The Charlotte Pike
This post presents a comprehensive and detailed narrative of a road widely regarded as one of the most historically significant transportation corridors in Middle Tennessee: the Nashville–Charlotte Road, more commonly known today as the Charlotte Turnpike or Charlotte Pike. This work is grounded in the research of numerous previous historians who have examined various elements of the road’s past, but to my knowledge, the informoation in this post represents the first attempt to compile such a comphensive and lenghty study of those findings into a single, expansive historical narrative that I hope this turns out to be. My hopes are that this work will serve as a centralized resource of extensive information both for researchers and future historians seeking a concise account of the Charlotte Pike’s history and evolution.
Above: The general course the Charlotte Pike followed from Sullivan's Ridge in the east to the town of Charlotte in the west.
1.) A brief summary, along with a 1794 map, of a primitive roadway reportedly located in Middle Tennessee known as Glover’s Trace. Little documentary evidence survives regarding this early route, and the limited information that has been published is both scarce and difficult to access. Available accounts suggest that Glover’s Trace may have been established as early as the 1760s, predating the Nashville–Charlotte Road by approximately three to four decades.
3.) An examination of the history of Dog Creek, situated in the present-day community of Shacklett in southern Cheatham County, and its close historical association with the Charlotte Road.
Bell’s association with the road is further underscored by his selection of the remarkably young engineer Samuel Adkisson to assist in the construction of the tunnel at the Narrows of the Harpeth. Between 1818 and 1820, Adkisson—then only fifteen or sixteen years of age—supervised and directed the tunnel’s construction. Long after his professional relationship with Bell had concluded, Adkisson emerged as a prominent figure in regional transportation infrastructure, later identifying himself as a “turnpike builder.” Beginning in the late 1840s, his work on the Charlotte Turnpike, which included the supervision and maintenance of a fifteen-mile segment of the road, positioned him as one of the most influential individuals in the road’s development and alignment, second only to James Robertson in terms of lasting impact.
Although the turnpike persisted in a diminished capacity into the late nineteenth century, its ultimate obsolescence was sealed by the rise of automobile transportation and the accompanying construction of modern highways. The development of the Memphis-to-Bristol Highway during the 1910s and 1920s—undertaken as part of Tennessee’s early state highway program and influenced by federal aid initiatives—provided a publicly funded, toll-free route designed to meet contemporary engineering standards. In southern Cheatham County, this new highway either incorporated or bypassed portions of the historic turnpike corridor, rendering the older road increasingly redundant. With the completion of the highway, remaining traffic shifted almost entirely to the improved roadway, effectively eliminating any practical or economic justification for the continued operation of the Charlotte Turnpike. Together, these developments illustrate how successive waves of transportation innovation—first railroads and later automobile highways—collectively brought about the downfall and final demise of the Charlotte Turnpike as a viable thoroughfare.
Before There Was a Road / Glover's Trace
The following information on early roads in Middle Tennessee comes from a paper titled "Tennessee’s Indigenous Geography" written by Zachary Keith (Middle Tennessee State University July 2020) A link to the entire paper will be given below.
"When waterways failed to provide a quick or direct enough route, individuals were forced to travel over land. Presently interstate highways host the majority of overland automobile traffic. These tend to follow older roads, as they were generally the easiest and most direct routes between two points. The great roads Tennesseans traversed in the 18th and 19th centuries include the Virginia Road in East Tennessee; Boone’s Trace through the Cumberland Gap; the Emory Road connecting Knoxville and Nashville; the Natchez Trace between Nashville and Natchez, Mississippi (touching the Cumberland, Tennessee, and Mississippi Rivers); the federal road connecting Nashville and Chattanooga; and Charlotte Pike (earlier called Glover’s Trace) extending westward from Nashville toward the Tennessee River. All five of these roads and their later iterations on which we still drive today were already in place at the time of white settlement. Most may have begun as buffalo and large game trails until Native groups carved them out of wilderness hundreds or thousands of years before European colonization and used them for travel, trading, and raiding… Glover’s Trace, an early path west from Nashville overlapped the “Lower Harpeth and West Tennessee Trail.” Native groups most likely used this path once again for trading, hunting, or warring between Middle Tennessee and West Tennessee with a more direct route to the Mississippi River."
From - https://jewlscholar.mtsu.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/26a5d9b8-be8f-45fd-b998-bfda94203b9b/content
John Russell's 1794 "Map of the state of Kentucky : with the adjoining territories"
“The western spur of the Natchez Trace, also called the
Glover’s Trace or the Old Notchey, was an alternative West Tennessee route of
the main trace that went from Natchez, Mississippi, through Middle Tennessee to
Nashville. This western spur went through Henderson County and ended at a spot
in West Tennessee across the river from the New Johnsonville area. In those
days, there was a place to cross and a ferry at a spot called Reynoldsburg.
The route was used at least twice by troops raised by Andrew Jackson during the War of 1812 to return home and was federally surveyed by a group in 1816, who widened the Native American trail, and placed mile markers along the route.”
Link to the website where this information was obtained - https://www.lexingtonprogress.com/2020/12/02/natchez-state-trace-park-museum/
According to Cassandra Carr Cooper, Vice Regent of the Benton County, TN chapter of DAR, the roads name was "derived from an important early route laid out between Nashville and the Western District of Tennessee in 1797, by William Glover, a Native American whose mother was Chickasaw."
