Memphis to Little Rock Road-Village Creek Segment

Last updated
Memphis to Little Rock Road-Village Creek Segment
Village Creek State Park Wynne AR 51.jpg
Nearest city Newcastle, Arkansas
Area 10 acres (4.0 ha)
MPS Cherokee Trail of Tears MPS
NRHP reference # 03000193 [1]
Added to NRHP April 11, 2003

The Memphis to Little Rock Road-Village Creek Segment is a historic military road in Cross County, Arkansas. Located entirely within Village Creek State Park, this 1.5-mile (2.4 km) segment of roadway is one of the best-preserved portions of the military road built between Memphis, Tennessee and Little Rock, Arkansas in 1828. This road is notable for the large numbers of westward-traveling pioneers who used it en route to settling the American Plains, and for its use in the forced migration of several Native American tribes in the 1830s. The roadway portion, in parts set in dramatically deep cuts in the hills, extends from Village Creek in the east to the western boundary of the park, and is accessible today as a hiking trail. [2]

Cross County, Arkansas County in the United States

Cross County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 17,870. The county seat is Wynne. Cross County is Arkansas's 53rd county, formed on 15 November 1862 and named for Confederate Colonel David C. Cross, a political leader in the area.

Village Creek State Park (Arkansas)

Village Creek State Park is a 6,909-acre (2,796 ha) Arkansas state park in Cross and St. Francis counties, Arkansas in the United States. The park was formed as a result of a study commissioned by the Arkansas General Assembly to form a large park in east Arkansas. Segments of the Old Military Road, later used as the Trail of Tears run through the park, which also features two lakes and 27 holes of golf.

Memphis, Tennessee City in Tennessee, United States

Memphis is a city located along the Mississippi River in southwestern Shelby County, Tennessee, United States. The 2017 city population was 652,236, making Memphis the largest city on the Mississippi River, second-largest city in Tennessee, as well as the 25th largest city in the United States. Greater Memphis is the 42nd largest metropolitan area in the United States, with a population of 1,348,260 in 2017. The city is the anchor of West Tennessee and the greater Mid-South region, which includes portions of neighboring Arkansas and Mississippi. Memphis is the seat of Shelby County, the most populous county in Tennessee. As one of the most historic and cultural cities of the southern United States, the city features a wide variety of landscapes and distinct neighborhoods.

The road segment was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. [1]

National Register of Historic Places federal list of historic sites in the United States

The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. A property listed in the National Register, or located within a National Register Historic District, may qualify for tax incentives derived from the total value of expenses incurred preserving the property.

See also

The Memphis to Little Rock Road-Strong's Ferry Segment is a historic military road in eastern Cross County, Arkansas. This segment of roadway is one of the best-preserved portions of the military road built between Memphis, Tennessee and Little Rock, Arkansas in 1828. This road is notable for the large numbers of westward-traveling pioneers who used it en route to settling the American Plains, and for its use in the forced migration of several Native American tribes in the 1830s. This roadway portion extends from the site of a former ferry crossing on the St. Francis River, westward toward Village Creek State Park, where there is another surviving segment that is hikable.

The Blackfish Lake Ferry Site is a historic archaeological site in St. Francis County, Arkansas. It is the only known ferry site along the route of a military road built in the 1820s and 1830s between Memphis, Tennessee and Little Rock, Arkansas to be used in the Trail of Tears. The ferry concession was granted to William D. Ferguson, an early settler of the area. This military road was a major route for the removal of Cherokee, Creek, and Choctaw populations to the Indian Territory, and was also used by thousands of west-bound settlers.

National Register of Historic Places listings in Cross County, Arkansas Wikimedia list article

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Cross County, Arkansas.

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Little Rock to Cantonment Gibson Road-Short Mountain Segment

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References