Natchez Trace Parkway
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Natchez Trace Parkway | |
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| IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape) | |
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| Location: | Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee, USA |
| Nearest city: | Jackson, Mississippi |
| Area: | 51,984 acres (210.37 km²) |
| Established: | May 8, 1938 |
| Visitation: | 5,482,282 (in 2005) |
| Governing body: | National Park Service |
The Natchez Trace Parkway is a 444 mile (715 km) long parkway, in the form of a limited-access two-lane road, in the southeastern United States. The southern end of the route is northeast of Washington, Mississippi, at an intersection with US 61; the northern end is northeast of Fairview, Tennessee, in the suburban community of Pasquo, Tennessee at an intersection with Tennessee 100. The road links the cities of Natchez, Mississippi and Nashville, Tennessee, via Jackson and Tupelo, Mississippi, and Florence in northwestern Alabama.
Construction was begun by the federal government in the 1930s. The final segment, between Interstate 55 and Interstate 20 (in Ridgeland and Clinton, respectively), opened to the public on May 21, 2005. The road is maintained by the National Park Service, and has been designated an All-American Road. The purpose of the road is to commemorate the original route of the Natchez Trace.
The road was one of the many projects of the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression. The road was the proposal of U.S. Congressman Thomas Jefferson Busby of Mississippi, who proposed it as a way to give tribute to the original Natchez Trace. Inspired by the proposal, the Daughters of the American Revolution began planting markers and monuments along the Trace. In 1934, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt administration ordered a survey. Construction on the Parkway began in 1939, to be overseen by the National Park Service. Its length includes more than 45,000 acres (182 km²) and the towering Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge in Williamson County, Tennessee, completed in 1994 and one of only two post-tensioned, segmental concrete arch bridges in the world. (See the Federal Highway Administration's photo.)
There are numerous historical sites on the Parkway, including the Meriwether Lewis Museum, the refurbished Mount Locust stand, and the Ridgeland Crafts Center in Ridgeland, Mississippi, which focuses on promoting Mississippi's native art. Nestled between the Parkway and Old Port Gibson Road is the ghost town of Rocky Springs that thrived in the late 1800's. Today the old Rocky Springs Methodist Church, the cemetery and several building sites still exist and are accessible from the Parkway. Scenic Cypress Swamp is located at Mile Post 122. There are also several cascading waterfalls to view, some require a little hike from the parkway to view. In addition, parts of the original trail are still accessible. The history of the Parkway and that of the entire Trace is summarized at the Natchez Trace Visitor Center in Tupelo, Mississippi.
Commercial traffic is prohibited along the entire route, and the speed limit is 50 miles per hour (80 km/h).
Emergency Appropriations Act of June 19, 1934, allocated initial construction funds; established as parkway under National Park Service by act of May 18, 1938. Ackia Battleground National Monument (established August 27, 1935, and now called Chickasaw Village) and Meriwether Lewis Park (proclaimed as Meriwether Lewis National Monument February 6, 1925 and transferred from the War Department August 10, 1933) were added to the parkway by act of August 10, 1961.
- Total area: 51,746.50 acres (209.41 km²)
- Federal area: 51,680.64 acres (209.14 km²)
- Nonfederal area: 65.86 acres (0.27 km²)
The parkway headquarters is in Tupelo. The parkway also manages two battlefields: Tupelo National Battlefield and Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site.
[edit] See also
[edit] Reference
- The National Parks: Index 2001-2003. Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior.
