Tuscaloosa Plank Road
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The Tuscaloosa Plank Road or Old Plank Road was constructed by the Tuscaloosa Plank Road Company, headed by Robert Jemison Jr. It stretched about 16 miles from Tuscaloosa to the family's sawmill on Hurricane Creek along the old Huntsville Road stage route. It was built with thick wood planks sawn at the mill and laid over timber stretchers.
The State of Alabama chartered the company to construct and maintain the road as part of a statewide campaign to improve transportation infrastructure. The suitability of such roads was compromised by the difficulty of keeping them in good condition over time and by the advent of steel railroads.