James Robertson -
Below: Image of the original February 1793 State of North Carolina land grant to James Robertson, assignee of Mary Campbell, heir of James Campbell, a soldier in the Continental Army.) This land, situated on Barton's Creek in what would later become Dickson County, was the site where Robertson established the Cumberland Furnace Iron Works in 1793. At the time, Robertson’s residence lay just west of Nashville, necessitating the use of rudimentary routes extending westward through the intervening wilderness to reach these early settlements approximately forty miles distant. It is probable that as early as the 1780s, Robertson had cut an initial, rudimentary path that would later evolve into the Nashville–Charlotte Road, a route reported to have been completed officially between 1804 and 1806.
 |
The following information comes directly from the grant itself.
Details - State of North Carolina Land Grant
NARRATIVE: James Robertson, Assignee of Mary Campbell, Heir of James Campbell (Military Warrant No. 1274) was issued 640 acres of land on 23 Feb 1793 in TN Tennessee County, located on the "South side of Cumberland River on West fork of Bartons Creek". This was recorded in Land Patent Book 76 page 307 as TN Tennessee County Grant # 1590. The original request for this land was entered on 28 Oct 1784. It took 8 years and 4 months to issue the grant.
Text of the grant:
"Issued 23 Feb 1793 for 640 acres "S. side of Cumberland River on West fork of Bartons Creek"
|
No 1590 Know ye that we have granted unto James Robertson
assignee of James Campbell a private in the Continental line of this State six
hundred and forty acres of land in our County of Tennessee on the south side of
Cumberland river on the west fork of Bartons creek beginning at an elm and
hickory on the bank of the creek on William Blount’s west boundary line runs west
three hundred and twenty poles to two black gums and hickory thence south three
hundred and twenty poles to a Sugartree on the bank of the creek thence east
three hundred and twenty poles to a stake thence north three hundred and twenty
poles to the beginning To hold to the said James Robertson his heirs and assignees
forever dated the 23rd day of February 1793 J Glasgow (North Carolina Secretary of State) Richard Dobbs Spaight (Governor of North Carolina from December 1792 to November 1795) |
Above: The old roadbed of the Nashville - Charlotte Road can still clearly be seen, as shown in this video that I shot in 2016. The roadbed seen in the video was once part of the Turnpike that was located in the area about a mile west of what is today, the intersection of Old Charlotte Pike and Sam's Creek Road, and about one and a half miles east of where Dog Creek Road dead ends today.
The Building of the Road
By the time Robertson first began cutting the path that the Charlotte Road would take, he was already nearing 60 years old. After he had completed the construction of this road sometime between 1800 - 1804, he named it after his wife, Charlotte Reeves Robertson, to whom he had been married since 1768. Charlotte, the town seat of Dickson County, was also named after Mrs. Robertson.
Below is the oldest map I have been able to find that depicts what I believe to be the Nashville - Charlotte Road. This map was made in 1805.
The wilderness through which the road was cut passed directly through lands that had previously been inhabited by various Native American peoples, the first of which having arrived here some 10,000 - 12,000 years ago, and possibly even 13,000 to 14,000 years ago. The area remained continuously inhabited by various Native American societies and cultures for many thousands of years, up until it was suddenly abandoned and completely evacuated by the last of the Native Americans to occupy the land, happening sometime around the late 14th to mid 15th century.
Mound Bottom and the adjacent Pack Sites comprise one of the most archaeologically significant Mississippian-period civic-ceremonial complexes in Middle Tennessee. Occupation of the core at Mound Bottom is generally dated to the Late Woodland–Mississippian transition and the height of Mississippian lifeways (approximately AD 1000–1300), during which time the site developed an organized plan of earthen constructions arrayed around a substantial central plaza. These places functioned as nucleated towns where political, economic, and ritual activities were concentrated, and they form part of a broader landscape of mound centers that mediated regional interaction along the lower Harpeth and Cumberland valleys.
The Native Americans often known as the "Mound Builders" had consistently occupied the area of Southern Cheatham County that includes both the Mound Bottom & Pack Sites, beginning sometime around the year 950 AD. Their occupation of these sites lasted approximately 500 years or so, up until sometime around 1450 AD. For reasons still unknown, beginning sometime around 1400 AD, these people suddenly and rapidly abandoned their lands and densely populated sites in Middle Tennessee, including Mound Bottom and surrounding sites, within a time span of only a few decades.
Above: Aerial view of Mound Bottom
Several leading theories have been proposed to explain the rapid and widespread evacuation of Native population of the Mound Bottom and Pack Sites. Among the most commonly cited explanations are the following: (1) large-scale warfare or territorial conflicts between neighboring tribes; (2) epidemics of disease to which the Indigenous population had no prior immunity; (3) the potential degradation of agricultural lands due to overuse or mismanagement, rendering the territory increasingly unsuitable for sustaining a stable population; (4) the depletion of natural resources, including a dramatic decline or local extinction of key species such as bison, deer, cougars, and black bears, which had long served as primary sources of food; and (5) possible religious or cultural motivations that influenced patterns of settlement and abandonment.
