Historic
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
ferries
A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water tax ...
operated on rivers around
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
area, and became namesakes for numerous current-day
road
A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation.
There are many types of ...
s in north Georgia. Most of the ferries date to the early years of European-American settlement in the 1820s and 1830s, when Cherokee and other Native Americans still occupied part of what became Georgia.
An assortment of privately owned and operated ferries carried
travel
Travel is the movement of people between distant geographical locations. Travel can be done by foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, bus, airplane, ship or other means, with or without luggage, and can be one way or round trip. Travel c ...
ers and loads across the
Chattahoochee River
The Chattahoochee River forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida - Georgia border. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chatta ...
and several other smaller rivers. Ferry operators often set up small trading posts at their ferry landings. They provided much needed service when there were no bridges, and many rivers ran too high to be forded. After the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, the state and cities began to build bridges to replace the ferries. Some of these are counted among the
historic bridges of the Atlanta area.
Bell's Ferry
Note: The first sentence below has no historical documentation. There are no historical references to a Bell's Ferry across Little River. There was a King's Ferry there in the 1830s See book cited below. Consult court documents and information about Bell's Ferry cited here below.
Bell's Ferry was a privately run ferry across the
Little River
Little River may refer to several places:
Australia Streams New South Wales
*Little River (Dubbo), source in the Dubbo region, a tributary of the Macquarie River
*Little River (Oberon), source in the Oberon Shire, a tributary of Coxs River (Hawk ...
in
Cherokee County Cherokee County is the name of eight counties in the United States:
* Cherokee County, Alabama
* Cherokee County, Georgia
* Cherokee County, Iowa
* Cherokee County, Kansas
* Cherokee County, North Carolina
* Cherokee County, Oklahoma
* Cherokee Co ...
. This location is now part of a narrow arm of
Lake Allatoona
Lake Allatoona (officially called Allatoona Lake) is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir on the Etowah River in northwestern part of the State of Georgia. This reservoir is mostly in southeastern Bartow County and southwestern Cherokee Coun ...
, and the present-day Bell's Ferry Road crosses the Little River over a bridge. Bells Ferry Road runs from Church Street (former
Georgia State Route 3 (SR 3), one block west of former
SR 5 on Cherokee Street) in
Marietta
Marietta may refer to:
Places in the United States
*Marietta, Jacksonville, Florida
*Marietta, Georgia, the largest US city named Marietta
*Marietta, Illinois
*Marietta, Indiana
*Marietta, Kansas
*Marietta, Minnesota
*Marietta, Mississippi
*Mar ...
, north to Marietta Street (former SR 5 in
Canton). It is an alternative route between the two
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
s, departing well west of former SR 5 (which is now renumbered onto
Interstate 575
Interstate 575 (I-575) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the United States, which branches off I-75 in Kennesaw and connects the Atlanta metropolitan area with the North Georgia mountains, extending . I-575 is also the unsigned State ...
). Until 1984, the section of this road from
SR 92 at
Oak Grove north to Canton was designated as
SR 205.
Within the city of Marietta,
street name sign
A street name sign is a type of traffic sign used to identify named roads, generally those that do not qualify as expressways or highways. Street name signs are most often found posted at intersections; sometimes, especially in the United Sta ...
s use the proper "Bell's" rather than "Bells". The southernmost end of the road is called Church Street Extension, although it is a turn off Church Street, and a straight continuation of Bells Ferry Road. The name change occurs at an arbitrary place in the road (near
Cobb Electric Membership Corporation Formed in 1938,
Cobb Electric Membership Corporation, more commonly known as Cobb EMC, is a non-profit electric utility company serving parts of Cobb, Cherokee, Bartow, Paulding, and small sections of Fulton counties in Georgia. In 2009, it had ...
), instead of at a major intersection such as
Cobb Parkway
U.S. Route 41 (US 41) is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that runs from Miami, Florida, to the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. In the U.S. state of Georgia it travels from the Florida state line southea ...
. This section was once the
main street through the small town of
Elizabeth
Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to:
People
* Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name)
* Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist
Ships
* HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships
* ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...
.
