Jefferson Davis Highway - Paducah, KY - U.S. Historic Survey Stones and Monuments on Waymarking.com

This highway marker is located in the median at the intersection of Jefferson Street and Fountain Avenue in Paducah, KY. From City hall take 4th Street northwest 3 blocks to Jefferson Street. Turn left onto Jefferson (one-way) and continue southwest for 13 blocks to Fountain Avenue. The marker will be located on yur left in the median. Parking is available along Fountain Ave.

The Jefferson Davis Memorial Highway was a planned transcontinental highway in the United States in the 1910s and 1920s that began in Washington, D.C. and extended west to San Diego, California. it was named for Jefferson Davis, who, in addition to being the first and only President of the Confederate States of America was also a U.S. Congressman and Secretary of War. The first of these National Auto Trails was the Lincoln Highway, which was first announced as a project in 1912. The United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) planned the formation of the Jefferson Davis as a road that would start in Washington, D.C. and travel through the southern states until its terminus at San Diego. In addition to the planned transcontinental route, they also designated an auxiliary route running from Kentucky to Mississippi, as well as another that ran through Georgia. These ancillary routes were intended to commemorate important venues in Davis' life.

This marker is along one of the many auxillary routes. Along U.S. 68, from Bowling Green, Kentucky, this branch meandered through Russelville, Fairview (J.D.'s birthplace), Hopkinsville, Cadiz, Benton, then to Paducah. At this location the route took an "L" shape turn and followed U.S. 45 to Mayfield and Fulton Kentucky then to Union City, Tennessee.

At this point the Jefferson Davis Highway transitions to TN Route 3/U.S. 51 to Dyersburg then to Memphis. JDH continues from Batesville MS. along U.S. 51 to Kentwood, LA. From here the route continues to New Orleans via LA Route 33/U.S. 51.

Monumentation Type: Dressed stone Monumentation Type (if other): Stone Monument Category: other (not included below) Monument Category (if other): Old Highway Marker Accessible to general public: yes Historical significance: This marker is along one of the many auxillary routes of the transcontinental Jefferson Davis Highway system established by the Daughters of the Confederacy. County: Paducah, McCracken County, Kentucky USGS Quad: Paducah East, USGS Topo Quad (o37088a5) 1:24000 Explain Non-Public access: Not listed Monument Website: Not listed NGS PID: Not listed Other Coordinates: Not Listed Other Coordinates details: Not listed Approximate date of monument: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
1. A closeup photo of the monument is required.
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2. A 'distant' photo including the monument in the view is highly recommended. Include the compass direction you faced when you took the picture.

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Date Logged Log User Rating   07/01/2015 MinervaPlace visited it 03/17/2011 trailhound1 visited it

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