ATHENS TO CLINTON ROAD

The Athens to Clinton Road was an early nineteeth-century road that ran from Athens MS. to Clinton MS. To achieve the Clinton distinction the Athens road intersected the Natchez Trace or "Old Natchez Road" near French Camp. My interest is the Athens to French Camp segment or Athens Road which we feature in red on Musing 5 Figure 1. The length of Athens Road is 78 miles. The Athens Road was located on several original United States townships including: T15S R7E Monroe County, T16S R7E Monroe/Clay County, T16S R6E Monroe/Clay County, T17S R6E Clay County, T20N R15E Oktibbeha County, T19N R15E Oktibbeha County, T19N R14E Oktibbeha County, T19N R13E Oktibbeha County, T18N R13E Oktibbeha County, T17N R12E Oktibbeha County, T17N R11E Choctaw CountyT17N R10E Choctaw County and T1 7N R9E Choctaw County. This road originated about 1831-2 (more on this later). It began in the territory of the United States (from the Chickasaw Treaty of 1818) and continued to Chickasaw territory when it crossed the Tombigbee River and to Choctaw territory when it crossed Tibbee Creek south of West Point. Note Athens was founded in 1830 while Aberdeen was settled beginning 1834 and incorporated as a town in 1837.

The location of Athens Road was gleaned from the Original Township Plats and Surveyors' notes which can be found on the BLM GLO website. Of interest is the townships in Monroe County east of the Tombigbee River which were surveyed in 1822 and 1823 and thus predate Athens (and the Athens Road.) Therefore, the location of this section of Athens Road was taken from La Tourrette's Mississippi Map of 1839 which used the original survey's township and sections. For the interested, that map indicates and locates Morgan's Ferry, Aberdeen, Quincy and Caledonia among other early locations.

The original surveyors' notes provide a number of names for what was commonly called Athens Road or Athens to Clinton Road. In Clay County you will find the road called "Mayhu Road" or "Mayhew Road" which addresses the Mayhew Mission which is noted on Figure 1. In Oktibbeha County there were a number of names. Two of these names are distinguished in that they are names of people: Ragsdale and White. Both were used as possessors of the road or "Ragsdale's Road" and "White's Road." Ragsdale was used more frequently than White. Who were they? As far as Ragsdale, my research boiled down to Daniel W. Ragsdale and Samuel Ragsdale both of whom were large land owners. Daniel W. lived in or near Aberdeen and farmed. He owned hundreds of properties dated to 1841 including 27 properties in Monroe County, 22 in Clay County and 11 in Oktibbeha County. The other Ragsdale was Samuel who lived in Lowndes County and also owned land in Lowndes and other counties. To make a long story short Daniel W. and Samuel were brothers, perhaps twins as both birthdates were documented as 1791. Given the land holding in Monroe, Clay and Oktibbeha counties (none in Choctaw County) I believe Daniel T. Ragsdale was the Athens Road developer or the Ragsdale of "Ragsdale's Road".

The White noted by the Surveyor in T18N R3E Oktibbeha County was likely Daniel T. White. He owned 2 parcels of land near the Choctaw Agency in Oktibbeha County. I believe he could have been the road contractor.

When was Athens Road constructed? The Original Surveyor Alexander Downing in Township T18N R13E recorded in the first mile north of the West Boundary . . . "Come to new cut out wagon road supposed to be Ragsdale's Road…" the note was recorded in the first quarter of 1832. By deduction, the road dates after 1830 when Athens was founded, and before the first quarter of 1832. Given that the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek was ratified February 24, 1831, the Athens road would have been built between March 1831 and April 1832. In fact, the segment of the road east of the Tombigbee River was likely built first. Road clearing width was probably at least 10-12 feet to accommodate wagons. The segment of the road from west of the Tombigbee River to the last third of Oktibbeha County traveled thru the Black Belt soil which included many prairies. The land was largely open meaning the road was not as difficult to construct compared to say a heavily forested area which Choctaw County would have been.

If the Athens Road express goal was Clinton, then the Athens Road could have been shortened. When it reached the Mayhew Mission in Oktibbeha County it could have connected to the "Agency to Mayhew Road" which in turn intersected the Robinson Road just north of the Choctaw Agency. (Note neither the Agency to Mayhew Road nor the Robinson Road are shown on Figure 1 as they may appear in another Musing.) The Robinson Road in turn connected Columbus, Ms to the Old Natchez Road further south than French Camp. Why continue the Athens Road through Choctaw County to French Camp? Ragsdale did not own property in Choctaw County. It could be that the Choctaw peoples wanted the road for immigration to what is now Oklahoma or for the use of Choctaw who planned to remain after the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek. Choctaw District Chief David Folsom lived near the Agency. In fact, the survey notes record "David Folsoms Creek" just west of the Choctaw Agency. Folsom would have known of the road from Ragsdale.

What would have been the function of Athens Road? Since neither Ragsdale nor White owned land in Choctaw County, my guess is it served as a mail route which would include newspapers from Jackson and perhaps Natchez. Would Choctaw permission for the Athens Road been necessary after the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek had been ratified by Congress? Yes as there were Choctaw who stayed, see Musing 3 Oktibbeha County. The road would have benefited the Choctaw who stayed by giving them ready access to Starkville. After the treaty, the Choctaw agent may have granted permission to Ragsdale as the lands were then property of the United States.

What became of Athens Road? Parts of it served as local roads while the West Point to Sturgis section may have been used as Right of Way for the Illinois Central Railroad and its predecessors.