Flickr 888 Trip - Old NC 75

The photo hosting site Flickr coined Friday, August 8 as another 24 hours of flickr day. And using it as an excuse to take some photos, I headed out after work yesterday to take some pictures. I had a few ideas in mind, but I decided to check out Old NC 75 aka Old Oxford Highway which were predecessors to US 15 in the area.

I'm glad I decided on this trip, and you'll see why soon.

For the entire photo set (71 in total) , head over to flickr.

I picked up the Old Oxford Highway from Business US 501 north of Durham. Old Oxford Highway is well marked, and there's reference to Historic Stagville as well. Once you turn onto Old Oxford Highway just follow it all the way to Oxford, it changes names to Old NC 75 once entering Granville County.

Not long into the journey, I had my first photo opportunity. An old Country Store just outside of the Durham City Limits.

I have a feeling fellow Surewhynoter, C.C. Slater, will enjoy that picture. This was the photo I used for the Flickr 888 Pool. (You were only allowed to enter one photo into the pool.)

Now the big surprised happened a number of miles later, the highway crossed a small creek and I looked to my left to see an old Pony Truss Bridge. The bridge is excellent shape, it's blocked off but easily accessible, and I spent a good 15-20 minutes there taking photos.

Next was a small stop in Stem. It is possible that Old NC 75 diverted briefly into Stem along Tally Ho Road and then Church St.

That folks is Downtown Stem on Tally Ho Road. Old NC 75 is about a 1/4 mile to the left over the railroad tracks.

I've never seen North/South signs for secondary roads and street blades done like this in North Carolina until this trip.

Later in the small community of Providence were a few examples of why I roadgeek and why I like the small backroad trips the most.

You don't find backdrops like those on the Interstate.

Finally, on my way home on US 15 from Oxford to NC 50 in Creedmoor. I grabbed a quick shot of this US 15/Jefferson Davis Highway shield. It appears that the Jefferson Davis Highway signs only appear on US 15 north of its split with US 501 in Durham. Or can they be spotted elsewhere?

Overall this trip took slightly more than two hours for all of 75 miles. However, what I saw and found over the two hours is almost always more than you can find on your run of the mill Interstate during the same time period.

Bridgeport Covered Bridge

The Bridgeport Covered Bridge is a historic crossing of the South Fork Yuba River located in Nevada County, California near Nevada City. The Bridgeport Covered Bridge opened as a tolled crossing during 1862 as part of the larger Henness Pass Road. The Bridgeport Covered Bridge closed to vehicle traffic during 1972 and was recently restored during 2021. The Bridgeport Covered Bridge is historically California's longest covered span is thought to likely be the longest such structure surviving in the world. Featured as the blog cover is the Bridgeport Covered Bridge during 1950 when it was an active part of Pleasant Valley Road. The history of the Bridgeport Covered Bridge The history of Bridgeport Covered Bridge was featured in the September 1950 California Highways & Public Works . Bridgeport Covered Bridge was constructed during 1862 over the South Fork Yuba River. The Bridgeport Covered Bridge served as part of the Virginia Turnpike Company maintained Henness Pass Roa

Former California State Route 215

California State Route 215 was a short-lived state highway which existed in the Los Angeles Metropolitain area after the 1964 State Highway Renumbering. California State Route 215 was aligned from US Route 60 at 5th Street in Pomona north to US Route 66 near Claremont via Garey Avenue. California State Route 215 came to be after California State Route 71 was bisected in Pomona due to relinquishment of a portion of Garey Avenue due to the opening of a portion of the Corona Freeway (now Chino Valley Freeway) during 1958. California State Route 215 was deleted by the Legislature during 1965. The history of California State Route 215 The initial segment of what was to become California State Route 215 was added to the State Highway System as part of the 1909 First State Highway Bond Act. The First State Highway Bond Act defined what would become Legislative Route Number 19 (LRN 19) as running from Claremont to Riverside. The segment of LRN 19 between Claremont and Pomona would in

US Route 70 over San Augustin Pass

San Augustin Pass is a gap in the Organ Mountains, San Augustin Mountains and San Andres in Dona Ana County east of Las Cruces. San Augustin Pass lies an elevation of approximately 5,600 feet above sea level and was originally traversed by New Mexico State Route 3. US Route 70 would be realigned over San Augustin Pass during 1934 when it was extended to Los Angeles, California. During 1963 US Route 82 would be extended through San Augustin Pass to Las Cruces. Since the early the early 1990s signage of US Route 82 has been withdrawn to Alamogordo. San Augustin Pass and US Route 70 are largely known for the numerous closures due to test firings originating from the White Sands Missile Range. Part 1; the history of highway designations over San Augustin Pass San Augustin Pass traditionally has been the easiest from the Rio Grande in Las Cruces east to the Tularosa Basin. The terrain conditions at San Augustin Pass allowed for an easy crossing in the gap between the Organ Mountains

Bob Malme said…

There were several 'Jefferson Davis Highway' signs at one time along the 15-501 bypass after the Morreene Road, NC 751 and Cornwallis Road interchanges when I first drove the road in the early 1990s. When new signs were put up along the entire route and exit numbers added in the mid-90's the highway name plates disappeared in favor of the 'To I-40' or 'To I-85' signs. The one remaining sign was northbound following the NC 751 exit where the old 15-501 assembly was not removed. While the assembly is still there, the JDH sign disappeared from underneath it about 1-2 years ago.

5:37 PM

Anonymous said…

They're probably not there anymore, but there were definitely some Jefferson Davis Highway signs on Columbia Street in Chapel Hill (which was US 15/501 Business at the time) when I was in college.

6:33 PM

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