Fayetteville and Western Plank Road

The Fayetteville and Western Plank Road was a 129 mi (208 km) plank road from Fayetteville, NC to the Moravian settlement at Bethania, NC.[1] The road was constructed from 1851-1852 using funds raised by boosters and accompanying funds provided by the state of North Carolina.

Fayetteville and Western Plank Road Historical Marker, Bethania, NC

There were 80 such projects for internal transportation authorized by North Carolina by 1860, and this was the only one that reached its goals. Originally planned to go from Fayetteville to Salisbury, North Carolina, the community in Salisbury was lukewarm to the plank road because they planned to lure a railroad to their community. Instead, the members of the Moravian Church in Salem, North Carolina planned for the terminus in their town, and they raised sufficient stock investments to make this possible. The route was changed so that it went from Fayetteville to Carthage, North Carolina, Ashboro, North Carolina and then to High Point, North Carolina. The plank road was stopped just outside the town limits because the Moravians did not want the sounds of wagons on the road to disturb their church services. The plank road was then continued north of town to Winston, North Carolina, and then west to Bethania, North Carolina, as its terminus. Travel from Salem to Fayetteville by two horses and a wagon cost about $2.25, and took four days. Travel by the much faster Stagecoach cost $9.00 one way and took about 18 hours.[2]

Plank Road historical marker commemorating the plank road that once ran from Fayetteville to Salem, North Carolina, spanning 129 miles. On highway 27 in Carthage, North Carolina.

Because Fayetteville is at the head of the navigable waters of the Cape Fear River, it was planned to make Fayetterville a center for transportation for the eastern part of the state. Other projects included the Fayetteville and Raleigh Plank Road, Fayetteville and Center Plank Road (to Center, now re-named Norwood, North Carolina, the Fayetteville and Northern Plank Road, and the Fayetteville and Warsaw Plank Road, which would meet up with the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad. The cost of the road construction was about $1,300.00 per mile.[3]

Harnett County, North Carolina, was along the route. The only toll house in the county was at Round Top, North Carolina. The first toll keeper was Malcolm Clark, and his salary was $100.00 per year.[4]

During the mid-1850s, business on the toll-based road provided as much as $27,419.77 income in one year, but by the turn of the decade income no longer met maintenance costs and the road was unprofitable. However, the 129 mile long plank road opened up central North Carolina rural areas to larger markets and economic opportunities. But during the Civil War, the roads were not maintained and fell apart.[5] The roadbeds continued to be used, even with a rough top, and the roadbeds were the basis for later transportation development.