Following this period, Middle Tennessee remained largely uninhabited by Native Americans for at least two to three centuries. During this interval, the region was utilized primarily as hunting grounds by small, mobile groups from various tribes. These were the Indigenous peoples encountered by the earliest European explorers and settlers in the early to mid-1700s. When questioned, these Native groups possessed no knowledge of the monumental earthworks in the region—such as Mound Bottom—nor of the peoples who had constructed them several centuries earlier. The origins and purpose of these mounds remained as enigmatic to the Indigenous inhabitants encountered by early European settlers as they did to the newcomers themselves.
In 1823, the book "The Natural & Aboriginal History of Tennessee" was published, authored by John "Judge" Haywood, who was "an American jurist and historian known as the Father of Tennessee History." His book was, in part, an attempt to prove that the native tribes of Tennessee were descendants of ancient Hebrews, a popular idea among European Americans in the early 19th century." (Wikipedia)
Of the Sun and Moon painted upon rocks -
"About two miles below the road, which crosses Harpeth River, from Nashville to Charlotte, is a bend of the river…About six miles from it is a large rock,, on the side of the river, with a perpendicular face of 70 or 80 feet altitude. On it below the top some distance, and on the side, are painted the sun and moon in yellow colors, which have not faded since the white people first knew it. The figure of the sun is six feet in diameter: The figure of the moon, is of the old moon…The painting on Big Harpeth, before spoken of, is more than 80 feet from the water, and 30 or 40 below the summit…The painting is neatly executed and was performed at an immense hazard of the operator. It must have been for a sacred purpose, and as an object of adoration. What other motive was capable of inciting to a work so perilous, laborious and expensive, as those paintings must have been? By what means (was the skilled artist) let down, and placed near enough to operate? And for what reward did he undertake so dangerous a work?” (pages 113 – 115)
Above: These are two of the best photographs ever taken of Paint Rock. Thanks to the latest drone technology many hard-to-reach archeological sites are now easily accessible via drone.
He began the section of his book in which he covers Mound Bottom by writing "On the Big Harpeth river, in a bend of the river, below the road which crosses near the mouth of Dog creek, from Nashville to Charlotte, is a square mound, 47 by 47 at the base, twenty-five feet high, and two others in a row with it, of inferior size, from 5 to 10 feet high...The top of this mound was ascended to from the west, where the height is not more than 5 or 6 feet. The platform is 60 feet over. Two large gateways are in the eastern wall. From the most southwardly of them, a road leads to the river and across it in a northwardly direction, near the mouth of Dog creek." (page 129)
He goes on to say that several other ancient roads and paths that were used by the mound builders to travel between their cities were still traceable, including another description of the road that ran from the Mound Bottom complex to the mouth of Dog Creek, where the Charlotte Road crossed the Harpeth. Haywood noted that this road was traceable for miles eastward following a course alongside Dog Creek in the direction of Nashville.
Haywood further states that he could make out the path of another road "leading to the mouth of Dog creek, and traceable for several miles beyond it....Higher up the river, and within a mile of the above-described enclosures, and above the road leading by the mouth of Dog creek to Charlotte, is another bend of the river, so formed as to leave a bend and bottom on the north or opposite side of the river..." (page 130)
Haywood also wrote in the same chapter of his book, that along the old road that was traceable and led up Dog Creek for miles eastward in the direction of Nashville, an ancient Native American grave had been discovered, and that near to this grave, the grave of a dog had also been discovered. He writes, "On the side of the road leading from Nashville to Charlotte, one mile east of Big Harpeth, near the lower part of Mr. Lake's plantation, was a grave, with rocks set up at the feet and head, and containing the bones of a dog. The bones in another grave near it, were human". (page 192)
For a dog to be buried alongside his Native American human master in such fashion, it must have been a dog held in a much higher regard and deserving of even more respect than the average canine; one that must have been much cared for and looked after in order to deserve such an honorable burial.
Haywood's book "The Natural And Aboriginal History Of Tennessee, Up To The First Settlements Therein By The White People, in the Year 1768" has been made available to read for free on the Internet Archive website. It can be found at the following link - https://archive.org/details/naturalaborigina00hayw/page/n9/mode/2up
The History of Dog Creek & Its Link to The Charlotte Road
As long ago as the mid 1800's, the first story that would eventually become the leading theory as to how Dog Creek got its name, began to spread by word of mouth among some lifelong Dog Creek residents. As the story goes, the creek got its name because of a run in between a black bear and a dog, which resulted in the bear killing the dog. If this story has any truth to it, the dog more than likely belonged to one of the first land surveyors who was passing through the area, as the fight is said to have taken place sometime in the 1780's, before there were any permanent settlers in the Dog Creek area.
At the time, the creek had yet to be named, but it soon became known as the creek where the dog was killed by a bear. Whether or not this is the true story as to how Dog Creek got its name, the person who named it was probably one of the first people to permanently settle along the creek, in the first couple of years of the 1790's.
Several years ago, I uncovered the best and most reliable piece of evidence I have yet to find that best supports this story. It is the oldest document to mention the creek, and the oldest document I have found that uses the title "Dog Creek" to label it: a land grant dated February 23, 1793, issued by the State of North Carolina to two men—Alexander Green and none other than James Robertson himself. Both Green and Robertson were assignees of a man named Thomas Valentine. (See the photo section below for a photo of this land grant.)
