Old Hamburg Road
If This Road Could Talk

Darren Bailey
Anna-Jonesboro Community High School, Anna

Who would ever have thought that what is now just a short, seldom-used, dead-end road was once an important route? Tiny Old Hamburg Road, most of which one would have to strain his or her eyes to find, was once one of the major routes across southern Illinois to the "Mighty Mississippi."

This ghost of a road has end points, which, fittingly, are ghost towns themselves. The original order to make the road, issued on September 13, 1814, stated, "that a road be laid out . . . from Johnson Court house to Galleher's old place ... on the Mississippi River. . . ." The county seat of Johnson County at that time was Elvira, about five miles west of present-day Vienna, the current county seat. This is now a ghost town not shown on any current maps. The same holds true for Hamburg, about twelve miles north of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, on the Illinois side of the river, the area which was first settled by John Galleher.

The Mississippi River was the real reason for the road and most of the roads in the early 1800s. Old Hamburg Road, also spelled Old Hamburgh Road, was ordered upon the request of the people of what was then Johnson County. The citizens of the area needed a convenient route to travel when getting to the ferry owned at first by Galleher. When the road was ordered, John Bradshaw, John Grammar, and Joseph Palmer were appointed to observe the building of the road, and John Whiteker was appointed supervisor of the road. After that, the ferry changed hands several times.

Galleher abandoned his ferry in 1816, and Samuel Penrod opened another in nearly the exact same place on March 13, 1816, and he was then made the supervisor of the road. On March 7, 1821, Jacob Littleton gained his license to open a ferry at exactly the same spot where Penrod's once was. On June 18,1838, James Wilbourn was allowed to keep a ferry of his own when Littleton's license was revoked earlier that same year.

Though countless people used the road through the years as a means of local travel and trade, few know of its historical significance to Native Americans. The travelers on the Trail of Tears, which is known to have crossed southern Illinois, had to cross the Mississippi River. To do this, several ferries were used for the thousands of Indians that traveled that way from 1838 to 1839. One ferry, of course, was the one at Hamburg.

The Cherokee had been traveling across Illinois, starting near what is now Golconda, on the Ohio River. Throughout the way, they often had to clear a path for themselves. Trees were cut and uprooted and vines were removed. Several times, just as they were about to cross the newly cleared land, they were turned back, not allowed to cross by a farmer or a family fearing the Native Americans would steal and destroy their property. They were then forced to turn back and try a different route.

Local historian Geneva Wiggs of Wolf Lake tells one such story. As the Cherokee approached Jonesboro, one group decided to take Old Hamburg road to get to Hamburg Landing to cross the Mississippi River. Just west of Jonesboro was the farm owned by a Mr. Frick. The thousand-plus Cherokee had just climbed an imposing hill known as Pansy Hill, and were approaching the Frick farm. Frick waited out by his property and prohibited the Native Americans from passing. They had either to go around his farm or turn around and travel back up the daunting hill and choose a different course. Since Frick owned a vast amount of property on both sides of the road and the property where the road lay, the Cherokee had no other alternative than to find another route.

In the middle of a harsh winter, the cold, shoeless, and hungry people trudged up the huge hill, back through the town, and detoured several miles. The leaders of this group still believed Old Hamburg Road was the best route; hence, after a detour they got back on the road as soon as possible and continued on their way.

The road today is scarcely a road at all. In fact, in all but a few isolated places, the road does not survive. However, the remnants of the once-busy pathway can still be seen. In Jonesboro, Cook Avenue extends from Willards Ferry Road past the city limits and converts from a paved road to a gravel road. A half-mile from the city limits, the road shows its Old Hamburg Road roots. The history is very evident there, as the banks of the road are ten to fifteen feet above the actual surface of the road. This is a result of the great use of the road, especially under muddy conditions. The road was virtually impassible during the spring months because of the rainy weather.

This road has played an important role in the past and present of both Union and Johnson counties. It allowed travelers to move across the state and get to the ferries on the Mississippi River. Livestock and other goods were moved from place to place on the road. There are several stories in more recent history of children hiking up and around it to get to such local landmarks as Dutch Creek, Dug Hill, and Lockard Chapel. If only this road could talk, what would it say? Would it tell of wagons and horses, oxen and mules, bare feet and boots... school buses and SUVs?—[From Atlas of Union County; student historian's interview with Darrel

46 ILLINOIS HISTORY / APRIL 2002

47 ILLINOIS HISTORY / APRIL 2002