Interstate 65 North - Goodlettsville to Kentucky

Interstate 65

Interstate 65 enters the state of Kentucky at the "Simpson Offset". Here the Kentucky border dips southward from a relatively straight line, forming a wedge toward Mitchellville, Tennessee. Surveyors Thomas Walker and Daniel Smith were in the area during December 1779 and January 1780 to record the official state boundary during a cloudy weather period. The conditions disallowed the men from taking astronomical observations, resulting in a geographic anomaly where the surveyors were clearly south of the intended state boundary.

Surveyors revisited the notch in 1830 but recommended that the border be left as it was, likely due to political disputes. Changes would later come by 1859 as a Tennessee land owner named Middleton claimed 101 acres of his property belonged in Tennessee. Two surveyors were sent and agreed, resulting in a 101-acre parcel dubbed the "Middleton Offset", be carved out of the original Kentucky notch for Tennessee.1

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References:

  1. "Border Wars, Part Two." http://www.tnhistoryforkids.org/ geography/bordernorth Tennessee History for Kids.
  2. Tennessee State Route 386. AARoads Wiki.
  3. Interstate 65 Interchange at State Route 109. Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), project web page. Accessed September 4, 2020.
  4. "New I-65 interchange opens in Portland." Portland Sun (TN), December 10, 2019.

Photo Credits:

Page Updated Saturday December 16, 2023.