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Bankhead Highway

The John H. Bankhead National Highway was one of the earliest American auto trails. It connects the nation's capital, Washington, D.C., and San Diego, California on the Pacific. The Bankhead Highway was an important transcontinental route, and its name still appears on many roads to this day.

 

The Bankhead Highway was named for Good Roads promoter John Hollis Bankhead. John Hollis Bankhead (1842-1920) was a Confederate war hero, an Alabama state representative, a state senator, a ten-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and finally a U.S. Senator. While still a U.S. Representative, he introduced legislation to improve roads and other public works projects. Eventually, with his support as head of the Senate Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads, the Congress passed the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916. Senator Bankhead died in office, and the transcontinental highway through the South that he envisioned was named in his honor. He is buried near the Bankhead Highway, in the Bankhead family plot, Oak Hill Cemetery, Jasper, Alabama. Other famous Bankheads in the plot include the Senator's sons, Senator John Hollis Bankhead II and Speaker of the House of Representatives William Brockman Bankhead, as well as his grandson Representative Walter Will Bankhead.

 

Bankhead Highway cities and towns by State

Many early auto trails had multiple routes, but the Bankhead Highway had several. It can be a bit confusing, but I've tried to make the branch descriptions logical. Linked towns have detailed route maps in the City Maps section.

• District of Columbia

  Washington.

• Virginia

  Alexandria, Accotink, Lorton, Occoquan, Woodbridge, Minnieville, Dumfries, Garrisonville, Stafford, Falmouth, Fredricksburg, Spotsylvania, Partlow, Beaverdam, Negro Foot, Glenallen, Richmond, Port Walthall, Petersburg, Sutherland, Church Road, Ford, Wilsons, Wellville, Blackstone, Kenbridge, Bishops Corner, South Hill, Baskerville, Boydton, Clarksville, Soudan.

• North Carolina

  Bullock, Stovall, Gela, Oxford (route splits)

  West branch from Oxford
  Providence, Stem, Fairntosh, Durham (branches merge)

  East branch from Oxford
  Franklinton, Youngsville, Wake Forest, Millsbrook, Raleigh, Asbury, Cary, Morrisville, Clegg, Nelson, Brassfield, Durham (branches merge)

  Single Bankhead Highway route
  Funston, University, Hillsboro, Efland, Mebane, Haw River, Graham, Burlington, Elon College, Gibsonville, Sedalia, Greensboro, Jamestown, High Point, Thomasville, Lexington, Yadkin, Spenser, Salisbury, China Grove, Landis, Kannapolis, Glass, Concord, Charlotte, Juneau, Belmont, McAdenv., Lowell, Gastonia, Bessemer City, Kings Mountain, Grover.

• South Carolina

  Blacksburg, Gaffney, Thickety, Cowpens, Converse, Spartanburg, Duncan, Greer, Taylors, Greenville.

  (From Greenville the national Rand McNally 1923 map shows a path down SC-20 and SC-15. The Rand McNally District 20 1922-1923 map shows a direct line to Anderson on SC-8.)

  Piedmont, Pelzer, Williamston, Belton, Anderson.

• Georgia

  Hartwell, Royston, Danielsville, Stratham, Athens, Bogart, Statham, Winder, Carl, Auburn, Lawrenceville, Tucker, Stone Mountain, Ingleside, Decatur, Atlanta, Mableton, Austell, Lithia Springs, Douglasville, Villa Rica (route splits)

  North branch from Villa Rica
  Temple, Bremen, Waco, Tallapoosa, Hoopers.

  South branch from Villa Rica
  Carrolton, Bowden.

• Alabama

  North branch from Villa Rica
  Edwardsville, Heflin (branches merge).

  South branch from Villa Rica
  Hopewell, Heflin (branches merge).