According to Cherokee County court documents of 1835, James H. Bell operated a ferry across the Etowah River. It has been suggested that, since James Bell owned Land Lot 252/21/2 at the time and as it contained both banks of the Etowah, this was the probable location of his ferry. This site is near present-day Bridge Mill community, northwest of Bells Ferry and Sixes roads.
[Larry Vogt. ''Hidden History of Lake Allatoona: The Sixes, Cherokee Mills, Little River Area.'' Dautzenlein Publications, 2013]
In June 1835, Bell sold the land and ferry. In January 1837, Bell purchased Land Lot 478/21/2 on the Etowah. A ferry had been established there in 1834 by Jonathan J. Johnson. Bell operated this ferry until December 1855, when he sold the property to Samuel Lovinggood. He built a bridge across the Etowah near this location. Land Lot 478 is near present-day Victoria Landing on Lake Allatoona.
These two Bell's ferry locations account for the Bell's Ferry Rd. between Canton and Marietta, and also for the Bell's Ferry roads found across the Etowah River, running north and west from the Land Lot 478/21/2 ferry site.
DeFoor's Ferry
Originally Montgomery Ferry. Run by
Martin DeFoor
Martin DeFoor (September 17, 1805 – July 25, 1879) was an early Atlanta settler.
Background
In the 1840s, he moved his family from Franklin County, Georgia to Panthersville.
In 1853, he moved to the Bolton area and took over operation of Mont ...
.
Grogan's Ferry
Grogan's Ferry (later, Martin's Ferry) was a ferry located on the Chattahoochee River in the northern part of
Milton County
Milton County was a county of the U.S. state of Georgia from to . It was created on December 18, 1857, from parts of northeastern Cobb, southeastern Cherokee, and southwestern Forsyth counties. The county was named for John Milton, Secretary ...
, now present day Fulton County, near
Milton
Milton may refer to:
Names
* Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname)
** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet
* Milton (given name)
** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Free t ...
.
Heard's Ferry
Heard's Ferry, originally Isom's Ferry, was operated by
John Heard (1835–1931). It was named for Judge John Stevens Heard, who served as a corporal in the 9th Georgia Battalion Artillery and is buried in the Heard family cemetery off Heards Ferry Road not far from the ferry location.
Howell Ferry
This ferry was near
Duluth
, settlement_type = City
, nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City
, motto =
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...
and crossed over the Chattahoochee River. A street off Peachtree Industrial Boulevard bears its name. The ferry is named for Captain
Evan P. Howell and the Howell family who operated it.
Hutcheson Ferry
Near
Palmetto.
Isom's Ferry
Isom's Ferry was operated in the 1860s by
James Isom. The ferry went by many names, include Isham's Ferry, Isham's Ford, Phillip's Ford, and Cavalry Ford.
John Heard took over Isom's Ferry in 1868 and operated it until 1890 as Heard's Ferry.
John Isom – Jr. 1st Lieutenant Appointed 2nd Corporal, March 4, 1862 Private in Captain Sentell's Company, Leyden's, Artillery Battalion. This company subsequently became Company B, 9th Battalion Georgia Artillery. Age 45, Enlisted Atlanta, Ga. March 4, 1862 Under A. Leyden for 3 years or war. From March 4, to May 1, 1862 Present Acted as Corporal up to date May 1, 1862 Elected 2nd Lieutenant, May – June 1862 not stated, May 20, 1862 Bounty Paid $50, Resigned as Captain April 15, 1864 for health reasons, Captured in Berrien County, Georgia, July 16, 1864, Appeared on a Register of
Prisoner of War
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...
received at Military Prison, Louisville, Kentucky. Received at military prison Louisville, Ky. Released north of the Ohio River. Took oath to US Aug 27, 1864. Complexion Dark, Hair Light, Eyes, Blue, Height 5' 7", Born in Jackson County, Georgia, in 1818. Buried in Grady County, Ga. Received a Cross of Honor from Atlanta
UDC Chapter 18. Dates: 14 Dec 1818-22 Jun 1904.
