Bear Meat Cabin Road
Starting as an ancient Indian trail, the north–south road through Arab in 1816 was known as Bear Meat Cabin Road. By 1818, it had become an important Federal trade route through the Alabama Territory known as the St. Stephens – Huntsville Road. Designated as a post road in 1822, it became the main mail route between New Orleans and Cincinnati over which Alabama’s first stage line traveled. Philip Clack received a State charter to operate the section through Arab as Clack’s Turnpike.
With the opening of the Tennessee River Bridge at Whitesburg in 1929, the road again became an important north-south route through Alabama. During the 1940's it was known as the Florida Short Route. By 1945 it was paved and became Federal Highway 231 known as “The Heart of Dixie Highway”. The Arab by-pass was built in 1960 and the highway from Arab to Whitesburg was widened to four lanes in 1970.
Marker is at the intersection of North Brindlee Mountain Parkway (State Highway 53) and North Main Street, on the right when traveling north on North Brindlee Mountain Parkway.
Courtesy hmdb.org
