06/01/2026
Have you ever wondered what the roads used to be like? Well, then this Macon Monday is for you. In 1907-1908, Macon began dragging the streets with a log drawn by horses, while the ground was muddy. Traffic was then kept off the road until the road dried or froze, resulting in a solid, smooth road for a brief time.
Between 1909-1913, a group of Macon and Moweaqua men (including Van Gundys, J.J. Klein, Henry Kemmeely and several other Macon business men; “Doug” Porter of Moweaqua and Joseph of South Wheatland township) pooled funds to buy oil for a test road. The road was prepped by the Macon and South Wheatland townships, and an old water tank was fitted for a perforated pipe to spread the oil. After the road was completed, the city found improvement from the dirt roads. This prompted the city and townships to create a plan to get the community “out of the mud.”
The roads continued to be oiled until 1934, when gravel roads were put in under the watch of the Macon highway commissioner, Don Overlin, and another commissioner, Bud Lancaster. During this time Macon received funds from the state for gasoline tax and Front St. was paved with “Black Top” road.
