crawford County, Indiana - Chapter 8: Early Roads, 1926

The people of Crawford County needed roads in those early days. The town of Fredonia and Leavenworth were shipping points for a wide range of territory, reaching out as far as Salem, Bedford, Petersburg and Jasper. There was a large river traffic in those days.

Probably the oldest road in the county was the one known as the ''Governor's Old Trail'' or ''Trace'' or ''Wall.'' Governor Harrison and the settlers used this road when they traveled from Vincennes to Corydon. The Old Trail was not much of a road then. Probably at first it was a blazed trail through the woods from the ''Main Trail'? running from Vincennes to New Albany. The road entered Crawford County near White Cloud, passed near Alfred Bybee's, passed near the poor farm on Dry Run Creek, crossed the Leavenworth and Paoli road at a point where the Bushow school used to be, in Liberty township, passed through Temple, thence northeast to the Main Trail. Parts of the old road are still in use, but much of it has been closed during the last seventy-five years. Map 4 will show the location of these roads as well as can be determined by the information at hand.

The General Assembly provided for the Leavenworth -and 'Jasper road in 1833. The law designated that James Glenn and Benjamin Roberson of Crawford County should be the two commissioners to view out and locate the road. This road was built up the river hill just below the Big Spring branch in Leavenworth. One who has not seen the hill here can not form any idea of the amount of work required to construct such a road. After about eighty years traces of the old road remain. After many years changes were made in the road so that this portion up the hill is no longer used. The huge rocks often slipped down the hill, blocking the whole road till it was cleared out. This road can be easily traced to-day. In certain localities the road ran through forests. The law required that it should be cleared of trees thirty feet wide. This cleared strip can be plainly seen in certain parts near Leavenworth.

The men met at Leavenworth on the first Monday in March, 1833, and proceeded to mark out the road. The road passed the Big Spring, Mark Froman's cross-roads, crossed Turkey Fork where Odle's mill was located, passed Riddle, Grantsburg, Mifflin, and on to Jasper. The board doing county business ordered the road opened. There was a certain quantity of money from the three per cent. fund available for such work. Men along the road worked out their part.

Harrison County, and Joseph Enlow, of Dubois County, in locating a road from Milltown to Jasper. These men met at Milltown on the first Monday in March, 1833, and located the Milltown and Jasper road as shown on Map 4. The board doing county business ordered this road opened and paid for out of the three per cent. funds, a large part of which was due Crawford County.

The law further provided that Joseph Denbo and James Sloan of Crawford County should be appointed commissioners to help William Harris of Martin locate a road from Leavenworth to Mount Pleasant in Martin County. As far as information can be obtained this road followed the Leavenworth and Jasper road in Crawford County. The survey was made about May. William Harris was the surveyor. James Pitman, Harrison Pitman aud Jacob Denbo carried the chain. Others were Easles, John Duly, John Glenn, Joseph Kinkaid, James Kellams and William Land. é

Another very important road which was opened in 1832 ran from New Albany to Leavenworth, Fredonia, through Perry County to Princeton. The road entered Crawford County at Cole's bridge over Big Blue River. John L. Smith of Leavenworth, who was appointed commissioner of the road, did not want the road to run through the town of Fredonia. He was to locate the road to Hallie Goad's farm, about ten miles west of Leavenworth. The friends of Fredonia were up in arms. The matter was carried to the General Assembly which enacted a subsequent law. A part of that law reads as follows: ''And whereas much dissatisfaction prevails among the citizens in consequence of an expressed determination of the commissioner to change the road so that it will not run through the town of Fredonia. On that account be it further enacted that John L. Smith of Leavenworth shall not be permitted to make any change so as to prevent the road from passing through the town of Fredonia, but shall be governed by the original law which makes Fredonia one of the points through which the road was to pass."'

About that time there was a jealousy growing up between Fredonia and the Leavenworth people over the county seat. Fredonia had been the seat of justice since 1822. 'he above quotation shows how they prevented Leavenworth from running the road. directly west from Leavenworth and missing Fredonia about two miles to the north. Out of justice to Smith one may say that the road had to be built out of the way about two miles to reach Fredonia. The map of the road will show this.

