Bibb County GAGenWeb
Federal Road
The Federal Road through the Creek Territory was started in 1805 when the Creek gave permission for the development of a "horse path" (which seemed to follow the Creeks own path) through their area to make mail delivery more efficient from Washington DC (then known as Washington City) and New Orleans. The building of this portion of the road was overseen by the Postal Department. This particular section started at Fort WIlkinson near Milledgeville and ended at Fort Stoddart near Mobile. The US Army slightly rerouted the road in 1811. By the time of the War of 1812, the Federal Road started in Augusta Georgia and ran through Fort Hawkins in what became Bibb County to Fort Mitchell near what is now Phenix City, Alabama, and was connected via the Three Notch Road to Pensacola in Spanish West Florida.
1810 map, Macon is to the far right
It was first used for mail delivery but was widened to about 15 feet wide to be used during 1811 and used in the Creek War which was 1813-1814. The result of that war was the removal of most of the Creek to the West. Eventually it was used by stagecoaches and wagons, bringing even more settlers. The road was rough and crude.
Georgia did not start funding the building of roads until the 1820s. And did not even have a formal branch of the state government to facilitate public works until 1826. The Federal Road was widely in use by that time.
As white travelers passed on the road, some settled near the road. It was widely used as a major thoroughfare in the 1840s, but widely fell into disrepair when new roads were opened, and later railroads were laid. The U.S. Government did not pay for the upkeep of the "Federal Road".
Another Federal Road went through Cherokee lands from Savannah, Georgia through northern Georgia to Knoxville, Tennessee which opened up the Cherokee territory to settlement. Both of these roads facilitated the opening of these lands to settlement and the removal of Native Americans.
Report on the old Federal Road by the GA DOT: https://www.dot.ga.gov/
Fort Hawkins is #9
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County Coordinator: Trish Elliott-Kashima
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