Atlanta Peachtree Rd. -Created from a Creek Indian Trail ° History and GPS Map
9 July 2011 -Text and photos by jack yeazel
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A trail known as the Peachtree Trail stretched from  Standing Pitch Tree along the Chattahoochee River in Atlanta to Fort Daniel located at Hog Mountain in present-day Gwinnett County.  The Peachtree Road construction began in 1812.  Many portions of present-day roads trace this route.

At the beginning of the War of 1812 two forts were established in Georgia to protect settlers of the then western frontier from the Cherokee  and Creek indians  who were collaborating with the enemy.  Fort Daniel was located at Hog Mountain,  and Fort Peachtree  was located at Standing Pitch Tree, about 30 miles inside the Indian lands.  William Nesbit supervised the building of Military Rd from Ft. Daniel to a shallow ford on the Chattahoochee River . This became the beginnings of Peachtree Road  constructed between the two forts along the Peachtree Ridge.

Atlanta grew up on a site occupied by the Creek people, and the "peachtree" street was, in fact, not named for a peach tree of any sort, but for a large Creek settlement called Standing Pitch Tree after a tall lone tree.  Reportedly, the Creek used trees with fresh pitch (the sap of a pine tree) for solemnizing vows and treaties.  The "pitch tree" was corrupted to "peach tree", perhaps by mistake, or because it sounded better to English speakers.  While peaches are widely feral, they seem native to northern Georgia and the Atlanta area.  Although Georgia is the "Peach State", there was apparently no historical peach tree that led to the name.  The Standing Pitch Tree site is now occupied by the Atlanta Water Works intake pipes and pumps.

ROUTE OF MILITARY ROAD

ATLANTA
In Atlanta the Trail from Standing Pitch Tree is now Moores Mill Rd. to W. Paces Ferry Rd. to Peachtree Rd. in Buckhead.

CHAMBLEE and DORAVILLE
In Chamblee the Trail crosses the east side of the railroad to New Peachtree Rd.  which joins Buford Hwy. in Doraville.

NORCROSS
The Trail branches off Buford Hwy. to S. Peachtree St. , W. Peachtree St., and then N. Peachtree St.  Jumps to those streets aren't accurately known. Starting in SW Norcross, the Trail  runs along the Eastern Continental Divide.  to Hog Mountain.

PEACHTREE CORNERS
The Trail on N. Peachtree St.  eventually runs into Medlock Bridge Rd. which turns onto S. Old Peachtree Rd. and Industrial Park Dr.

DULUTH
In Duluth the Trail intersects N. Berkley Lake Rd. and then turns onto Buford Hwy.  Near the Railroad Museum, the Trail turns onto Peachtree Rd NW, but is immediately blocked by a fence.  This blocked road is owned by the City of Duluth and may in the future become a walking path.
The blocked road runs north about a mile, becomes un-blocked, and the name changes to Main Street which passes the New City Hall.
The Trail follows Main Street to Brock St. which crosses the railroad to the east and then links with US 23.

GWINNETT COUNTY
After about a half mile on US 23, the Trail turns onto Old Peachtree Rd.  The Trail follows this road some 15 miles and then turns north onto Brasselton Hwy.  On Brasselton Hwy. the Trail runs about three miles to Fort Danial in Hog Mountain.

This remarkably accurate old Fulton County map has been converted into a GPS map
One can place their own waypoints and tracks on it using two OziExplorer files (HERE) and (HERE)

THUMBNAILS

On this  Fulton County map of the early indian trails and creeks, waypoints (yellow) are along present day roads built on the trail.
The red line is a GPS track recorded while driving along the presumed Trail to Chamblee, hopefully to be extended to Hog Mt..
The blue line to the south is the Eastern Continental Divide in the Atlanta, East Point, Forest Park, and Decatur areas.


This composite Garmin MapSource Map shows the complete route of the first Peachtree Rd. -as the author understands it!

DOWNLOADS IN THE .GPX (GPS eXchange) UNIVERSAL FORMAT

1. High-resolution track of the original Peachtree Trail from the Chattahoochee River to Hog Mt..
2. Low-resolution track of the Eastern Continental Divide in the state of Georgia.
3. High-resolution track of the Eastern Continental Divide from Morrow to the triple point of three river basins in N. Georgia.

FURTHER READING

 Atlanta Upper West Side         The Buck Stopped Here        A Short History of Atlanta

Fort Peachtree     Creek Indians