End of historic US highway 241 [i]
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To get between Nashville and Hopkinsville today, a driver would most likely use I-24. But before that freeway was built, there were two options between those cities: a western route via Clarksville, and an eastern one via Springfield. When the US highways were originally assigned in 1926, the western route was numbered as US 41, and the east route was known as US 241:
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c. 1927, Rand McNally
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At its south end, US 241 came into Nashville via the Woodland Street bridge. In this photo, we have just crossed that bridge, heading southwest. Today traffic veers left and then right again on Union Street, around Public Square Park. But originally the road continued straight ahead, connecting with Deaderick Street (which runs just to the right of the tallest building visible in the photo). Just ahead that direction, at 1st Avenue (which is also vacated now) was the end of US 241. Straight ahead on Deaderick was northbound US 41 (which then turned north on 5th Avenue), while southbound was to the left on 1st:
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Karners, Apr. 2014
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This interactive image shows the historic terminus of US 241 in Hopkinsville. This is looking southeast on 9th Street, which serves as southbound US 41 and eastbound US 68. Originally US 41 continued to the right on Virginia Street, while straight ahead was the north beginning of US 241:
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US 41 essentially followed what is now US 41 Alternate. But today that route no longer splits from US 41 there; that junction is now about five blocks ahead:
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Brooks, Dec. 2004
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About a half-mile to the right on Walnut Street is 21st Street, where today's Alt. US 41 rejoins the original routing of US 41.
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US 241 [i] lasted for only two or three years. Its number was recycled and applied to a different highway serving another part of Tennessee (it is now decommissioned as well; more info on the US 241 [ii] page). Meanwhile the two routes between Nashville and Hopkinsville were renumbered as US 41-E and US 41-W. That lasted until the mid-1940s, when the routes were renumbered again, to the way we know them today. Now mainline US 41 traffic is directed along the eastern route (via Springfield), while the western route through Clarksville is numbered as US 41 Alternate.
Research and/or photo credits: Robert Brooks; Nathan Edgars; Karin and Martin Karner; Dale Sanderson; Michael Summa
Page originally created 2005;
last updated Aug. 13, 2019.
last updated Aug. 13, 2019.