Johnson Ferry Road
Although the name of the road is now Johnson Ferry, the ferry that crossed the Chattahoochee River at that point was called "Johnston's Ferry" because it was operated by William Marion Johnston, who owned the land. A historical marker placed by the Georgia Historical Commission in 1963 states, "300 ft. W. stood the res. of Wm. Johnston who operated the ferry in the 1850s, where Johnston's Fy. Rd. crosses the Chattahoochee River. July 5, 1864. Gen. Kenner Garrard's cav. div.
Sen route from Marietta to Roswell via this rd., camped on Willeo Cr., from which point he sent a regiment S. to burn the Paper Mills on
Soap Creek. July 9. Newton's 4th A. C. div.
S moving from Vining's Station, traversed this road to Roswell to support Garrard's passage of the river at Shallow Ford -- retracing July 12 & crossing the river at Power's Ferry, July 13. " -033-93 GEORGIA HISTORICAL COMMISSION 1963
Johnson Ferry Road is a major
arterial road
An arterial road or arterial thoroughfare is a high-capacity urban road that sits below freeways/motorways on the road hierarchy in terms of traffic flow and speed. The primary function of an arterial road is to deliver traffic from collector ro ...
between
Cobb County
Cobb County is a county in the U.S. state of Georgia, located in the Atlanta metropolitan area in the north central portion of the state. As of 2020 Census, the population was 766,149. Its county seat and largest city is Marietta.
Along with ...
and
Sandy Springs
Sandy Springs is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia and an inner ring suburb of Atlanta. The city's population was 108,080 at the 2020 census, making it Georgia's seventh-largest city. It is the site of several corporate headquarters, i ...
. From Columns Drive on the northwest
riverbank of the
Chattahoochee River
The Chattahoochee River forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida - Georgia border. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chatta ...
, southeast to Abernathy Road, and continuing east on Abernathy to Roswell Road (
SR 9), the roads have been temporarily designated by
GDOT
The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is the organization in charge of developing and maintaining all state and federal roadways in the U.S. state of Georgia. In addition to highways, the department also has a limited role in developin ...
as
SR 947.
This is due to the heavy volume of
rush hour
A rush hour (American English, British English) or peak hour (Australian English) is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice every weekday: on ...
traffic traveling this route to get to and from
SR 400, and the failure of Cobb and
Fulton
Fulton may refer to:
People
* Robert Fulton (1765–1815), American engineer and inventor who developed the first commercially successful steam-powered ship
* Fulton (surname)
Given name
* Fulton Allem (born 1957), South African golfer
* Fult ...
counties to come to an agreement on their own. At one time, Fulton County timed the
traffic light
Traffic lights, traffic signals, or stoplights – known also as robots in South Africa are signalling devices positioned at intersection (road), road intersections, pedestrian crossings, and other locations in order to control flows of traf ...
s to cause morning backups into Cobb. While all of the homes along Abernathy will be destroyed for widening, the neighborhoods along the of Johnson Ferry Road will be spared.
Johnson Ferry and Abernathy roads will be "broken", such that they flow directly into each other. Travelers will have to turn to stay straight on the original roads. The 1969 bridge at the former ferry location will be widened between Columns Drive on the Cobb riverbank to Riverside Drive on the Fulton riverbank, from its current four lanes to six. Also added will be
bike lane
Bike lanes (US) or cycle lanes (UK) are types of bikeways (cycleways) with lanes on the roadway for cyclists only. In the United Kingdom, an on-road cycle-lane can be firmly restricted to cycles (marked with a solid white line, entry by motor v ...
s, wide
sidewalk
A sidewalk (North American English), pavement (British English), footpath in Australia, India, New Zealand and Ireland, or footway, is a path along the side of a street, street, highway, terminals. Usually constructed of concrete, pavers, brick ...
s, and a raised
road median
The median strip, central reservation, roadway median, or traffic median is the reserved area that separates opposing lanes of traffic on divided roadways such as divided highways, dual carriageways, freeways, and motorways. The term also a ...
. Johnson Ferry Road is four lanes on the Fulton side (two southeast of Abernathy), and six lanes on the Cobb side (four north of its own Roswell Road,
SR 120).
Jones Ferry
See
Jones Bridge
The William A. Jones Memorial Bridge, commonly known as the Jones Bridge, is an arched girder bridge that spans the Pasig River in the City of Manila, Philippines. It is named after the United States legislator William Atkinson Jones, who served ...
