Approx. time period |
North Terminus |
South Terminus |
1926-1935 |
Montgomery, AL |
Marianna, FL |
1935-1954 |
Montgomery, AL |
Panama City, FL |
1954-present |
(near St. John, IN) |
Panama City, FL |
Note: since I don't have access to a comprehensive collection of historical road atlases, much of the info below is based on the research of Robert Droz and Adam Froehlig. Photo credits: Justin Cozart; Jon Enslin; Don Hargraves; Steven Nelson; Alex Nitzman; Joe Reda
US 231 was an original 1926 route, but back then it was quite short. Its north end was at its junction with US 31 in Montgomery AL (at the intersection of Fairview Avenue and Perry Street). If you could obtain a photo of current or historic signage there, please let me know.
The original south end of US 231 was at US 90 in Marianna FL:
Nelson,
Aug. 2005
That's looking south on what is now FL hwy. 73, which is the road US 231 used to follow into town. Heading east on US 90, the former south beginning of US 231 looks like this today:
Nelson, Aug. 2005
From the opposite direction, the highway is still signed "TO US 231"...
Nelson, Aug. 2005
...but already by 1935 this first 6-mile segment leading out of Marianna was truncated. Instead, the US 231 designation was changed to a more southerly route through Cottondale to its current south end in Panama City. The photo below is looking south on Harrison Avenue at the terminus:
Cozart, Dec. 2003
Modern US 98 traffic bypasses downtown via 15th Street, but the US 231 designation still continues south of there to 6th Street, which is the original US 98 through town (now marked as Business 98). Below we're looking west on 6th at Harrison:
Cozart, Dec. 2003
To the right is the south beginning of US 231. (To learn more about why the 231 shield was yellow, please visit Robert Droz' Florida in Kodachrome page.) Sadly, Alex reports those signs had been replaced by the time of his 2006 visit. Here's what they look like now (from the opposite direction on Business 98):
Nitzman,
July 2006
Westbound signage was similar. If you take that turn to the north, the confirming assembly looks like this:
Nitzman,
July 2006
In 1954 the north end of US 231 was extended to its current terminus at US 41, on the outskirts of St. John IN. You're actually heading due west when you come to the north end; US 41 is the cross road in the photo below, running north and south:
Enslin, 2001
"Downtown" St. John is about 2 miles north (right). Straight ahead is 109th Avenue, a local road. Note the sign on the pole at right; that's shown up close below:
Reda, 2002
The photo below is looking south on US 41 at the north beginning of US 231 (to the left):
Reda, 2002
If you take that turn, you'll see the first southbound US 231 sign, shown below:
Hargraves, Sep. 2002
The green sign says "Veterans Memorial Parkway", a designation bestowed by the state of Indiana on their portion of this route.
Note also that - according to the webpages of Stephen Summers - this intersection marked the north end of now-defunct US 152 for a very brief period around 1938.
Page created 21 June 2001; last updated 10 August 2006. |