US 80 Overview

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The main subject of this historical and archaeological study was a section of US 80 outside Bloomingdale in Chatham and Effingham counties. This study provided information about the development of this road as well as about certain road building methods used in Georgia.

US 80, also known as the Louisville Road, has a long history. The road was first authorized by an act of Georgia’s Colonial Assembly in 1770. The route of the original road was designed to connect the early settlement of Queensboro on the Ogeechee River to Savannah . When Louisville served as the state capital (1796-1806) the road became an important stage and post road.

During the Civil War, Union troops crossing from Atlanta to the coast marched to and from Savannah on the Louisville Road . At this time, Federal troops probably built or repaired sections of the road using logs or corduroy techniques. Civil War records indicate that Federal troops spent considerable time building log roads throughout Chatham and Effingham counties.

The Federal Government made the Louisville Road part of one of the earliest US highways, commissioning it in 1926 (Figure 38). Named the Dixie Overland Highway, it was one of the first all-weather, coast-to-coast roads available for automobile traffic. Originally US 80 was to begin in Tybee Island, Georgia and end in San Diego, California. In the 1960s, however, the design changed, and the route of US 80 now ends in Dallas, Texas .