.
McGinnis Ferry
McGinnis Ferry Road crosses the Chattahoochee River at
Suwanee. It connects
Gwinnett County
Gwinnett County ( ) is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. It forms part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. In 2020, the population was 957,062, making it the second-most populous county in Georgia (after Fulton C ...
on one side with
Fulton
Fulton may refer to:
People
* Robert Fulton (1765–1815), American engineer and inventor who developed the first commercially successful steam-powered ship
* Fulton (surname)
Given name
* Fulton Allem (born 1957), South African golfer
* Fult ...
and
Forsyth Forsyth may refer to:
Places Oceania
* Forsyth Island, Queensland, Australia, one of the West Wellesley Islands (aka Forsyth Islands)
* Forsyth Island, Tasmania, Australia
* Forsyth Island (New Zealand), in the outer Marlborough Sounds of South I ...
counties on the other. It serves as the border between Fulton and Forsyth.
Montgomery Ferry
Montgomery Ferry was located on the Chattahoochee River near
Fort Peachtree, where the
Western & Atlantic Railroad
The Western & Atlantic Railroad of the State of Georgia (W&A) is a railroad owned by the State of Georgia and currently leased by CSX, which CSX operates in the Southeastern United States from Atlanta, Georgia, to Chattanooga, Tennessee.
It was fo ...
crosses the river. It was built by
Major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
James McConnell Montgomery.
In 1853 it was taken over by
Martin DeFoor
Martin DeFoor (September 17, 1805 – July 25, 1879) was an early Atlanta settler.
Background
In the 1840s, he moved his family from Franklin County, Georgia to Panthersville.
In 1853, he moved to the Bolton area and took over operation of Mont ...
and became known as DeFoor's Ferry.
Nelson Ferry
John B. Nelson (father of
Allison Nelson
Allison Nelson (March 11, 1822 – October 7, 1862) was the ninth mayor of Atlanta, serving from January until July 1855, when he resigned from office. He died of disease in Prairie County (present-day Lonoke County), Arkansas, during the ...
) operated this ferry where
Sandy Creek flowed into the Chattahoochee River (now the up-river part of
Fulton County Airport). He operated it from 1820 until his murder in 1825.
A short road in Decatur is labelled "Nelson Ferry Rd." It runs a few blocks from W. Ponce De Leon Ave in Decatur, in the direction of Sandy Creek, to Scott Blvd.
Nesbit Ferry
This ferry was located on the Chattahoochee River between
Sandy Springs
Sandy Springs is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia and an inner ring suburb of Atlanta. The city's population was 108,080 at the 2020 census, making it Georgia's seventh-largest city. It is the site of several corporate headquarters, i ...
and
Roswell. It is approximately 2 miles west of Holcomb Bridge. A Nesbit Ferry Road is found in Sandy Springs and another in
Johns Creek
Johns Creek is a city in Fulton County, Georgia, United States. According to the 2020 census, the population was 82,453. The city is a northeastern suburb of Atlanta.
History
In the early 19th century, the Johns Creek area was dotted with ...
. The Sandy Springs one is located in the
Dunwoody Panhandle district, an exclusive residential area with million dollar homes, some of which have views of the river.
Pace's Ferry
Pace's Ferry belonged to
Hardy Pace
Hardy Pace (July 10, 1785 – December 5, 1864) was an American ferryman, miller, and early settler of Atlanta, Georgia. He is the namesake of Pace's Ferry, an important ferry in the 19th century; and all iterations of Paces Ferry Road in nort ...
, one of
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
's
founder
Founder or Founders may refer to:
Places
*Founders Park, a stadium in South Carolina, formerly known as Carolina Stadium
* Founders Park, a waterside park in Islamorada, Florida
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Founders (''Star Trek''), the ali ...
s. Paces Ferry Rd. connects historic Vinings in the west, on the
Chattahoochee River
The Chattahoochee River forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida - Georgia border. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chatta ...
in Cobb County, to the western edge of
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
's
Buckhead
Buckhead is the uptown commercial and residential district of the city of Atlanta, Georgia, comprising approximately the northernmost fifth of the city. Buckhead is the third largest business district within the Atlanta city limits, behind Downt ...
area in the east. From this end, West Paces Ferry Road, one of Atlanta's best-known
street
A street is a public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, ...
s, passes east through some of the oldest and wealthiest Buckhead neighborhoods. The
Georgia Governor's Mansion
The Governor's Mansion is the official home of the governor of the U.S. state of Georgia. The mansion is located at 391 West Paces Ferry Road NW, in the Tuxedo Park neighborhood of the affluent Buckhead district of Atlanta.
