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The 
Nashville
Road

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Introduction

Road Trip

Internet Resources

Image Gallery

 

 

Introduction

Introduction

 

The Nashville Road was built by the military in 1788 and is essentially a continuation of the Knoxville Road which was a primary route for settlers traveling the Great Wagon Road.   This route provided a more direct path from Bristol,Tennessee to Nashville and other points in Middle Tennessee. The route rapidly became the primary route for east-west traffic through the heart of Tennessee because it took travelers through less difficult terrain than the Wilderness Road and it accommodated large wagons.   This wagon road started in Knoxville, Tennessee and traveled across the Cumberland Plateau west some 180 miles to Nashville.  Old U.S. Route 70 followed this passageway.  Today much of the old road runs parallel to Interstate 40. 

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Winding Road 1

Road Trip

Road Trip

Winding Road 2

If you have traced your 18th or 19th century ancestors to any of the counties listed below it is quite possible that they traveled to that location along this migration route.  Therefore you may find additional relevant information about your ancestral lineages by taking the following road trip through these localities.

COUNTY (Road Trip Segment)

COUNTY (Road Trip Segment)

COUNTY (Road Trip Segment)

Anderson County, TN (1)

Bledsoe County, TN (2)

Blount County, TN (1)

Cannon County, TN (4)

Cheatham County, TN (4)

Cumberland County, TN (2,3)

Davidson County, TN (4)

DeKalb County, TN (3,4)

Knox County, TN (1)

Loudon County, TN (1,2)

Macon County, TN (4)

Morgan County, TN (1,2)

Putnam County, TN (3)

Rhea County, TN (2)

Roane County, TN (1,2)

Robertson County, TN (4)

Rutherford County, TN (4)

Smith County, TN (4)

Sumner County, TN (4)

Trousdale County, TN (4)

Van Buren County, TN (3)

Warren County, TN (3)

White County, TN (3)

Williamson County, TN (4)

Wilson County, TN (4)

 

Genealogy Road Trip

This “Genealogy Road Trip” is divided into segments that require between 1 and 2 hours of driving time.  The entire 190 mile journey should take approximately 4.25 hours to drive at 45 miles per hour.  Within each segment you will find links to resources* that will assist you in planning a successful and enjoyable experience.  The following maps are designed to show a close-up view of the counties and communities along this migration route.  Relevant county seats are designated with aStar yellow-green 32x30, beginning and end points of each segment are noted with a Bullet (red ball) dk green2 and historical sites with a purple circle.

 

SEGMENT 1

From: Knoxville, TN

To: Kingston, TN

SEGMENT 2

From: Kingston, TN

To: Crossville, TN

SEGMENT 3

From: Crossville, TN

To: Smithville, TN

SEGMENT 4

From: Smithville, TN

To: Nashville, TN

 

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Segment 1

SEGMENT 1

From: Knoxville, TN

To: Kingston, TN

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Driving Distance = 40 miles;   Driving Time = approximately 1.00 hours

          Start your road trip in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee at James White's Fort, located at 205 East Hill Avenue.    This historical site is a re-creation of the 18th century settlement that became the city of Knoxville.   James White's Fort is within walking distance of other attractions such as the William Blount Mansion, Market Square, and the Old City   From White’s Fort take W. Hill Ave. 6 blocks to Poplar St. and turn right one block then turn left onto US Route 70 at World’s Fair Park.  Follow signs for US Route 70 (Kingston Pike) out of Knoxville toward Farragut a community named in honor of American Civil War Admiral David Farragut, who was born just to the east Campbell's Station in 1801.  Continue on US Route 70 from here to Kingston, Tennessee the county seat of Roane County. Kingston has its roots in Fort Southwest Point, which was built just south of what is now Kingston in 1792.

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Click on the map to view a full-sized image

Use the following LINKS to find information about the counties and localities found along this segment of the Route.

General Profile

Genealogy & History Resources

Historical Sites

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Segment 2

SEGMENT 2

From: Kingston, TN

To: Crossville, TN

228149- 2

Driving Distance = 35 miles;   Driving Time = approximately .75 hours

Continue through Kingston on W. Race Street and cross over the Clinch River on the on the US Route 70 bridge.  Pass through the city of Rockwood.  During the late 1700s and early 1800s the Cherokee village of Chief Tallentuskie, a Cherokee leader, was located here.  At Eureka turn right to continue on US Route 70 (Historic Avery Trace).  Continue on US Route 70 towards the town of Crab Orchard.   Crab Orchard's position in a gap in the Crab Orchard Mountains made it an early "gateway" to the Cumberland area as early as the late 1700s. Pioneers passing through the area named it for its abundance of wild crab apple trees.  From Crab Orchard continue on US Route 70 (Knoxville Highway) into Crossville, Tennessee. Crossville, the seat of Cumberland County, has its roots in the intersection of several early American roads.  It is here that the Old Walton Road branches off on US Route 70N towards Carthage, Tennessee.

