Beginning in Lauderdale County, where it connected to Jackson's Old Military Road, Byler's Turnpike ran to Tuscaloosa. Approved by the legislature on 14 Dec 1819, only days after Alabama's statehood, it was the state's first road. Laid out along portions of the old Buffalo Trail and Doublehead's Trace, it reflected the progression from animal path to Indian trail and finally to road. John Byler and Associates built the southern portion twelve feet wide and free of stumps. A major part of the route followed Byler's Ridge, a watershed divide running south from Poplar Springs. The turnpike served as a major transportation route for mail, stage-coaches, freight wagons, and livestock, and it was important in the development of Northwest AL. For many years, Byler and his family charged a toll for passage. During the Civil War, both Union and Confederate forces used the road. Original segments survive along the Old County Line Road between Franklin and Lawrence and at a crossing of Bear Creek, though the route by Mt. Hope changed several times. Landmarks along the old road included Vandiver's Mill, Atwood's Blacksmith Shop, William Byler's Place, McCord's Stand, and Aunt Jenny's home. Byler, who lived from 1781 to 1824, is buried at Rock Springs Cemetery in Mt. Hope.