Last month, we started a series looking at the Old Bellefonte Road that connected Huntsville to Jackson County. This road was what travelers used prior to the construction of what is now U.S. Highway 72.
Huntsville to Maysville
Last month, we looked at the first section of the road that traveled from Huntsville to Maysville, using what is now Old Gurley Road and Ryland Pike. Some of the historic sites along that section of the road is the Shiloh United Methodist Church, Flint River, and Ryland community.
Path taken from Maysville to Gurley
From Maysville, the Old Bellefonte Road continued along what is now Hurricane Creek Road for about one mile. Where the road forks, the Old Bellefonte Road continues along what is now Gurley Pike all the way into the town of Gurley.
Sites along the route
MARY'S BBQ is a restaurant that has been in the same building since the 1950s. ELVIS PRESLEY BLVD is a street connecting to Gurley Pike that is rumored to have been visited multiple times by Elvis while he was alive. HURRICANE CREEK is a historic water source for eastern Madison County. LITTLE STORE, now closed, used to serve the Killigsworth Cove area with groceries and gas. KILLINGSWORTH COVE is a community that has been a part of Madison County since the 1820s. GURLEY MOUNTAIN is part of Gurley history including Civil War skirmishes. GURLEY has an amazing historic district featuring sites dating back to the town's founding in the 1860s. There are also multiple historic houses and an abandoned church along the route.
Future of the route
This section of the route is facing an uncertain future. Gurley Mountain is currently the site for a proposed Vulcan Materials rock quarry, cement plant, and asphalt plant. Gurley residents are opposed to this on historical and environmental grounds. Stay tuned to examiner.com for further information on the proposed quarry.
Next month, we will concentrate on the section of the Old Bellefonte Road connecting Gurley to Woodville. This section mainly follows present day U.S. Highway 72.
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