If you go
› What: 2016 Dixie Highway Symposium.› When: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday, April 22.› Where: James E. Brown Center, Room 105, Dalton State College, 650 College Drive, Dalton, Ga.› Admission: Free (lunch on your own).› Phone: 706-272-4452 (Brian Hilliard).› Email: bhilliar@daltonstate.edu.
The Bandy Heritage Center for Northwest Georgia will do a little time-traveling Friday, April 22, at the 2016 Dixie Highway Symposium in Dalton.
Three speakers will discuss the historic significance of the Dixie Highway, its role in developing the South and travel, as well as promotion efforts for boosting state and local tourism. The free lectures start at 9 a.m. and continue through 3 p.m., with a lunch break from 12:30 to 2 p.m.
Constructed in the early years of the 20th century, the Dixie Highway in Georgia was actually a network of highways crossing the state from north to south. These roads, the state’s first paved highways, opened Georgia to tourists driving from the Midwest on their way to the Florida beaches and integrated the state more closely into the fabric of American life, according to a news release.
Edwin Jackson, an independent scholar and author, will speak on two topics: “The Origin and Legacy of Georgia’s Dixie Highway” and “Can the Lincoln Highway Serve as a Model for Dixie Highway Tourism?” Ernest L. Barfield III, program director for the Historic Dixie Highway Scenic Byway, will present “The Journey: Georgia’s Historic Dixie Highway Scenic Byway.” Dr. James A. Burran, former president of Dalton State College, will discuss “The Dixie Highway During the Jim Crow Era.”