Column 73 for March 4, 2001

"... and you may ask yourself, where does that highway go?" -- Talking Heads, Once in a Lifetime

I was born about a mile from highway U.S. 27. With all the moves in my life, here over a half-century later, I’m still about the same distance from that road!

If I ask locally, "Where does highway 27 go?" I’m likely to be told Bremen, or for those facing south, maybe LaGrange.

The U.S. Highway System was created by the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1925 as a response to the confusion created by the 250 or so named highways, such as the Lincoln Highway or the National Old Trails Highway.

Federal highway 27 was created in 1926. It passes (or passed) through Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and finally Florida. At one time the full length of U.S. 27 was 1749 miles, from St. Ignace, Michigan all the way to Miami, Florida.

Heading south from St. Ignace, Michigan, the highway passes through Jackson, Michigan. Yes, it is named after President Jackson. Jackson claims to be the place where the Republican party was founded. From the Jackson, Michigan homepage (http://www.jacksonmich.com/): "On July 6, 1854, a state convention of anti-slavery men was held in Jackson to found a new political party. "Uncle Tom's Cabin" had been published two years earlier, causing increased resentment against slavery, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act of May, 1854, threatened to make slave states out of previously free territories. Since the convention day was hot and the huge crowd could not be accommodated in the hall, the meeting adjourned to an oak grove on "Morgan's Forty" on the outskirts of town. Here a state-wide slate of candidates was selected and the Republican Party was born. Winning an overwhelming victory in the elections of 1854, the Republican party went on to dominate national politics throughout the nineteenth century."

Heading south… In the town where I was born, Angola, Indiana, I remember my grandparents telling me about the hoboes who traveled east to west on Federal highway 20, or north to south on Federal highway 27. Earning their keep by doing chores. Fascinating stories. They loved the trains.

On and on, the highway wound south. 359 miles through Georgia. If you haven’t, you need to go north and visit the Civil War battlefield just south of Chattanooga. Spend some quiet time amongst the graves and monuments of the brave men on both sides who died for their cause. It’s sobering.

Our own highway through Carrollton is historic. Give up the Interstate for a while and feel some history. All my life I’ve loved "road trips." I’ve learned getting there is just part of the fun. The real trip is on the highway. Imagine travelling U.S. 27 from Indiana to Florida for a winter vacation back, right after World War II. No air-conditioning either.

Dig into some good literature. Read On the Road by Jack Kerouac or The Road by Jack London. Open up your eyes. It’s a trip!

If you’d like more information on U.S. 27 here in Georgia, go to http://www.hwy27.com/ and get all the information about "our" highway! Route 66 has got nothing on us!!!

Peace. Remember, wherever you go, there you are. tomiswho@mindspring.com