  Single Bankhead Highway route
  Choccolocco (possible bypass of Anniston through De Armanville), Anniston, Oxford, Munford, Talladega, Cropwell, Pell City, Cooks Springs, Brompton, Leeds, Gate City, Woodlawn, Birmingham, Pratt City, Adamsville, Sayre, Robins, Cordova, Jasper, Townly, Carbon Hill, Winfield, Guin (route splits)

  North branch from Guin
  Hamilton, Bexar.

  South branch from Guin
  Sulligent, Detroit.

• Mississippi

  North branch from Guin
  Tremont, Clay, Fulton, Mooreville, Tupelo (branches merge).

  South branch from Guin
  Splunge, Hatley, Amory, Bigbee, Nettleton, Maring, Plantersville, Tupelo (branches merge).

  North branch from Tupelo
  Sherman, Blue Springs, Wallerville, New Albany, Myrtle, Hickory Flat, Winborn, Waits, Holly Springs, Red Banks, Victoria, Byhalia, Miller, Olive Branch (branches merge).

  South branch from Tupelo
  Bissell, Furrs, Pontotoc, Springville, Toccopola, Oxford (A branch of the BH may link Oxford to Holly Spings on the north branch. Towns include College Hill, Abbeville, Malone, Waterford, Gilton, Holly Springs), Tyro, Independence, Lewisburg, Cedarview, Olive Branch (branches merge).

• Tennessee

  Capley, Oakville, Memphis (route splits).

• Arkansas

  North branch from Memphis
  Marion, Vincent, Crawfordsville, Earl, Smithdale, Parkin, Princedale, Levesque, Wynne, Fair Oaks, McCrory, Grays, Wiville, Howell, Cotton Plant, Des Arc, Hazen (branches merge).

  South branch from Memphis
  Hulbert, Edmondson, Widener, Madison, Forrest City, Palestine, Goodwin, Wheatley, Brinkley, Brasfield, Bisco, De Valls Bluff, Hazen (branches merge).

  Single Bankhead Highway route
  Carlisle, Lonoke, Galloway, North Little Rock, Little Rock, Alexander, Benton (route splits).

  North Mainline branch from Benton
  Hot Springs, Bismark, Arkadelphia (two branches merge).

  South Mainline branch from Benton
  Reyburn, Malvern, Faber, Joan, Arkadelphia (two branches merge).

  Single Mainline Bankhead Highway
  Curtis, Smithton, Gurdon, Bierne, Prescott, Emmet, Hope, Fulton, Homan, Mandeville, Texarkana.

  Red River branch route from Benton
  Slocomb, Lonsdale, Hot Springs (connector route, “north mainline branch”, via Bismarck between Hot Springs and Arkadelphia on mainline branch), Pearcy, Glenwood, Kirby, Daisy, New Hope, Dierks, Lebanon, De Queen.

• Oklahoma

  Red River branch route
  Eagletown, Broken Bow, Idabel, Garvin, Valliant, Swink, Sawyer, Hugo, Soper, Boswell, Bennington, Durant, Tishomingo, Mill Creek, Drake, Sulphur, Davis, Wynne Wood, Marlow, Lawton, Cache, Snyder, Altus, Duke, Hollis.

• Texas

  Texarkana (Mainline route splits).

  North Mainline branch
  Redwater, Maud (route splits).

  North Mainline branch route via Simms
  Simms, Naples (two branches merge).

  North Mainline branch route via Douglassville
  Douglassville, Dalton, Naples (two branches merge).

  North Mainline branch continues
  Omaha, Mt. Pleasant, Mt. Vernon, Sulphur Springs (mainline branches merge).

  South Mainline branch
  Queen City, Atlanta, Linden, Hughes Springs, Daingerfield, Pittsburg, Newsome, Winnsboro, Como, Sulphur Springs (Mainline branches merge).

  Single Mainline Bankhead Highway
  Commerce, Greenville, Caddo Mills, Royse City, Fate, Rockwall, Garland, Dallas, Grand Prairie, Arlington, Handley, Fort Worth, Weatherford, Millsap, Mineral Wells, Palo Pinto (route splits).