Construction
The ...
is on this street. Continuing east, West Paces Ferry Road becomes East Paces Ferry Road after intersecting
Peachtree Road in Buckhead's entertainment and nightlife district. East Paces Ferry Road runs as far east as Lenox Square
mall
Mall commonly refers to a:
* Shopping mall
* Strip mall
* Pedestrian street
* Esplanade
Mall or MALL may also refer to:
Places Shopping complexes
* The Mall (Sofia) (Tsarigradsko Mall), Sofia, Bulgaria
* The Mall, Patna, Patna, Bihar, India
* M ...
, after being severed by
SR 400.
Paces Mill Road is a small
spur route
A spur route is a short road forming a branch from a longer, more important road such as a freeway, Interstate Highway, or motorway. A bypass or beltway should not be considered a true spur route as it typically reconnects with another or the s ...
off Paces Ferry Road connecting Vinings east to
Cobb Parkway
U.S. Route 41 (US 41) is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that runs from Miami, Florida, to the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. In the U.S. state of Georgia it travels from the Florida state line southea ...
(
US 41/
SR 3).
A
Battle of Pace's Ferry
The Skirmish at Pace's Ferry was an engagement fought on July 5, 1864, near Pace's Ferry, Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War.Long, E. B. ''The Civil War Day by Day: An Almanac, 1861–1 ...
took place during the
Atlanta Campaign of the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
.
Powers Ferry
![Powers Ferry Road, Cobb County, July 2017](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Powers_Ferry_Road%2C_Cobb_County%2C_July_2017.jpg)
The Powers Ferry (originally spelled ''Power's Ferry'') was another
route
Route or routes may refer to:
* Route (gridiron football), a path run by a wide receiver
* route (command), a program used to configure the routing table
* Route, County Antrim, an area in Northern Ireland
* ''The Route'', a 2013 Ugandan film
* Ro ...
northwest from Atlanta, upstream from Pace's Ferry. It is named for
James Power (1790–1870),a
plantation
A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...
owner, who established this
Chattahoochee River
The Chattahoochee River forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida - Georgia border. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chatta ...
ferry
A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...
in 1835, before
Atlanta was founded. The ferry remained in service for nearly 70 years, until a bridge was built in 1903.
Union Army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...
soldiers used the ferry crossing in 1864, during the
Atlanta Campaign of the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
.
The exact location of the ferry is now the northeasternmost crossing of
Interstate 285 over the river; and it is the Fulton-Cobb county line (now the
Sandy Springs
Sandy Springs is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia and an inner ring suburb of Atlanta. The city's population was 108,080 at the 2020 census, making it Georgia's seventh-largest city. It is the site of several corporate headquarters, i ...
city limit). The interstate carries several lanes of traffic in each direction (it had two each way when it opened in 1969). A Powers Island is in the river, now designated as a hiking area associated with the
Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA) preserves a series of sites between Atlanta and Lake Sidney Lanier along the Chattahoochee River in Georgia, U.S. The 48-mile (77 km) stretch of the river affords public recreation opportu ...
. Presumably, James Power's ferry was located in the vicinity of this island.
The perimeter highway (I-285) is flanked on its north side by Interstate North Parkway (west) / Riveredge Parkway (east), and on its south side by the ferry's
namesake
A namesake is a person, geographic location, or other entity bearing the name of another.
History
The word is first attested around 1635, and probably comes from the phrase "for one's name's sake",
which originates in English Bible translations ...
road, each carrying two lanes (one in each direction). Powers Ferry Road runs through
Cobb and
Fulton
Fulton may refer to:
People
* Robert Fulton (1765–1815), American engineer and inventor who developed the first commercially successful steam-powered ship
* Fulton (surname)
Given name
* Fulton Allem (born 1957), South African golfer
* Fult ...
counties, terminating at both ends at two different streets named Roswell Road (
SR 120 and
SR 9, respectively).
