Old Bell Buckle Turnpikes

Bell Buckle, our quaint little island in the country, only has a few ways in and out of town. But did you know that the four Bell Buckle gateways go back to the 1800s?

In the mid-1800s, when the locomotive revolution was chugging along, the state authorized private turnpike companies sections of property for better travel. These companies were financially responsible for the construction and maintenance of the turnpikes and charged tolls to cover those very things. The cost for these turnpikes was around $1500 per mile. ⁣

Originally called turnpike roads, they eventually shed the word “turn” and “road” to become what we know as pikes today. But why “turnpike”? It’s quite literal actually. A pike is a pointed wooden shaft. These long pikes were placed across the road where tolls were collected. They were often on a simple string. Once the toll was paid, the gatekeeper would swing open the pike, granting passage to travelers. Tollhouses, where a toll-gate keeper kicked back, were located about every 5 miles.⁣

Here is an example of toll rates from 1860:⁣

20 Head of Sheep or Hogs – 10 cents⁣

20 Head of Cattle – 25 cents⁣

1 Pleasure Carriage – 25 cents⁣

1 Horse or Mule – 3 cents⁣

1 Loaded Wagon – 15 cents⁣

1 Empty Wagon – 10 cents⁣

1 Man and Horse – 5 cents⁣

Bell Buckle’s bustling growth led to a cry for better roads, and by 1876, four new turnpikes were on the drawing board.⁣

The Bellbuckle and Liberty Gap Turnpike Company was chartered in 1876 and completed in 1882. The Bellbuckle and Liberty Gap Pike ran from Bell Buckle north into Rutherford County. A total of 5 miles. There was once a tollhouse located just outside of town where tolls were paid. That turnpike is now what we know as Liberty Pike or Hwy 269. This is the last one that still bears the name pike!⁣

Shelbyville and Fairfield Pike was a shorter pike leading south. This is now known as Bell Buckle Wartrace Road and Hwy 269.⁣

The Bellbuckle and Beech Grove Pike was begun in 1876 and went east 6 miles. There was a tollhouse constructed around 1881 less than a mile outside of town. This is now Webb Road East or Hwy 82 today.⁣

Last but not least, the Bellbuckle and Flat Woods Turnpike chartered in 1876 and completed in 1882, ran west 5 miles to the Murfreesboro and Shelbyville turnpike. This is now Webb Road West, Hwy 82 or Webb Hwy.⁣

It’s so interesting to imagine what trotting down the old turnpike roads would have been like. I’m grateful for pavement, but there’s a certain charm in delving into the past and imagining how the residents of old Bell Buckle traveled. ⁣