The Princeton road was changed much later. In January, 1840, a new road was located from Leavenworth to Solomon D. Esarey's home in Perry. County. The field notes of the above road read: ''The commissioners appointed by an act of the General Assembly dated February 15, 1839, came here to locate a road to Solomon D. Esarey's farm. They started from the water at Nelson Street and followed the street to Front Street, thence around the Big Spring Branch to the Fredonia road, down the Fredonia road to within ten or twelve rods of Mason Bird's home, across his meadow to the Princeton road just south of an old deserted cabin, thence with said road about two miles to a certain poplar tree, about forty rods east of the line dividing section 4 and 5 in town 4 south, range one east, thence running a nearly southwest direc- tion, leaving Jacobs' and Abraham Wiseman's farms on the north, thence to Little Blue River, thence on southwest fork of West Fork to Catherine Davy's hollow and up that hollow to William Gibson's farm on the hill, and from there to Esarey's farm in Perry County. Sam Ewing and Mason Bird were the commissioners to survey the road, October 30, 1839.

One may trace the Leavenworth and Salem road on the map. The General Assembly enacted a law on January 8, 1835, which provided for the road. Zebulum Leavenworth represented Crawford County in locating and marking out the road which ran through Milltown, by Beck's old mill to Salem. During the Civil War Captain Hines led his band of Confederates down this road to Leavenworth. The road started at the river in the town of Leavenworth, followed Nelson Street to the hill, then east and up the hill to the west of the Cedar Cemetery, through the - - , up Dry Run Creek, passed Martin Scott's farm, which is now the Aniel Froman farm, up the hill by the Catholic church, passed Rogers' Mill, up Big Blue to Milltown.

The Leavenworth and Paoli road ran north from Leavenworth. It followed the Salem road to the first little creek at ''Texas,'' turned up that creek to the farm of James R. House, thence north to Isaiah Henry's farm, north to the Archibald school house where it intersected the Fredonia and Paoli road which it followed to Pilot Knob, passed White Oak Hill, what is now Marengo, and thence to Paoli. This road is still open as far as Marengo, except in certain places the road has been re-located in more recent times. At the crossing where the Leavenworth and Marengo rock road crosses the railroad track near the fair grounds at Marengo one can see the old road yet by looking to the north from the railroad track.

The Fredonia and Rome road was opened in 1882. This road was to be twenty feet wide. It ran from Fredonia southwest to Perry County, passing out of the county about two miles west of the town of Alton and the mouth of Little Blue. The road crossed Little Blue west of Fredonia at what is now called the ''Old State Ford.'' When Captain Hines invaded the county during the Civil War he followed the Rome road to Fredonia.

James Brown, Wilson Brown and Martin Scott were chosen to open the road from Coles' Ford to Leavenworth. This was part of the New Albany and Leavenworth and Fredonia road. The road was to be twenty feet wide. The men began work on the road about 1827.

The Leavenworth and Princeton road was being opened by John Smith. Oliver Tyler was the supervisor on that road for some time. His section of the road ran from the Perry County line to the Jennings township line.

About 1831 a new road was blazed out from Fredonia to Mill Creek. As well as one can discover, that road ran from Fredonia southwest. It crossed Little Blue near where the bridge at Marion Archibald's farm is and thence to what is now Alton.

The laws of 1838-39 provided for a road from Fredonia to Jacob Reese's landing-on the Ohio River. As best as can be determined this road ran down the river hill from Fredonia, passed ''Low Gap Hollow'' and went down the long hill to Schooner Point. Thomas Fox, Riley Main'and

The General Assembly of the state enacted a law in 1834 declaring the Rome and Fredonia road a state road. Senator Thompson introduced the bill No. 90 which became the law. This was a great help to the county because the state could build good roads while the counties were hindered in their construction on account of the lack of funds.

Many more roads were opened up by the county commissioners in those early days, one of which ran from Fredonia to Mount Sterling. It passed Sam Bird's farm, Nathan Holleroft's farm, the Pegg farm, Brice Patrick's farm, Henry J. Landrus' old farm, Addison Williams' farm, Dillman school house, thence west to Bogard Fork and up the hill to Mount Sterling. Zebulum and Seth Leavenworth were overseers on this road.

Cornelius Hall and William Riley were to assist Zebulum Leavenworth to open up a road from the Governor's Old Trail to the ''Three Forks of Little Blue.'' One can not tell precisely where this road left the ''Old Trail,'' but it must have been north of Mount Sterling a mile or more. Later Hartford was built up at the site mentioned here, which in due time became the town of English.