In addition to this, in Sarah Foster Kelley's 1987 book, "West Nashville, it's People and Environs", in the chapter in which Kelley discusses the history and genealogy of the families to settle along the Charlotte Turnpike, from West Nashville all the way to Shacklett in Southern Cheatham County, the account of the run in between a bear and a dog is also given as the reason the creek was named Dog Creek. In the section in which Kelley tells of the history of Shacklett, she says "A few miles northwest of Kingston Springs on the present Highway Seventy, North, is the crossing of the Big Harpeth River. A road which leads north connects the Dog Creek Community, also known as Shacklett, named for Doctor Shacklett, and the Narrows of Harpeth settlement. It has been said that a bear killed a dog on a branch which was later called Dog Creek." (page 142-43)
This is where the Charlotte Turnpike crossed Dog Creek, about one hundred yards east of its mouth.
Above: This map shows the location where the Charlotte Road crossed Dog Creek about 100 yards east of the mouth of the creek. Also shown on this map are the paths of Dog Creek (traced in light blue), and the original path of the Charlotte Road (dark blue.)
Going back to Haywood's account of the discovery of the gravesite of the Native American and his canine companion - If not for the many accounts of the story of the unfortunate dog who lost his life somewhere along the creek in a battle against a black bear (a species of animal that was still a common sight here and that still inhabited the woods of Middle Tennessee up until the early - mid 1800's) one might be inclined to believe the creek was so named because of the discovery of the gravesite beside the creek that contained the remains of the ancient Native American and his dog.
The Charlotte Pike & The US Mail
Beginning not long after the road had been completed and the town of Charlotte was established as the seat of the new County of Dickson in 1804, the road was already being used as a route to carry the United States Mail between Nashville, Charlotte, and areas further to the west in Middle Tennessee. It continued to serve as an official United States Mail route from 1806 all the way up until sometime in the 1890's, when the road ceased existing as a turnpike road after the Nashville - Charlotte Turnpike Company was sold to a private individual, which is when the road first became a toll-free road. Below, mail schedule is detailed in a newspaper announcement.
The Nashville and Charlotte Turnpike Company - The Stagecoach Years
In 1838, the Charlotte Road was acquired by the Nashville–Charlotte Turnpike Company, which had been chartered earlier that year. This marked the first instance in which travelers were required to pay a toll to use the roadway. Shortly after the company’s charter, toll booths were constructed at designated points along the Turnpike. Ownership of the company was vested in Jetton, Walker & Co.
Following its conversion to a turnpike in the 1830s, the road became the principal stagecoach route linking Nashville and Charlotte. According to a contemporary advertisement in a Nashville newspaper, stagecoaches departed Nashville every Friday at 6:00 A.M. and arrived in Charlotte by noon, indicating an approximate travel time of six hours over a distance of thirty-six to thirty-eight miles.
About eight - nine years prior to this charter, a December 1829, advertisement in The Arkansas Gazette announced the initiation of stagecoach service between Nashville and Memphis, scheduled to commence in January 1830. Service was to operate three days per week, with coaches drawn by teams of four horses and outfitted in “superior style” for passenger comfort (see image below).
An excerpt from H.W. Crew’s 1890 work, A History of Nashville, Tennessee, provides further context regarding the establishment of turnpike companies and the construction of roads and bridges throughout Davidson County, situating the development of the Charlotte Turnpike within the broader framework of regional transportation infrastructure.
“The Nashville and Charlotte Turnpike Company was chartered somewhere between 1835 and 1840, for the purpose of constructing a turnpike from Nashville towards Charlotte. The road as constructed (as of 1890) is ten miles long, and cost about $60,000.00. It was a very important road previous to the building of the railroads, and it was no uncommon thing to see twenty teams at a time traveling on this pike, as it was the main road leading to Memphis. Since the railroads have come in, this pike has become a mere local road. In 1880 it was purchased very cheaply by A.L. Demoss (who lived in the vicinity of Newsom’s Station). It was sold by him in 1887 to Dr. H.M. Pierce, who afterward turned it over to the West Nashville Land Company, its present (as of 1890) proprietors." (https://nashvillehistory.blogspot.com/2014/07/turnpikes-and-bridges-in-davidson.html?m=1#:~:text=The%20Nashville%20and%20Charlotte%20Turnpike,him%20in%201887%20to%20Dr)
Above: This 1833 map of Davidson and Dickson Counties shows the route of the Charlotte Pike. According to this map, the main Charlotte Road crossed the Harpeth River at the mouth of Dog Creek, which is seen on the map. Another road is shown branching off of the main Charlotte Road in the vicinity of Sullivan's Ridge, leading westward and crossing the Harpeth somewhere near the Narrows, in what was at the time western Davidson County. I believe this road may have later been chartered as "The Big Harpeth Turnpike Company" (see image further below)
According to historian Sarah Foster Kelley, after a tornado devastated the town of Charlotte and nearly destroyed (the) Charlotte Road in 1830, plans were set in motion to charter a turnpike company to re-establish and maintain the thoroughfare. As part of a stagecoach route running from Nashville through Charlotte to Memphis, the road between the two towns appeared as an “important road” on the “1832 Map of the State of Tennessee, Taken from Survey, by Matthew Rhea (Columbia, TN).
