Old Bridgeport Road
Encyclopedia
The Old Bridgeport Road is a historic road
in Mississippi
in the United States
. It was the first route built by the state of Mississippi through the frontier region known as the Choctaw Session, which the state acquired in the Treaty of Doak's Stand
. The road, built between 1822 and 1825, was named for the now-extinct community of Bridgeport, which stood at the crossing of the Big Black River.
The route was later designated a federal Post Road
and in the 1840s was served by daily stagecoach
service between the capital, Jackson
, and Vicksburg
on the Mississippi River
. The road was used extensively by Union and Confederate troops before, during and after the Siege of Vicksburg and the occupation of Jackson.
After the Civil War, as traffic shifted toward railroad communities to the south, the Old Bridgeport Road fell into decline. Today, most of the original route has been bulldozed and supplanted by more modern roads which go by different names, while other sections have been abandoned, with only one 3/10s-mile section north of Bolton, Mississippi
still in use in its original condition. The surviving section, a narrow, graveled passage with high banks and an overhanging canopy of mature live oak trees, is a designated Mississippi Landmark.
The Board of Trustees of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, which has the authority to prevent the destruction of listed historic properties when tax dollars are being used, resisted a controversial effort by the Hinds County Board of Supervisors in 2003 to bulldoze and widen the last original segment, which borders a listed Native American site, a Union Army camp, Holly Grove Plantation House
(listed in the National Register of Historic Places) and an African American cemetery believed to have its origins in a slave cemetery. As a result of continuing pressure by the Board of Supervisors to bulldoze the road, the Mississippi Heritage Trust included the Old Bridgeport Road among historic properties on its 10 Most Endangered List in 2005.
Afterward, a nearby landowner, Gaddis & McLaurin Farms, donated an easement to the county to build a new road to the north of the Old Bridgeport Road, to provide access to a small group of houses that had previously used the historic route. Once the new road was complete the county abandoned the Old Bridgeport Road, which then reverted to private use. As a result, the Old Bridgeport Road will be preserved in its historic condition.
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
in Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was the first route built by the state of Mississippi through the frontier region known as the Choctaw Session, which the state acquired in the Treaty of Doak's Stand
Treaty of Doak's Stand
The Treaty of Doak's Stand was signed on October 18, 1820 between the United States and the Choctaw Indian tribe. Based on the terms of the accord, the Choctaw agreed to give up approximately one-half of their remaining Choctaw homeland...
. The road, built between 1822 and 1825, was named for the now-extinct community of Bridgeport, which stood at the crossing of the Big Black River.
The route was later designated a federal Post Road
Post road
For other uses, see Post Road .A post road is a road designated for the transportation of postal mail. In past centuries only major towns had a post house, and the roads used by post riders or mail coaches to carry mail among them were particularly important ones or, due to the special attention...
and in the 1840s was served by daily stagecoach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
service between the capital, Jackson
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
, and Vicksburg
Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the only city in Warren County. It is located northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and due west of Jackson, the state capital. In 1900, 14,834 people lived in Vicksburg; in 1910, 20,814; in 1920,...
on the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. The road was used extensively by Union and Confederate troops before, during and after the Siege of Vicksburg and the occupation of Jackson.
After the Civil War, as traffic shifted toward railroad communities to the south, the Old Bridgeport Road fell into decline. Today, most of the original route has been bulldozed and supplanted by more modern roads which go by different names, while other sections have been abandoned, with only one 3/10s-mile section north of Bolton, Mississippi
Bolton, Mississippi
Bolton is a town in Hinds County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 629 as of the 2000 census. It is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Bolton is located at ....
still in use in its original condition. The surviving section, a narrow, graveled passage with high banks and an overhanging canopy of mature live oak trees, is a designated Mississippi Landmark.
The Board of Trustees of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, which has the authority to prevent the destruction of listed historic properties when tax dollars are being used, resisted a controversial effort by the Hinds County Board of Supervisors in 2003 to bulldoze and widen the last original segment, which borders a listed Native American site, a Union Army camp, Holly Grove Plantation House
Holly Grove Plantation House
Holly Grove Plantation House was built ca. 1832 by Noel and Jane Killingsworth near Red Lick, Mississippi, and dismantled and reconstructed to the north in Hinds County, Mississippi, in 1990.-History:...
(listed in the National Register of Historic Places) and an African American cemetery believed to have its origins in a slave cemetery. As a result of continuing pressure by the Board of Supervisors to bulldoze the road, the Mississippi Heritage Trust included the Old Bridgeport Road among historic properties on its 10 Most Endangered List in 2005.
Afterward, a nearby landowner, Gaddis & McLaurin Farms, donated an easement to the county to build a new road to the north of the Old Bridgeport Road, to provide access to a small group of houses that had previously used the historic route. Once the new road was complete the county abandoned the Old Bridgeport Road, which then reverted to private use. As a result, the Old Bridgeport Road will be preserved in its historic condition.