Georgia Road
Georgia Road is an east-west road in eastern Birmingham, a remnant of an old road that extended through the Mississippi Territory from Georgia along the length of the floor of Jones Valley.
Early settlers along Georgia Road included Obadiah and Edmund Wood at what became Woodlawn, Abner Killough at the "Big Spring" in present-day Avondale, Warren and Sam Truss at Trussville, Daniel Huffman at Huffman, Burrell Bass at Roebuck, and Richard B. Walker and William F. Nabers, whose lands included the area that would become the city of Birmingham. The road also traversed the grant given to William Ely on which Elyton was laid out in 1820. It was renamed "Cotton Avenue" within the town limits.
Georgia Road connected to Montevallo Road (also called Bear Meat Cabin Road or the Nashville to Montgomery Road) at Red Gap near what became Gate City. It crossed the Huntsville Road, Tuscaloosa Road and Arkadelphia Road at Elyton.
U.S. Highway 78 (Atlanta Highway) follows roughly the route of Georgia Road east of Birmingham.
Present route
The present Georgia Road runs from Messer Airport Highway eastward into the heart of Woodlawn, past Willow Wood park to 1st Avenue North. Historic addresses east of 50th Street were generally along what is now Messer Airport Highway.
The road reappears as it splits off from 1st Avenue South just before 57th Street South in Woodlawn, continuing eastward below I-20, through Gate City, below Oporto-Madrid Boulevard and on into Irondale where it is renamed 2nd Avenue North as it crosses 16th Street North.
Formerly, in the early twentieth-century, the section of Messer Airport Highway from about 43rd Street North to 50th Street North was also part of Georgia Road.
Notable addresses
Birmingham
- Addresses that were along section that followed the general route of what later became Messer Airport Highway
- 4201: former location of Mt Marriah Spiritual Church (1942), Macedonia Spiritual Church (1954)
- 4360: former location of Mt Pleasant Baptist Church (1946)
- 4600: former location of Coleanor Coal & Mercantile Co. (1917)
- 4601: former location of Birmingham Oil Mill, Inc. (1934)
- 4615: former location of Woods Grocery Co. (1917)
- 4631: former location of West Woodlawn Baptist Church (1917)
- former location of Union Cotton Oil Co. / Jefferson Fertilizer Co. (1917)
- 4721: former location of West Woodlawn Baptist Church (1954)
- 4730: former location of West Woodlawn Methodist Episcopal Church (1917)
- Messer Airport Highway
- 5013: former location of Georgian Terrace Apartments (1970)
- 5216: former location of Riashy's Delicatessen (1970)
- 5220: former location of Dahlke Screen & Weatherstrip (1970)
- 5300: Healing Spring Baptist Church, former location of Woodlawn Church of God (1965, 1971), Rev. Lewis E. Talley (1960), Woodlawn Methodist Episcopal Church, South (1889-1912)
- 5312: Willow Wood Park, former location of Wood Plantation
- 54th Street North intersects
- 5404 parking lot, former location of Woodlawn Elementary School (1892-1961)
- 55th Street North intersects
- 5501: Woodlawn Cookhouse commissary kitchen (Zebbie Carney 2024–), former location of Woodlawn Monument Co. (1917), Hair Expo (2008), Mo-Hair DeSign (2016–2022)
- 5509: Brandon Car Center
- East Birmingham Church of God in Christ
- 1st Avenue North intersects
- 1st Avenue South intersects
- 6200 block: Old Ship A.M.E. Zion Church
- 6200 block: Eagles Nest Church of God in Christ
- 6300: former location of J. E. Smith restaurant (1910)
- 6420: former location of Club 75 (Harris Scott Jr 1970)
- 6504: former location of St Bernadette Catholic Church (1959-1973)
- 6517: Allright Tool Company
- 6601: Glorious Light Church
- 6910: vacant, former location of Gate City Elementary School (1955-2011)
- 7300: Mt Mariah Missionary Baptist Church (1995- ), former location of Gate City Baptist Church (1971, 1985)
- 7312: former location of Gate City Baptist Church (1925-1946-) Pilgrim Congregational Church (1917-1924)
- 7407: Holy Rosary Catholic Church (1889-)
- 7429: Miller Wire Works (1949-)
- Interlaken Avenue intersects (north only)
- Marks Village public housing project (1952-)
- 7517: Aubrey Bushelon Funeral Directing & Cremation Services
- 7524: Birmingham Health Care
- 7559: Five Star Convenience Store
- 7633: Vacca Discount Drugs
- 7700: former location of Gate City Drug Co. (1917)
- 7801: former location of Martha Burkett restaurant (1928)
- 7809: former location of McDonald Ore Mining Co. (1917)
- Red Gap
- Oporto-Madrid Boulevard crosses above
Irondale
- 1401: Jim House & Associates
- 1500: Creative Concepts