| Above - "Map of the State of Tennessee taken from survey by Matthew Rhea (1832)"More about this 1832 map. from the Tennessee Virtual Archive Map collection website - " |
| "This is the best overall map of Tennessee in the early national period. It shows counties, stage roads, Indian boundary lines, old forts, Indian villages, mills, iron works as well as streams, settlements, ranges and sections in West Tennessee, a geological cross-section of the state, a chronological statement of Tennessee history, a statistical table on counties showing dates established, and the total population and principal exports of counties. View of Nashville shown." |
After the Civil War, railroad lines running through southern Dickson County shifted growth away from Charlotte toward the town of Dickson, and the use of the Nashville-Charlotte Turnpike began to diminish. “Before the construction of the railroads it was an important road, as it was the main road leading toward Memphis.” (“Turnpike History,” The Nashville American, Monday, 14 October 1901, Page 7)
By 1901, the "Free Turnpikes" movement was well underway in Davidson County, and the County Court began acquiring turnpikes with plans to open them as free, public thoroughfares. In October 1901, the Turnpike Committee of the Davidson County Court valued the Charlotte Turnpike property at $8,000. By December 1901, the County Court had purchased the Charlotte Turnpike for the same amount. The county continued to operate the Charlotte Turnpike and other purchased roads “at the regular rates of toll” with grand plans to “throw all of the gates open on Jan. 1.” On Wednesday morning, January 1, 1902, The Nashville American announced “Turnpikes of the county will be open to the public today.”
As Davidson County faced the transition to open public
thoroughfares, the City of Nashville faced the ongoing struggle of duplicate
and mismatched street names. The issue was particularly challenging each time
the City of Nashville annexed new territories from Davidson County into the
city government. The Cedar Street to Charlotte Turnpike road was no exception.
As a major thoroughfare through the western part of the city and county, the
road was located within or adjacent to some of the most significant annexations
to the city, from 1830 to 1952, including the annexation of West
Nashville." More on the decline of the Charlotte Turnpike is discussed in another section below.
The following information comes from the website "A History of Humphreys County"
"In 1824 the Nashville – Memphis Stage Line ran once a week, making six major stops before arriving in Memphis. The first stop was at Chestnut Grove, 18 miles west of Nashville; Charlotte in Dickson County, 40 miles from Nashville; Reynoldsburg on the river, 38 miles from Charlotte, Huntingdon, 31 miles from Reynoldsburg; Jackson, 38 miles from the last stop, Bolivar, 28 miles from Jackson; and then on into Memphis.
By the 1830’s the coach left Nashville every Tuesday and Friday at 6 a.m. and was scheduled to arrive at Jackson, Tennessee, every Thursday and Sunday by 6 p.m. Mail was carried by these early stage coaches."
A section further detailing the early roads of Humphrey's County, which was the county that bordered Dickson County on the west. As is stated in the section shown above, "Another common road entered the county (Humphrey's) from Dickson County and ran parallel with the stage road, only it's terminus was Reynoldsburg." Reynoldsburg was later known as Johnsonville, or New Johnsonville, beginning around the year 1864, which is when the Nashville & Northwestern Railroad was completed between Nashville and this town that sat directly on the Tennessee River. The common stage road referred to above was in fact the portion of The Nashville - Charlotte Stage Road that continued on west after it passed through Charlotte in Dickson County and continued on to the west, where some 10 miles after it departed Charlotte, it entered Humphrey's County at the Dickson County / Humphrey's County border. From there, it was only another 12 - 15 miles until the stage route reached Reynoldsburg (later renamed New Johnsonville) in Humprey's County on the Tennessee River.
Again, the entire 1963 book by Jill Knight Garrett, "A History of Humphreys County" is available to read on the Internet Archive Website at the following link - https://archive.org/details/historyofhumphre00garr/page/58/mode/2up
It is a very interesting and very well researched piece of work, providing a wealth of information on the history of Middle Tennessee. I would recommend anyone interested in learning more about the area's history to at least take a quick look at the contents of this book.
After the Civil War, railroad lines running through southern Dickson County shifted growth away from Charlotte toward the town of Dickson, and the use of the Nashville-Charlotte Turnpike began to diminish. “Before the construction of the railroads it was an important road, as it was the main road leading toward Memphis.” (“Turnpike History,” The Nashville American, Monday, 14 October 1901, Page 7)
By 1901, the "Free Turnpikes" movement was well underway in Davidson County, and the County Court began acquiring turnpikes with plans to open them as free, public thoroughfares. In October 1901, the Turnpike Committee of the Davidson County Court valued the Charlotte Turnpike property at $8,000. By December 1901, the County Court had purchased the Charlotte Turnpike for the same amount. The county continued to operate the Charlotte Turnpike and other purchased roads “at the regular rates of toll” with grand plans to “throw all of the gates open on Jan. 1.” On Wednesday morning, January 1, 1902, The Nashville American announced “Turnpikes of the county will be open to the public today.”
As Davidson County faced the transition to open public thoroughfares, the City of Nashville faced the ongoing struggle of duplicate and mismatched street names. The issue was particularly challenging each time the City of Nashville annexed new territories from Davidson County into the city government. The Cedar Street to Charlotte Turnpike road was no exception. As a major thoroughfare through the western part of the city and county, the road was located within or adjacent to some of the most significant annexations to the city, from 1830 to 1952, including the annexation of West Nashville."
The Turnpike’s passage through rugged terrain, coupled with the poor condition of the roadway itself, imposed significant physical demands on the horses tasked with pulling the heavily loaded stagecoaches. Teams frequently became fatigued and overheated, necessitating frequent rest and recovery periods. The distance a fully loaded stage could travel between rest stops was often limited to ten to fifteen miles, and travel times between stops could exceed one hour due to the challenging conditions.
