After the road’s completion, an influx of people unfriendly to Native Americans moved into Creek territory and brought dysfunction to the area. Those who did not support the Indian cause only worsened tensions between the two groups, and, eventually, violence broke out. New settlers to the area, mostly white farmers, whittled away control from the Creek Indians. The Creek War of 1813–1814 and the removal of Creek Indians from their own land was a direct consequence of this and officially marked their loss. In fact, the Native Americans were only the first unfortunate party to be affected by the road: it is known that the Old Federal Road also disrupted the peace of a local cemetery, one that is the final resting place of almost 900 enslaved people. Sadly, enslaved people became frequent travelers along the road, as they were transported to plantations in the Deep South.
Several portions of the road are indiscernible from the wilderness now and are marked by plaques and faded memory, but Alabamians can still find areas of it to explore. For more information about the Federal Road, see Alabama Heritage article “Exploring the Old Federal Road” by Mark Dauber, Issue 108, Spring 2013 ( https://www.alabamaheritage.com/issue-108-spring-2013.html ).
Additional Resources
encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/federal-road-in-alabama/
www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=153313
www.alabamalegacy.org/old-federal-road/
About the Author
Hayley Green is a dual degree student at the University of Alabama, studying Public Health and English (with a minor in Digital, Public, and Professional Writing). Green is originally from Rainbow City, Alabama, but she considers Tuscaloosa her official home. She enjoys screenwriting, copyediting, and blog writing. In her free time, Green enjoys watching films and documentaries, drawing and making digital art, and playing with her two cats, Fiona and Cookie. |