By the authority of Governor Andrew Johnson, stock was issued for the Eagleville, Unionville & Shelbyville Turnpike Company (EU&S) on January 5, 1855. It was part of the road system running from Nashville into Alabama and was an extension of the Nolensville Turnpike south of Triune.

The company was organized in two divisions. The northern division with three tollgates ran roughly from south of Kirkland to Unionville, and the southern division was in Bedford County south of Unionville to Shelbyville. The two southern tollgates were located one mile from Shelbyville, the “town gate”, and the Fall Creek gate was six miles from Shelbyville.

The first board of directors of the northern division was Chesley Williams, president; William Collins, secretary; Williamson Jordan; Noah Scales; and Alford Ransom. The principle stockholders were Williamson Jordan, Noah Scales and Chesley Williams, with $1,500 stock each. The other 66 stockholders raised the total equity to $18,925. The company also had an initial debt of about $2,600.

The first board of directors of the southern division was John T. Neil, William G. Cowan, John F. Thompson, David Williams and Garret Phillips. In October 1855 all the directors of both divisions met to relinquish all claims on profits and dividends generated in the division that they did not manage. The north gave up the profits earned in the southern division, and the south gave up the profits earned in the northern division.

The early tollgate house near the Rutherford-Bedford County Line. (A tollgate was not a gate, but a pole that was attached at one end and lowered across the road to close it. The purpose was to collect a fee for the privilege of using the road. Ones who lived in the house collected the fee.)

Because initial travel was light, it took time to collect enough money to acquire the required tollgate houses. The first in the northern division was purchased from Williamson Jordan about three miles north of Eagleville. And for several years tolls were collected at the homes of Ivey Phillips and W.S. Marshall. (Tollgate house one was subsequently owned and operated by Leonard K. Lowe and then his son George K. Lowe.)

The second tollgate house was built at W.G. Osborns, and a third house was not built until 1869 or 1870. These gates were located between the Rutherford County line and Rover and between Rover and Unionville. (In 1900 the three toll gates were run by Mrs. Ann Glimp at gate one, Mrs. Tennis Allison at gate two, and A.N. Vincent and E. Blanton at gate three.)

In 1860 a company was organized to build the Eagleville and Chapel Hill Pike. Chesley Williams invested in that company. The EU&S Turnpike subscribed $500 to that project, but because of the Civil War the sum was not paid until 1866. This investment increased travel on the EU&S Turnpike.

Tollgate records survive for the years 1900 through 1905. Tolls were levied on the number of travelers and means of transportation. Loaded wagons paid more than empty ones. Tolls were geared to type of wagon or buggy, loaded or empty, as well as number and kinds of animals being herded along the pike. One-horse buggies were the most frequent means of conveyance on the turnpikes and paid a toll of 10 cents. One interesting feature was a hearse without a corpse paid a 25-cent toll, implying a hearse with a corpse paid nothing.

Access to toll roads was free during the night as the tollgates were open, but the gates were closed about 6AM each morning. Tolls were collected during the day, and the gates were again raised about 9PM.

According to the 1986 edition of History of Rover and the 10^th District of Bedford County, Humphrey H. Boyce became suspicious of the large number of wagons traveling after midnight. One night he closed the gate and when the wagons arrived, he checked them out. They turned out to be grave robbers hauling disinterred corpses.

The Civil War added heavily to the cost of operating the turnpike. The bridge over the Harpeth River was made impassible by the large number of Confederate soldiers that crossed it.

The original bridge was located immediately east of the present bridge on US41A, and the turnpike ran along the west bank of the river and on the east side of the old Pinson’s house and barn. Construction of US41A required a fill at the Harpeth River and a cut on the west side of the old Cook home that burned. The property is now home of the Tuckaway Country Gardens

After the Union forces arrived the bridge was burned down. The EU&S Turnpike had to be rebuilt three different times. The Yankees also burned down the Hailey tollgate house. It is highly likely that the fires were started by the Third Indiana Cavalry.

*In an Official Report by Brigadier General Jefferson Davis, U.S. Army, from the headquarters, First Division, Twentieth Army Corps, on March 16, 1863, he wrote that a large storehouse in Eagleville (most likely the Williams Store as it was burned down during the war) was burned by the Third Indiana Cavalry on March 11. And two days later two other houses in the town were burned. (Chesley’s house was spared, but the Missionary Baptist Church, which was used as a Confederate hospital, was also torched at some point in the war.) (*The Official Records of the War of Rebellion, Chapter XXV, pp. 144-45.)

The Hailey tollgate house was rebuilt, but remained unoccupied. Not until traffic increased sufficiently was a replacement house built at Mrs. Reeder’s in 1877.

Home of Chesley Williams - Eagleville Tennessee 1910 (The old road was located on the west side of the home instead of the east side, as the present road)

Eagleville was in a difficult location in the southeastern corner of Williamson County. A long hard trip was required to get to the county seat of Franklin. Hills between the two towns deterred construction of a direct road between the two. The steep grades of the existing roads that ran through the hills were known as the “pull tights” since teamsters had to maintain a tight rein on their teams when crossing them.

The longer and more expedient route to Franklin was via Triune and the Murfreesboro-Franklin Road. That trip more closely followed the Harpeth River Valley crossed over smaller hills.

The difficulty of getting to Franklin led to moving the Williamson-Rutherford County line to the west in March, 1874, so Eagleville became part of Rutherford County. Traffic then shifted to the closer county seat of Murfreesboro, and demand for additional roads increased.

About 1877 the Eagleville and Salem Turnpike Company was formed to improve travel to Murfreesboro. Chesley Williams purchased the largest number of shares, 22% of the total, among the 25 initial stockholders. He was also president and treasurer of the company. Richard Ransom was secretary.

The road was built through Concord, despite the best efforts of the citizens of Versailles to run it through the Rockvale community. The route chosen is now State Road 99.

Tollgate House Between Rover & Unionville - Circa 1896 L- R: Elish Blanton, gate keeper, Don Farmer (on horse), Lucy Blanton, Marion Vincent, Netta Vincent, Allene Vincent, Parilee Vincent

The EU&S Turnpike had been profitable during the early years of the 1880s. Annual surpluses were loaned to “good and solvent men.” Chesley Williams wrote that notes were collected and were sufficient to pay court costs, lawyers’ fees, and a 5% dividend to shareholders. There were also “some funds to commence putting our pike in first rate repairs and condition.”

But then a costly problem proliferated. Many people with little or no money traveled many miles around the turnpikes to avoid paying tolls. To minimize this extra travel shunpikes -- run rounds – were built in close proximity around the tollgates.

In 1878 a shunpike was attempted to bypass the Hailey tollgate. This led to a costly lawsuit, which forced the company to cut back on all expenses and “use all economies to save funds.”

Tollroad Shares Certificate - 1891

The case, in which Chesley was deeply involved, was tried and won in 1888. A judgment of $2,500 and court fees were recovered. But the case was then appealed to the Tennessee Supreme Court.

Chesley Williams retired as an active manager of the toll roads just a short time before his death. A proclamation by Richard Ransom at Chesley’s retirement noted that although he was a beloved president and treasurer, age, infirmity and deep affliction made him unable to attend to the duties incumbent upon him.

(The Chesley Williams Papers, 1856-1927, are the primary source for this article. They are available on microfilm from the Tennessee State Library.)