The first such rest station west of Nashville was situated at the base of Sullivan’s Ridge, the initial of several steep ridges traversed by the road. In her study West Nashville, Its People and Environs, Sarah Foster Kelley notes:
"One stagecoach stop was located at the base of Sullivan's Ridge from 1821 until after 1858, known as Elijah Robertson's Tavern and Blacksmith Shop....Horses were exchanged at the old waystation before fresh ones sped on their way across country. The heated, tired horses were placed in the stables nearby to rest and to cool down in an attempt to prevent the animals from taking pneumonia..." (p. 41).
This account illustrates both the logistical challenges of early stagecoach travel along the Charlotte Turnpike and the critical role of waystations in maintaining the efficiency and safety of mail and passenger transport.
Later in her study, Kelley elaborates on the operations of the stagecoach stop, noting that “Elijah Robertson took operation of the stagecoach stop about 1821 when his brother moved westward. He built a stage stand and blacksmith shop across the road from his home in what was known as Stage Hollow. The Robertson home served as a tavern where the passengers rested while waiting on fresh horses. It was customary when the coach was approaching, the stage driver would sound a bugle signaling negro slave, Harry Robertson, to make ready. Reports state that when the coach was going over the ridge on its way to Charlotte, most of the passengers under forty years of age walked over the steep hill to lighten the load for the horses. Some of the older women did not want to tell their age, so they walked too” (Kelley, West Nashville, Its People and Environs, p. 134).
Kelley further observes that the road network in the region predates the Charlotte Turnpike itself. She notes, “As early as 1783 the Chickasaw Trace, which led from General Robertson’s farm in West Nashville to the site of present-day Memphis, known then as the Chickasaw Nation, was in existence. A deed refers to the old road on the north of the Nashville–Charlotte Turnpike and calls it the Nashville–Dickson Road. It is evident then that there were roads leading west from Nashville in the earliest years” (Kelley, p. 41).
Ridley Wills II also addresses the significance of the stagecoach stop in his 2017 work, Nashville Pikes, Volume 4. He writes, “When the Elijah Robertson's lived on the Charlotte Road, it was considered the second most important road leading out of Nashville, second only to the Murfreesboro Road. It led west and was greatly traveled by immigrants. The stop at Elijah’s stage stand was the only stop between Nashville and Charlotte” (Wills, 2017, p. 115).
Collectively, these accounts underscore the Charlotte Road’s importance as a principal transportation corridor in early Middle Tennessee, its reliance on strategically located waystations, and the integral role of the Robertson family in supporting both passenger travel and mail transport along the route.
Above: This picture of Montgomery Bell was likely taken in the early 1850's, when Bell would have been in his early 80's. He was 86 years old when he died on April 1, 1855.
The creation of Cheatham County, as told in the book “Cheatham County Tennessee History and Families”.
“An Act of the General Assembly passed February 26, 1856, created the county of Cheatham, composed of parts of Davidson, Robertson, Montgomery and Dickson counties.” (page 7) As a result of the creation of the new county, situated in between Davidson and Dickson Counties, resulted in nearly half of the entire length of the Charlotte Turnpike now existing in Southern Cheatham County, which spanned an approximate 16 to 18 miles from the Davidson County line to the Dickson County line."
Above: One of the earliest maps depicting the route of the Charlotte Pike, dating from 1862, that also includes the then 6 year old county of Cheatham on the map
After his services were no longer required by Bell at the Narrows, Adkisson acquired land in close proximity to that site. In the 1820s, he settled along Dog Creek on several acres situated south of the Charlotte Road, opposite the future location of Dog Creek Cemetery, which was established in the 1850s. (In his last will and testament, early Dog Creek settler and prominent community figure Mastin Ussery donated the tract of land on which the cemetery was later located. The following link will take you to a post on my local South Cheatham County Facebook page which describes this act in much more detail - https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Ys1sYmSni/
Adkisson’s professional talents were matched by an equally pronounced and ambitious personality. Although he demonstrated considerable skill and ingenuity in engineering—constructing tunnels, iron forges, bridges, turnpikes, and various other innovations—his personal character was marked by traits that were conspicuous even to his contemporaries. Dozens of editorials, speeches, and other extensive writings that he composed and published in Nashville newspapers later in life reveal an individual keenly concerned with his reputation and standing in the community. These writings, which addressed a broad range of topics, frequently conveyed his own assessments of his achievements and importance. Adkisson was easily offended and displayed a pronounced sensitivity, if not outright paranoia, regarding how others perceived him and his inventions. Nonetheless, it is evident that he possessed a strong sense of self-satisfaction.
Adkisson’s early engineering accomplishments conferred upon him a degree of confidence and self-regard that few individuals attain, particularly at such a young age. It is plausible that his enduring attachment to the Narrows of the Harpeth stemmed in part from pride in that early achievement, which he later described as his most significant professional accomplishment. In his twenties, Adkisson made the consequential decision to establish his permanent residence in the Dog Creek neighborhood. This decision ultimately positioned him to exert a substantial influence on the subsequent development and course of the Nashville–Charlotte Road.