  North Mainline branch
  Brad, Caddo, Breckenridge, Albana, Acampo, Namby, Abilene (Mainline branches merge).

  South Mainline branch
  Gordon, Strawn, Ranger, Eastland, Cisco, Dothan, Putnam, Baird, Clyde, Abilene (Mainline branches merge).

  Single Mainline Bankhead Highway
  Merkel ?, Sweetwater, Roscoe (Central Connector branch departs northwest), Colorade, Westbrook, Coahoma, Big Spring, Stanton, Midland, Odessa, Metz, Monohans ?, Pyote, Barstow, Pecos, Toyah, Kent, Boracho, Plateau, Wild Horse, Van Horn, Sierra Blanca, Finlay, Fort Hancock, Fabens, Clint, Ysleta, El Paso (all routes merge), Canutillo.

  Red River branch route
  Newlin, Estelline, Turkey, Quitaque, Silverton, Plainview, Olton, Muleshoe, Hurley, Farwell.

  Route enters New Mexico, then returns to Texas at El Paso.

  El Paso.

  Central Connector route
  Roscoe, Foch, Snyder, Fluvanna, Post, Tahoka, Brownfield, Tokio, Plains, Bronco.

• New Mexico

  Red River branch route
  Texico, Clovis, Cameo, Portales, Delphos, Elida, Kenna, Acme, Roswell (Central branch merges with Red River branch), Picacho, Tinnie, Hondo, Glencoe, Ruidoso, Mescalero, Bent, Tularosa, La Luz, Alamagordo, Turquoise, Oro Grande, Newman.

  Central Connector route
  Tatum, Caprock, Roswell (joins Red River branch route).

  Single Bankhead Highway west from El Paso
  Berino, Vado, Mesilla Park (and Las Cruces), Aden, Cambray, Myndus, Deming, Tunis, Separ, Lordsburg (route splits).

  South (Mainline-Tucson) branch
  Rodeo.

  North (Globe) branch
  US 70 route to Franklin, AZ.

• Arizona

  South (Mainline-Tucson) branch
  Douglas, Lowell, Bisbee, Tombstone, Benson, Pantano, Vail, Tucson, Florence, Superior, Apache Junction (branches merge).

  North (Globe) branch
  Franklin, Duncan, Clifton, Solomonsville, Safford, Thatcher, Pima, Glenbar, Eden, Ft. Thomas, Geronimo, Rice, Globe, Miami, Belleview, Superior, Desert, Apache Junction (branches merge)

  Single Bankhead Highway route
  La Mesa, Tempe, Phoenix, Tolleson, Avondale, Liberty, Buckeye, Palo Verde, Arlington, Gila Bend, Piedra, Sentinel, Stanwix, Aztec, Stoval, Mohawk, Colfred, Wellton, Dome, Yuma.

• California

  Winterhaven, Holtville, El Centro, Seeley, Dixieland, Jacumba, Boulevard (route splits).

  North (Mainline-Alpine) branch
  Pine Valley, Guatay, Descanso Junction, Alpine, El Cajon, La Mesa, San Diego.

  South (Campo) branch
  Campo, Portero, Dulzura, Jamul, San Diego.

 

Bankhead Highway routes and directions by State

• Virginia

• North Carolina

• South Carolina

• Georgia

• Alabama

• Mississippi

• Tennessee

• New Mexico

• Arizona

• California

 

Bankhead Highway Links

"History of the Bankhead Highway" by Jerry Flook, presented on Garland Texas City Councilman Douglas Athas's site:
1. The Good Roads Movement
2. Developing the Bankhead Highway
3. The Bankhead Highway Fulfills Economic Expectations
4. The Bankhead Highway Gets Name Changes

The Bankhead Highway - Broadway of America

Bankhead Highway at everything2.com

Bankhead Highway on Wikipedia

Zero Milestone and the Second Motor Convoy

The Plank Road - Journal of San Diego History