Kings Road Meets Apalache Trail - Jacksonville, FL - Wagon Roads and Trails on Waymarking.com

The plaque reads as follows:

"At this spot the Kings Road met the Apalache Trail, so connecting the English colonies and the Spanish settlements of the West with St. Augustine and New Smyrna."

The following additional information about this historic site is from the Financial News & Daily Record:

"The slab of coquina with the brass plaque attached commemorating the exact spot where the Apalache Trail and The Kings Road connected is located on the northeast corner of Hemming Plaza across Duval Street from City Hall. When the two trade routes met in the late 1700s, the new interstate highway (even though it wasn’t thought of as that back then) provided a way to move people and supplies from the colonies in Florida up the east coast to the British settlements."

According to a website by William S. Lowe (visit link): "The Old King's Road was Florida's first highway, beginning from St Augustine in about 1765 to eventually connect Colerain, Georgia, on the St. Mary's River, passing through the settlement of Cowford (Jacksonville), with the new settlement of New Smyrna on the Florida east coast. The road was constructed by British engineers, following the established trails of indigenous people and using crushed Coquina shell as the surfacing material. Most of the highway has disappeared under pavement; however, traces remain."

The Apalachee Indian Trail passed through Alligator (now known as Lake City) to near the upper Mineral Springs (White Springs) on to Tallahassee via Alapaha (visit link)

Road of Trail Name: Kings Road and Apalachee Trail State: Florida County: Duval Historical Significance: This site is the junction of two historic roads. How you discovered it: We went downtown to the Main Library and spotted this plaque while we were taking photos of the library. We'd been to Hemming Plaza several times in the past, but this was the first time we noticed this marker. Website Explination: http://www.emporia.edu/earthsci/student/lowe2/old_king_road.htm http://www.sptimes.com/2003/07/20/Floridian/The_Apalachee_trail.shtml Why?: King's Road was laid in an effort to encourage settlement into Northeast Florida. Directions: Located in Hemming Plaza at the intersection of Duval Street and Laura Street in downtown Jacksonville, Florida. Years in use: Not listed Book on Wagon Road or Trial: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   12/17/2013 denben visited it 10/04/2013 Markerman62 visited it

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