In 1850, the Tennessee State Legislature passed an act granting Samuel W. Adkisson control over a fifteen-mile section of the Nashville–Charlotte Turnpike, a provision contingent upon his construction of a bridge over the Harpeth River near the mouth of Dog Creek at his own expense. The eastern terminus of this segment began at the summit of Sullivan’s Ridge, where Adkisson had already erected at least one toll gate. Section 11 of the Act authorized him to charge tolls at a gate located one mile east of the Harpeth River at rates double those permitted at his gate on Sullivan’s Ridge or at any other Charlotte Turnpike toll gate, provided that the bridge remained free to the public and that only one toll gate was maintained over the final ten miles of the road. The route under his supervision extended westward from Sullivan’s Ridge through the territory that would later become southern Cheatham County, passing north of Pegram, crossing the present-day Sam’s Creek Road, and descending into the valley where the headwaters of Dog Creek converge. Section 12 stipulated that if any party paid Adkisson a fair valuation for his work on the bridge and graded road by January 1, 1851, all privileges and immunities conferred upon him by the Act would cease.
Adkisson’s supervision of this portion of the Turnpike reflected not only his engineering skill but also his assertive personality and desire for professional recognition. His numerous letters published in Nashville newspapers between the early 1850s and the mid-1860s provide further insight into his character and his engagement with regional infrastructure. These writings reveal a man both ambitious and forthright, often polemical in tone, who sought to assert his reputation and defend his accomplishments. A recurrent theme in his correspondence was the presentation of personal grievances; Adkisson frequently portrayed himself as having been wronged or inadequately recognized for his contributions. These tendencies are particularly evident in letters addressed to the president of the Nashville & Northwestern Railroad, in which he delivered detailed, pointed criticisms, asserting his professional and moral authority with rhetorical force.
Taken together, the legislative record and Adkisson’s public writings illuminate the interplay between individual agency and infrastructural development in mid-nineteenth-century Middle Tennessee. Adkisson’s personal ambition, engineering expertise, and outspoken engagement with both civic and commercial authorities played a defining role in shaping the Charlotte Turnpike, demonstrating how the character and initiative of a single actor could materially influence the trajectory of regional transportation networks.
Mr. V.K. Stevenson : Sir – I have spent some time and money about
said road, and have a little interest in it, and look on it as a great national
road, which you should be under control of a man worthy of confidence at home
and has not too many irons in the fire. As such, I will state some facts for
you and others, at home and abroad, to think about.
You said in 1858, the directors of the N.W. Railroad gave
you $6,000 per year for a little part of your time, to get them out of a difficulty
they had got in. (you having two other roads and your private matters on hand.)
I told you I thought the country and people could not build and support the
road, for I had been twice applied to, to be President of it. You said your
statements about it were made under oath, and was worthy of more respect than
those made by me. Mr. B. Douglas and others, and that you knew more about such
things.
In February 1859, on page 6 in the report by the committee,
you said there were 24 miles graded and bridged from Nashville on the east end.
I say there were not 8 miles done then, and it was in February 1861 before 24
miles was completed - two years later.
You said, on page 13, you had means to build the road and leave a surplus of
$1,437,270; if so, why not pay the debts against the mortgage bonds and quit
drawing State aid before the road is graded?
From Various Reports, the
road Commissioner has just got himself in a bad condition about your road, as well as
some others, that may have to account to their acts next fall. You said there
were but three bridges over Harpeth river; I said seven; you said I had three
toll-gates to catch the old woman’s eggs and chickens; I said but one; and when
you correct these statements I will give you others. And as you took the
liberty of speaking feely about the people of Louisville, Clarksville, and
Memphis, while you were contradicting and slandering me, Mr. Douglas and
others, I want you to go there with me, and let me tell them before your face
what you said about them. I will take good care of you, and hope you may live
long to thing of what you have said and done; for hatching slander is like
hatching buzzards, which will return to drop their filth and litter, to be
felt, smelt seen and tasted by those that hatched them. And if you don’t pay
them debt’s, and take in them second mortgage, bonds, and explain what you did
with that large surplus of $1,437,270, some of the contractors or workmen may
get hold of you; for men do not like to work in mud and rain, at their expense,
for you to spend time and money with the Lords and Ladies in France and
England, trying to get married at their expense, to a rich woman, (from rumor)
I hope you will submit to the truth as calmly as I did to your slander for two
years, and think about what you have brought on yourself and others, by
slandering me and others to get $6,000 for a part of your time.
And you would do well to close your contracts here, before
you go to Texas or France again, to get money, or to marry, for you can find
debts to pay, work to do, and women to marry, nearer home. You said Mr. Douglas’
report was worse to you than tartar. I think this is better. I gave the publishing
house $25 to publish a book on lying, for such men as you. Read it, for it is
the best of the three.
I went twice to Texas at my own expense, and know a little
about the road, and other things there, as well as you, and I invite all
persons to examine your repots and work here, and then judge us by our words
and acts.
And why do not the Directors of the N.W. R. R. give the stock-holders
a report once a year, as the law directs, in the Acts of 1851 and 52, and then
judge us by our words and acts.
And why do not the directors of the N.W. R. R. give the stock-holders
a report once a year, as the law directs, in the Acts of 1851 and 52, on page
86, sec. 17? I suppose Governor Harris could tell, as he is paid to see that
the laws are faithfully executed, and fully compiled with before he gives out State
bonds; and he said it would be hard to say that State bonds were not bills of
credit, and the law says State bonds shall not be sold for less than their par
value.
