It crossed the Flint River at Traveller's Rest a few miles below Oglethorpe. From Pond Town to Tallahassee, Fla., there was and Indian trail much used by the Indians. This Highway was known as the Hawthorne trail.
Below from the "History of Schley County," will help tell the story of the Bernard's Rd. and Bernard's Trail as relates to Schley County. Remarks in ( ) are mine. This is from the original "History Of Schley County" by Mrs. H.J Williams (Miss Mamie) written in the 1930's .
The history of Schley County is redolent with time honored memories. At the close of the Revolutionary War, July 4, 1776, this country was a vast wilderness where Indians roamed almost uncivilized, subsisting on wild game, potatoes and corn which were cultivated in small patches. At that time there were many Creek, a few Seminole and Cherokee Indians living here.
In 1808, several families moved into this section from the Carolinas. These Red men were kind to the new settlers and helped them clear the land, cultivate the soil and build homes. They settled on a line near where the cemetery is now located, and which was then almost entirely surrounded by ponds.
Within less than a mile from where the court house now stands, a village sprung up about 1812, called Pond Town. This became a relay station for the stage coach line which ran by Hamburg (due east of Ellaville on the road to Oglethorpe ) and Preston (this would be Barnard's Trail on the map).
It crossed the Flint River at Traveller's Rest a few miles below Oglethorpe. From Pond Town to Tallahassee, Fla., there was and Indian trail much used by the Indians. This Highway was known as the Hawthorne trail.
Running due east from Pond Town, a road was cut, extending to the confluence of Camp and Toteover Creek. On this road several families settled in 1808 and 1809..........
Thanks to Ed Jackson Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia
Carl Vinson Institute of Government
"Georgia Early Roads and Trials circa 1730-1850"
The Early Road network has been imposed on a 1932 base map from the Department of Interior. Research of roads done by Dr. John H. Goff. Printed by GA Dept of Transportation in cooperation with Surveyor Gen Dept, Sec of State.