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Click on the map to view a full-sized image

Use the following LINKS to find information about the counties and localities found along this segment of the Route.

General Profile

Genealogy & History Resources

Historical Sites

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Segment 3

SEGMENT 3

From: Crossville, TN

To: Smithville, TN

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Driving Distance = 50 miles;   Driving Time = approximately 1.25 hours

Follow signs for US Route 70 through the downtown, and leave via US Route 70 (Sparta Highway) towards the Crossville Memorial Airport.  Continue on US Route 70 to Pleasant Hill a town that was first settled in 1819. From here proceed to Sparta the seat of White County.  Sparta was established in 1809 Sparta grew quickly due to its location along the stage road between Knoxville and Nashville. In the 1830s, brothers Barlow and Madison Fisk built the Sparta Rock House, which served as an inn along the stage road.  From Sparta continue on US Route 70 (Smithville Highway).  Soon after passing over the Caney Fork River you will enter Smithville the seat of De Kalb County Tennessee. 

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Click on the map to view a full-sized image

Use the following LINKS to find information about the counties and localities found along this segment of the Route.

General Profile

Genealogy & History Resources

Historical Sites

Arrow (red up)

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Segment 4

SEGMENT 4

From: Smithville, TN

To: Nashville, TN

228149- 2

Driving Distance = 65 miles;   Driving Time = approximately 1.50 hours

 Leave Smithville via US Route 70 (Nashville Highway).  Pass through the town of Liberty. Founded in 1797 the main street area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Liberty Historic District.  From Liberty you will pass through Alexandria and Watertown on the way to the city of Lebanon, Tennessee. Lebanon is the seat of Wilson County and the home of Cumberland University, that was founded in 1842.  Soon after entering Davidson County you will encounter “The Hermitagean historical plantation and museum located 12 miles east of downtown Nashville. The plantation was owned by Andrew Jackson, from 1804 until his death at the Hermitage in 1845.  Continue on US Route 70 into downtown Nashville to Fort Nashborough.  This historic site was the stockade for the settlement that became the city of Nashville.  A reconstruction today stands in Riverfront Park on the banks of the Cumberland River.

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Click on the map to view a full-sized image

Use the following LINKS to find information about the counties and localities found along this segment of the Route.

General Profile

Genealogy & History Resources

Historical Sites

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WWW (tan left)

Internet Resources

Internet 
Resources

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The Google search engine

 button  and following web

sites    may     provide    you

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with additional information

to assist with your research

about   this   topic. 

General Resources

·         American Migration Patterns

·         Migration Routes, Roads & Trails

·         Brethren Life: Migrations

·         Trails West

·         Historical U.S. roads and trails - Wikipedia

·         U.S. Historical Maps - Perry-Castañeda Collection

·         Early American Roads and Trails

·         Frontier Trails: A Brief History

·         MIGRATIONS.org

·         ROOTS / MIGRATIONS

·         American Migration Fact Sheets

·         Map guide to American migration routes,1735-1815

·         Migration Book Store

·         Early Migration Routes

·         The Overland Trail Links--Ancient Indian Trails

·         American Westward Expansion

·         Migration Message Boards – Ancestry.com

·         The African-American Migration Experience 

·         Migration Trailsmap of many U.S. trails

·         Migration Information & Maps By Ethnic Group

Topic Specific Resources

·     Nashville, Tennessee - Wikipedia

·        TNGENWEB: Davidson County, TN

Download a free 2-page Fact Sheet

Link 1 (script)

about American migration routes

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Family Historian's
Reference Library

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The following Link will take you to our library of genealogy reference books.   Here you will find books about historic American roads, trails, and paths.  In addition, there are texts that pertain to ethnic and religion groups, history, geography as well as other books that will assist you with your research.

This Link will take you to our

Research Library - button 1

collection of reference books.  

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Image Gallery

Image Gallery

During our research we have collected images and photographs that are of general interest to a variety of historic American roads, trails and migration.  Some of them are presented on this website because we believe they tend to provide the reader with additional information which may aid in the understanding of this topic as well as our ancestors past lives.

hermitage

The Hermitage” an historical plantation and museum located 12 

miles east of downtown Nashville, was the home of Andrew Jackson

Use this LINK to see the “Image

Image Galleries - Road Trip

 Gallerythat pertain to this topic.

If you have any photographs or maps or other images relating to historic American 
roads, trails and migration routes we would greatly appreciate hearing from you.

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Free Image Search
help from Google

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Use the power of Google™ to find more interesting images about this topic. This button will link you to the Google Images Search   page.   Enter   the   topic   you   are

Google Image Search Search

searching in the box and click “Search Images”. At the “Images” display page you will see the image, as well as the website of which it is associated.

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About this webpage

About This Webpage

 

CONTACT INFORMATION

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We do like to hear from others who are researching the same people and surnames.

We need your help to keep growing!  So please Email coolmailus your

photos, stories, and other appropriate information about this topic.

 

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-- This webpage was last updated on --

01 March 2013

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Diggin for Roots (2 shovels)