Though this is in an age of progression and secession, in
which very little regard is paid to the Constitution, laws or oaths, as if
there were neither God, devil nor country; though I think by next fall many will
learn a lesson long to be remembered, for the party lines are broken, and the people
are looking and thinking. As my health and education are bad, and I have other
such men as you to contend with in this and four other States, at my expense, I
hope you and others will forgive what you or they may think is amiss; for I am
ready and willing to explain or correct mistakes. For your protection for the
women’s eggs and chickens. Yours with regret and kindness, to clip the wings of
your imagination, and get the people to look and think.
S.W. Adkisson, a Mechanic
Chestnut Grove, Cheatham Co., Tenn.,. March 15th,
1861.
N.B. if Mr. J.M. Newsom and family will meet me at Hanner’s
Ford Meeting House, on Sunday, 17th inst., at 10 o’clock in the morning,
I will treat them friendly and kindly, and give them and others some good
advice, and help them to complete the Road to Tennessee River.
S.W.A."
Samuel Adkisson's Account of the behavior of the Union Soldiers who passed by his farm on the Charlotte Turnpike during the war -
The following text reproduces Samuel Adkisson’s January 1865 letter to Vice President Andrew Johnson, in which Adkisson articulates his grievances against the Federal army for the treatment he and his family received from Union soldiers who traversed the Charlotte Turnpike and passed his farm on multiple occasions during the Civil War.
Addressed to Vice President Andrew Johnson and dated January 1865, Adkisson’s letter offers a detailed personal account of alleged property seizures, mistreatment, and other indignities perpetrated by Union troops stationed or operating in the vicinity following the Confederate defeat at Fort Donelson in February 1862. At the time, Dog Creek Road formed a portion of the Charlotte Turnpike, the principal thoroughfare between Nashville and Dickson.
The letter should be read against the broader military context: between 1862 and December 1864, the Dog Creek area witnessed a number of skirmishes between localized Confederate guerrilla bands and various Union forces, a period of intermittent violence that culminated with the Confederate defeat at the Battle of Nashville.
.jpg)
.jpg)
 |
| Above - This is one of the earliest known maps of the Harpeth River drawn by Matthew Rhea in 1832, shown passing through what is now Cheatham County. Rhea also drew and labelled some of the larger tributaries along this section of the Harpeth, as well as a faintly sketched Charlotte Road, shown crossing the Harpeth at the mouth of Dog Creek, which Rhea labeled as well. (This also makes it one of the earliest maps depicting Dog Creek.) |
 |
Above: This 1839 map of Davidson and Dickson Counties in Middle
Tennessee comes from The Library of Congress online catalog of historic early
Tennessee maps. (This is just a portion of a much larger map of Middle Tennessee, below is the link to the map on the Library of Congress website where the entire map can be viewed.) On this map, the Charlotte Turnpike is shown passing through
the village of Chestnut Grove, which was located in the area where Shacklett is
located in Southern Cheatham County today. To view the entire map on The Library of Congress website, click on the following link - https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3950.rr002240/?r=0.318,0.465,0.096,0.058,0 |
 | ||
Above: This 1860 map shows the portion of Middle Tennessee through which the Charlotte Turnpike traversed. It comes from The Library of Congress online catalog of historic early Tennessee maps. On this map, we can see several roads depicted that branch off of the Charlotte Turnpike between Nashville and Charlotte. The road that branches of just to the west of Indian Creek, where “Mrs. Nichols” is written, was the road that led to Sam’s Creek Springs. You can also see that once the Charlotte Turnpike reached the Harpeth River, a road leading north towards the Narrows of the Harpeth branches off.  Above: This 1863 map depicts the Charlotte Turnpike in red., Note that Dog Creek is written on the map near where the Turnpike crossed the Harpeth River. It also appears that the Nashville & Northwestern Railroad had only been built west out of Nashville to the South Harpeth River. Click on the map to make it larger. This map is titled "Military Map of the States of Kentucky and Tennessee," created by Charles E. Swann in November 1863. The map can be found at the following web address - https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~4197~340026:Military-Map-of-the-States-of-Kentu  Above: On this 1940's map showing Cheatham County Civil Districts, I have edited it to show the location of three specific roads. In red I have tried to plot the approximate location of modern-day Sams Creek Road. In orange I have highlighted the portion of the Charlotte Turnpike that was still used as a road in 1940. In blue is modern day Dog Creek Road.  This aerial view that I shot from my drone, shows the path that the Charlotte Pike followed after it crossed modern day Sam's Creek Road (outlined in yellow) This is where the Pike descends the ridge and runs down into the Dog Creek Valley. This areal video shot from my done, shows the area just west of Sams's Creek Road where the old Charlotte Road once ran through. The Dog Creek valley, and the outline of the old roadbed itself is visible in this video.
 Above: Myself (DJ Hutcherson) Pictured beside the old oak tree in 2018, which I have given the nicknamed "The Shacklett Tree". |
| The Adkisson Family plot at Dog Creek Cemetery. Photo taken in 2016. |
Above - The old roadbed can clearly be made out in this video, even though it is overgrown with trees and brush. I filmed this as I was descending the ridge east of the head of Dog Creek.
Wow...lot of work..great job son!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you daddy!
DeleteVery well done! Good job brother
ReplyDeleteThank you brother!
Delete