The
business district
A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...
just east of the crossing is called Powers Ferry Landing, located where
Northside Drive
Northside Drive is a road in Atlanta which begins on Whitehall Street in Castleberry Hill just north of Interstate 20 in Georgia, Interstate 20 (I-20), and ends by abruptly turning right near the Chattahoochee River in Sandy Sprin ...
crosses the road, just east of the former
landing
Landing is the last part of a flight, where a flying animal, aircraft, or spacecraft returns to the ground. When the flying object returns to water, the process is called alighting, although it is commonly called "landing", "touchdown" or ...
. This provides freeway access at Northside Drive (west ramps) and New Northside Drive (east ramps, road and ramps built in a 1990s reconstruction). Signage on the freeway indicates Powers Ferry Road, Northside Drive, and New Northside Drive.
Brooks Ferry
The Shallow Ford was an important crossing on the Chattahoochee River long before European contact. Located just under a mile downstream from the present Roswell Road bridge, the ford was a landmark on the Hightower Trail, one of the most important long-distance trails through the Georgia Piedmont. The treaty with the Creek in 1818 used the trail to define part of the state's new western boundary, and in 1821 it became and remains part of the boundary between DeKalb and Gwinnett Counties. That line touched the river due north of the Cherokee Country Club, locating the ford precisely. In 1824, Jacob R. Brooks (1787—1872) was licensed by the State to operate a ferry at the Shallow Ford, but It is unclear how long it remained in operation.
After the founding of Roswell Mill in the 1830s, a bridge was built just upstream from the ford and the ferry business declined after that. Army maps of the area in 1864 do not show a ferry at the Shallow Ford.
Vann's Ferry
Vann's Ferry was the first ferry across the
Chattahoochee River
The Chattahoochee River forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida - Georgia border. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chatta ...
, starting in 1804. It was operated by
Cherokee
The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...
leader
James Vann
James Vann (c. 1762–64 – February 19, 1809) was an influential Cherokee leader, one of the triumvirate with Major Ridge and Charles R. Hicks, who led the Upper Towns of East Tennessee and North Georgia as part of the ᎤᏪᏘ ᏣᎳᎩ Ꭰ ...
(builder of the
Vann House). It crossed the river between what are now
Hall
In architecture, a hall is a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age and early Middle Ages in northern Europe, a mead hall was where a lord and his retainers ate and also slept. Later in the Middle Ages, the gr ...
and
Forsyth Forsyth may refer to:
Places Oceania
* Forsyth Island, Queensland, Australia, one of the West Wellesley Islands (aka Forsyth Islands)
* Forsyth Island, Tasmania, Australia
* Forsyth Island (New Zealand), in the outer Marlborough Sounds of South I ...
counties. This crossing area was flooded by the creation of
Lake Lanier
Lake Lanier (officially Lake Sidney Lanier) is a reservoir in the northern portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created by the completion of Buford Dam on the Chattahoochee River in 1956, and is also fed by the waters of the Chestatee Ri ...
in the 1950s. This reservoir was formed behind the
Buford Dam
Buford Dam is a dam in Buford, Georgia which is located at the southern end of Lake Lanier, a reservoir formed by the construction of the dam in 1956. The dam itself is managed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
The dam is made of ...
on the Chattahoochee River. (Both counties were organized later after
Indian Removal
Indian removal was the United States government policy of forced displacement of self-governing tribes of Native Americans from their ancestral homelands in the eastern United States to lands west of the Mississippi Riverspecifically, to a de ...
of the Cherokee.)
See also
*
Historic bridges of the Atlanta area
*
Historic mills of the Atlanta area
There were several historic mills around the metro Atlanta area, for which many of its current-day roads are still named. Most of the mills date back to the 1820s and 1830s, and were built along the area's many streams. The locations of many ...
*
References
Selected publications
*
{{Atlanta history
Ferry transportation in Georgia (U.S. state)
Ferries of Atlanta
Ferries
A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water tax ...
Transportation in Atlanta