An Act to Build Certain Roads in the Counties of Alleghany, Ashe and Watauga

[Note: This is chapter 172 of the Laws of North Carolina for 1887.]

Section 1. That the board of directors of the penitentiary be and it is authorized and it is hereby directed to construct the turnpike road that has been laid out and known as the Worth and Gentry survey from Sparta to the Low Gap in Alleghany County, and immediately after the said work is completed in Alleghany County the said board of directors is hereby authorized and directed to forthwith build a road in Ashe County from the town of Jefferson, by way of the Mineral Springs, and commonly called the “Healing” or Thompson’s Springs, and thence on to the Virginia State Line the nearest and most practicable route towards Marion, Virginia; and that immediately after the work is done in Ashe County the said board is authorized and directed to forthwith build a road in Watauga County from Henry Taylor’s on Watauga River by way of Valley Crucis [sic], and thence along and near the present public road by Dugger’s to the Mitchell county line, in the direction of Elk Park in Mitchell County; Provided, that the county commissioners in the counties of Ashe and Watauga shall respectively have said road surveyed and located before the said board of directors are authorized to have any work done on said roads in those two counties.

Section 2. That in order to carry into operation the provisions of section one of this act the board of directors of the penitentiary are authorized and directed immediately after the ratification of this act to take from the force of convicts now working on the Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley Railroad in excess of two hundred and fifty convicts given to said road by an act ratified during the session of the legislature of one thousand eight hundred and eighty-seven, fifty able bodied convicts, and immediately transfer them to Alleghany county and commence the work there, and then to Ashe and then to Watauga respectively, and said board is authorized and directed to keep said force up to fifty at all times, and to keep said force constantly at work on the road provided for in first section of this act; Provided, however, that when said force have been worked in Alleghany county for six months the said board of directors of the penitentiary shall immediately transfer them to the said work in Ashe county; and that when the said force has worked on the said road in Ashe County for six months the said board of directors shall immediately transfer said force to Watauga county and work them on the road hereinbefore named in that county for six months: Provided further that if said board is authorized and directed by law so to do it shall take said convict force hereinbefore named in this act to Johnston county and build certain roads there first then transfer them to Alleghany county as soon as the work in Johnston county is done as provided by law.

Section 3. That nothing contained in this act shall in anyway affect, interfere with or diminish any convict force granted or assigned to any railroad or other work of internal improvement, either by contract executed prior to this act or granted or assigned by any prior act of this general assembly.

Section 4. That this act shall be in full force and effect from and after its ratification.

In the general assembly read three times and ratified this the 3rd day of March, A. D. 1887.