Million Dollar Mile

The highway that Bockman Way is part of, called U.S. Route 70 in the modern day, was originally a wagon trail that connected Knoxville to Nashville. Over time, this trail extended to the Carolinas and Virginia in the east and to New Orleans in the west. Many hotels became established along this path to offer rest stops for travelers riding in their wagons. Hotels like the Keystone Hotel, the Rhea House, and the Lee Hotel appeared in Sparta. Bon Air had a hotel of its own back when it was still a resort destination called Bon Air Springs.[1] The Rock House also operated as a rest stop and toll house along this route.

In the early 1900s, Bockman Way was named Bridge Street in reference to the bridge that spanned across the Calfkiller River. Later, the road’s name changed to Broadway of America, or Broadway for short. In 1948, a project dubbed “The Million Dollar Mile” began with the goal of widening the road to four lanes. Bailey Bockman served as Sparta’s mayor during the road’s construction.[2] The name, “The Million Dollar Mile,” originated as a jab against Bailey Bockman as some citizens of Sparta believed that the town did not need a four-lane road and that the project was a waste of time, money, and resources. Mayor Bockman even had his life threatened twice over the course of the project. These criticisms persisted despite the evidence that the two-lane bridge over the Calfkiller River was a major source of traffic. The Chicago Automobile Club labeled the Calfkiller Bridge as, “the worst bottleneck between Memphis and Bristol,” according to Annelle Bockman Jett, daughter of Bailey Bockman. Ultimately, the project finished in December 1950. Mayor Bockman died in 1965, and in 1966, Mayor Harold “Mose” Sims renamed Broadway of America to Bockman Way in honor of the former mayor.[3]

[1] Rev. Monroe Seals, History of White County Tennessee (Spartanburg: The Reprint Company, Publishers, 2004), 17.
[2] Historical Legends & Legacies of White County, Tennessee, 10.
[3] Heritage of White County 1806-1999 (Sparta: White County Heritage Book Committee and County Heritage, Inc., 1999), 49.