By BUZZ KING, guest columnist

Van Buren Street north ended at the livery stable at Van Buren and Gould. North of that point was open grass area. When State Road 135 North was built in the early 1930s, the area north was opened. Before that, Jefferson Street was the main path north (Miller’s Hill).

The town was established as Jacksonburg in 1837 by Indian treaty. Before that time, we were settled on the north end of Indian land and tolerated by way of trade. We were settled just before 1800 by fur traders, but travel to and from Nashville (Jacksonburg) was hard. Mostly oxen or mules were used because of the steep grade.

Charles Smith (“Slim”) told me that his brick home at Mound and Jefferson streets was a toll booth. This was the shortest path to the White River where the docks, canal, and roads or paths meet. There, one could trade for foodstuffs and staples. The fee to use the path in town was 1 cent.

Indianapolis was founded on Jan. 6, 1821, but the flat boats were there long before that. That was the nearest settlement to trade, goods and services, and the round trip took three days.

If you wanted to head north without paying the steep fee, you could travel out what we now call Helmsburg Road to Grandma Barnes Road which met with Covered Bridge Road and the north end of Greasy Creek Road, then up Spearsville Road.

I have found many books and documents which use “Nashville” years earlier than the 1872 date when the name became official. Another source claims that Jacksonburg was a small settlement located up the short valley behind Firecracker Hill. I do know that the local paper was the Jacksonian, weekly newspaper. (Look for another story later).

State Road 35 (now 135) South was a very early road to Corydon, the state capital in 1816. Much of the road had stone, but most was dirt.

State Road 46 was State Road 26 until Sept. 30, 1926. When the automobile arrived and became more common in the 20th century, more roads were needed, so the numbered roads were changed to allow for more roads.

Back to 135 North from Nashville: The base of that highway from town to Bean Blossom was laid with “one-man stones.” These were limestone blocks, 1-by-1-foot by 8-inch cube, side by side for 5 miles. One man could carry the 100-pound stone.

Over the many years, the highway was widened two or three times. You will notice today, the only potholes are at the edge where it was widened or where a cut was made for utilities. Also, asphalt lying on top will cause a shallow pothole, but the limestone under stays solid.

Most all streets in town were dirt, but over time were “chip-and-sealed” and still later, they were paved as they are today.

In the ‘30s, my grandfather, Benton Schrougham, owned and operated a bus line called the scenic bus line. It was a nine-passenger touring car which made two round-trips a day to Indianapolis for those who worked there. The business was later sold to someone in Morgantown.

In the early 1960s, the current State Road 46 to Columbus was built in three sections in three years, by three different contractors. This is the only road in Brown County with a shoulder or breakdown lane.

‘Til next time. — Buzz