Another historic old road ran from near Sulphur Well to English, Union Chapel, Grantsburg and Paoli. This road ran from Rome to Paoli by Robert Yates' farm. Robert Yates being one of the county commissioners must have used his influence for the road. Yet when the state about eighty years later built State Road 22 and State Road 16 these roads followed the old surveys fairly well: Paoli to

The Leavenworth clay turnpike was authorized by the General Assembly in 1829. Julius Woodford, John L. Smith and Zebulum Leavenworth were appointed commissioners to locate the road, survey and construct the same from Leavenworth twenty miles in the direction of Indianapolis. The pike, which was to be any width not exceeding forty feet, was to be well built and the streams over which the road ran must be well bridged. The course of the road was to be laid off in sections and the constructions let out to the lowest bidder, who was to furnish a bond for the faithful construction of the work. The road must be completed in five years, after which toll-gates may be erected and fees charged. The fees were for riding: 614 cents for persons; 1834 cents for carts; 121% cents for empty carts; 50 cents for loaded wagons; 614 cents for twenty head of sheep, hogs or cattle. The money to build the road must be raised by selling bonds to the citizens of the county. The Leavenworth boys were trying hard to build up the county road, but not enough money was raised to make the road a success.

Most of the roads were entitled to use the three per cent. funds to build these roads. Julius Woodford of Leavenworth was appointed to receive the three per cent. fund from the state. A road report of the three per cent. funds may be found in the commissioners' records of September, 1846:

2. Leavenworth and Salem road ............... og 3.,. Corydon: and Princeton road. 2... << anaes 95 4. Magnolia to county line by Dubois ........... 50 5. For digging out the Dug Way on the hill near Cedar Cemetery at Leavenworth on the Salem (307s eer nett wire: os oie inp erred ers bree he ol 50 "LOCAL ot bce earn peor erate sree carte $394 Balancé-on' Wand 'was":>...% forsee coe ns $ 6 Engineer said that the papers were lost. Signed : Ropert SANDS.

Paid out - Leavenworth and Jasper Road .:.............. $ 424.89 Fredonia and Mt. Pleasant Road .............. 59.50 New 'Albanyrand: Jasper Koad 3. yan. 20 ie. cams oe ~ 100.00 Leavenworth and Paoli Road... [A58 ous... 245.00 MountiP leasantooad ta. soo Eas OP eh oe ae Be 144.08 WETAGO WHITCORONG fore SES soi Sos cae ohio. nett aoe 6 173.58 Bridge and Hill at Indian Hollow ............. 454.75 MUM OM LET: ois Miaies Lite Ape eats atin wate Feo Oe ee 43.20 PPMCeton -OSate. INOHOLS 22. Scent. eaciean veda aioe 25.00 Road and wharf at Leavenworth after deducting

S500 sO. CLRIZEMS §,.. the bis bart piss tuenak se Baeunts ae 824.57 Expense to Leavenworth for funds ............ 12.00 Commissioners for rServices. «2. . ak ashen when ot 40.12 Paid. Dayid: Miller ies decas a Rig ae seek. Cleats 225.00

William R. Reynold was removed from office as agent of the three per cent. fund and Absalom Edwards appointed in his stead, John and Peter Peckinpaugh as his sureties. Ile had doubtless handled the funds carelessly. One report shows that certain papers were lost.

The board doing county business in 1824 appointed Seth M. Leavenworth and Edward Golden to open up a road from Leavenworth to intersect the Sterling road near Jack Enlow's farm. The next year Stephen Roberson was selected to open up a road from Leavenworth to Me- Williams' farm by the mouth of Bogard Fork. This road went by Magnolia, passed near the new poor farm, by the mouth of Bogard Fork to Me William's, west of the present town of English.

The county commissioners on September 6, 1824, provided for a road from the Three Forks of Little Blue to Richard Weathers' farm, just west of Marengo now. John Crawford was appointed to supervise the work as far as Archibald Sloan's farm. All men living within two miles of the road were required to assist with the work. The road must be sixteen feet wide.

The data on the above roads has been sceured at great toil and expense in certain cases. Some parts may not be exactly correct but the account is the best we can secure under the circumstances. ;